You CAN do it! Home canning is easy and popular

Alaska's short growing season yields a lot of fabulous fruits and vegetables, and the fishing season leads to plenty of meat for the winter.

Making the three-month summer fill the table for the other nine months of the year is easy, thanks to the age-old process of canning.

Canning is relatively easy, once you are set up for it. It makes those home-grown peppers, carrots and other vegetables available year-round. It is a safe and economical way to preserve food at home. The reason canning works is because it removes oxygen and enzymes and prevents bacteria from growing, which destroys food.

The key to good canning is starting with good, quality fresh food suitable for canning.

This includes a wide range of fruits, vegetables and meats, each of which requires a different canning routine.

Many fruits and vegetables are at their peak within six to 12 hours after harvest, meaning you have to be prepared to can as soon after harvest as possible.

According to the publication The Complete Guide to Home Canning, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, proper canning practices include:

carefully selecting and washing fresh food;

peeling some fresh foods;

hot packing many foods;

adding acids to some foods;

using acceptable jars and self-sealing lids;

processing jars in boiling water or pressure canner for the correct amount of time.

There are numerous ways to can food, from hot packing to using a pressure canner. The method used to can a specific food depends on a number of factors, including acidity of the selected food.

Popular home canning recipes

Mixed fruit cocktail

3 pounds peaches

3 pounds pears

11Ú2 pounds slightly underripe seedless green grapes

10 ounce jar maraschino cherries

3 cups sugar

4 cups water

Stem and wash grapes, and keep in ascorbic acid solution (six tablets of 500 milligram vitamin C pills per gallon of water). Dip ripe but firm peaches, a few at a time, in boiling water for a minute to loosen skins. Dip in cold water and slip off skins. Cut in half, remove pits, cut into 1Ú2-inch cubs, and keep in solution with grapes. Peel, halve and core pears, cut into 1Ú2-inch cubes and keep in solution with grapes and peaches. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Drain mixed fruit, add 1Ú2 cup of hot syrup to each jar. Then add a few cherries and gently fill the jar with mixed fruit and more hot syrup, leaving 1Ú2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

Pickled bell peppers

7 pounds firm bell peppers

31Ú2 cups sugar

3 cups vinegar

3 cups water

9 cloves garlic

41Ú2 teaspoons canning or pickling salt

Wash peppers, cut into quarters, remove cores and seeds and cut away blemishes. Slice peppers in strip. Boil sugar, vinegar and water for one minute. Add peppers and bring to a boil. Place 1Ú2 clove of garlic and 1Ú4 teaspoon salt in each sterile half-pint jar. Add pepper strips and cover with hot vinegar mixture, leaving 1Ú2-inch headspace. Adjust the lids and process.

Pickle relish

3 quarts chopped cucumber

3 cups chopped green peppers

3 cups chopped red peppers

1 cup chopped onions

3Ú4 cup canning or pickling salt

4 cups ice

8 cups water

2 cups sugar

4 teaspoons each of mustard seed, turmeric, whole allspice and whole cloves

6 cups white vinegar

Add cucumbers, peppers, onions, salt and ice to water and let stand four hours. Drain and recover vegetables with fresh ice water for another hour. Drain again. Combine spices in a spice or cheesecloth bag. Add spices to sugar and vinegar. Heat to boiling and pour mixture over vegetables. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Heat mixture to boiling and fill while still hot into clean jars, leaving 1Ú2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

Chili con carne

3 cups dried pinto or red kidney beans

51Ú2 cups water

5 teaspoons salt

3 pounds ground beef

11Ú2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped peppers

1 teaspoon black pepper

3-6 tablespoons chili powder

2 quarts crushed or whole tomatoes

Wash beans thoroughly and place in a two-quart saucepan. Add cold water to a level of two to three inches above the beans and soak overnight. Drain and discard water. Combine beans with water and 2 teaspoons salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Drain and discard water. Brown ground beef, chopped onions and peppers in a skillet. Drain off fat and add 3 teaspoons salt, pepper, chili powder tomatoes and drained cooked beans. Simmer five minutes. Fill jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

Marinated whole mushrooms

7 pounds small whole mushrooms

1Ú2 cup bottled lemon juice

2 cups olive or salad oil

21Ú2 cups white vinegar

1 tablespoon oregano leaves

1 tablespoon canning or pickling salt

1 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1Ú2 cup finely chopped onions

1Ú4 cup diced pimento

2 cloves garlic, cut in quarters

25 black peppercorns

Select fresh, unopened mushrooms with caps less than 11Ú4 inch in diameter. Wash, and cut stems, leaving 1Ú4 inch attached to cap. Add lemon juice and water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for five minutes. Drain mushrooms. Mix olive oil, vinegar, oregano, basil and salt in a saucepan. Stir in onions and pimento and heat to boiling. Place 1Ú4 garlic clove and 2-3 peppercorns in a half-pint jar. Fill jars with mushrooms and hot, well-mixed oliveÚvinegar solution, leaving 1Ú2 inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.