Published July, 2000

By Nancy Hudson, Extension Agent, Family & Consumer Sciences

“How long do I need to oven-can my green beans?” the caller inquired.

“I’m sorry, that’s not a recommended procedure.  To be safe, green beans need to be pressure processed.”

“Look, honey, I’ve been canning for more than 50 years and nobody’s died yet . . . ”

What kind of a risk-taker are you?  In our years of answering consumer calls, we’ve heard the gamut -- from “I don’t want to take any chance of getting sick” to “Will it kill me or just make me sick?”

If you plan to preserve the summer’s bounty, gather the information and equipment you need to do it safely and for best quality.  We offer numerous free fact sheets and test pressure canner dial gauges for accuracy.  Gauges should be tested annually and, each year, about a third of the gauges we test are not safe. Details about accessing these free services are at the end of this column.

Generally, any recipe can be safely frozen.  However, for canning safety, you must follow recommended procedures specific to each food or combination of foods.  When “favorite canning or pickling recipes” are listed in the media or passed along from friend to friend, be cautious.  Look for reliable sources such as the USDA Home Guide to Canning, the Ball Blue Book, or  Putting Food By.  Be sure to use editions printed after 1990.

In the meantime, consider other summertime food safety issues.  To avoid bacterial food poisoning, the rule of thumb is to always keep hot foods hot -- and cold foods cold.

Contrary to popular wisdom, mayonnaise in your summer chicken salad is usually not the cause of food poisoning.  The source of the problem is more apt to be improperly handled chicken -- undercooked, unrefrigerated, or both.

Summer temperatures warrant extra safety precautions when preparing perishable foods such as meat, poultry, seafood and egg products. Warm weather is not only ideal for picnics and barbecues, but it also provides ideal conditions for food spoilage organisms to multiply more rapidly.  Take time to review these reminders to avoid serving up food poisoning this summer.

• Wash, wash, wash your hands.   If you sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat twice through while washing your hands with hot, soapy water, you’ll meet the 20-second recommendation to get the job done right.  Wash hands before and after handling food.
• Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter.  Don’t reuse the marinade from raw meat or poultry on cooked food unless you boil it first.  When taking food off the grill, do not put cooked food items back on the same plate that held the raw food.
• Make it hot!  Preheat the coals on your grill for 20 to 30 minutes, or until they are lightly coated with ash.  Use a meat thermometer to ensure that food reaches a safe internal temperature.   A meat thermometer fork -- particularly useful for grilling -- measures the internal temperature of even the thinnest foods.
• Keep perishables cold until ready to cook or serve.  During food preparation, do not leave meat, chicken or seafood out at room temperature for more than two hours.  When temperatures rise above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, reduce that time to one hour.

“Most people don’t realize that even for a short period of time, perishable food is very susceptible to bacterial growth,” says Lydia Medeiros, Ohio State University Extension Specialist, Food and Nutrition.  “By simply packing your food in a cooler with lots of ice, you greatly reduce the threat of food borne illness.”

When traveling with food, pack perishables directly from the refrigerator or freezer into a cooler.  Packing meat and poultry while still frozen is a great way to keep it colder, longer.  To prevent cross-contamination – when juices from raw meat, poultry or seafood drip onto other foods –  put perishables into sealed plastic bags.

Since a full cooler stays cold longer than one partially filled, pack plenty of extra ice or freezer packs to ensure a constant cold temperature. Put your drinks in a separate cooler to avoid opening the food cooler frequently.

For food safety brochures specific to camping, boating, or day camp lunches and to request canning and freezing fact sheets, send your specific request with a self-addressed, postage-paid envelope to us at 120 W. Washington St., Medina 44256.  You can drop off your pressure canner dial gauge any weekday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  We’ll have it ready for you the following Friday afternoon.