For example, people who are canning beets often ask Crosiar how long to process jars filled with beets in a boiling water bath. Because beets are a low acid food, they must be processed in a pressure canner. The answer to the beet question is more than academic. Last February, an Oregon woman died from botulism poisoning after eating canned beets that had been processed in a boiling water bath. The tomato canning process is another area that concerns Crosiar.
Instructions now call for adding specific amounts of lemon juice or citric acid.
And the way tomatoes are packed in canning jars affects the processing time. We urge anyone who is canning tomatoes to call the hotline. In 1996, Master Food Preservers contributed 10,100 hours of service, logged nearly 25,000 contacts with the public, and answered more than 8,500 telephone calls. In the past, people canned their own food at home as a way to save on the family food budget. Today, saving money is less important than a concern for quality and satisfying personal tastes.