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Strawberry Margarita Marmalade
ith more Alabama residents staying and working at home this past year, many of us turned to growing our own food and then figuring out what to do with what our gardens produced. Many, predictably, turned to home canning fruit jams, jellies, preserves and marmalades. “Oh, my goodness, everyone wanted to grow a garden and then everyone wanted to know how to can,” says Angela Treadaway, regional extension agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Her office was overwhelmed with calls and hundreds of people registered for the system’s online virtual workshops on canning and food preservation. Why is making your own jams and jellies better than store-bought? “Because you know what’s in it,” she says. “There are no preservatives, and the freshness of it… there’s really no comparison.” “The biggest problem is getting jars,” Treadaway says. The surge in home canning in 2020 led to a shortage of jars and lids in stores and online. “I hope it’s been solved by now.” Some of her most-asked questions on jelly and jam-making: • If mold appears on the top of my jelly, is it OK to scoop it off and use it? No, that’s not a good idea. If it’s on the top, it’s in the whole product. It’s best to toss. • What about paraffin wax to seal my jars? This is not recommended and does not meet USDA standards. Even though the lid may seal, it’s not a permanent seal. • Do I need a water bath canner? You can use a large stock pot as long as it’s tall enough to have an inch of water at the top. You can use a towel or a rack on the bottom to hold the jars. • For more help, including video tutorials, visit: aces.edu/blog/category/food-safety/. The Extension System also offers “Tuesday Table Talks” workshops on the first Tuesday of the month on its Facebook page at • facebook.com/acesfoodsafety. You can reach Angela Treadaway at 205-410-3696. – Lenore Vickrey 44 MARCH 2021
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www.alabamaliving.coop
2/17/21 2:18 PM
