Michigan State University Extension
Preserving Food Safely - 01600941
10/13/97
Begin with good-quality fresh foods suitable for
canning. Quality varies among varieties of fruits and
vegetables. Many county Extension offices can recommend
varieties best suited for canning. Examine food carefully
for freshness and wholesomeness. Discard diseased and moldy
food. Trim small diseased lesions or spots from food.
Can fruits and vegetables picked from your garden or
purchased from nearby producers when the products are at
their peak of quality--within 6 to 12 hours after harvest
for most vegetables. For best quality, apricots,
nectarines, peaches, pears and plums should be ripened one
or more days between harvest and canning. If you must delay
the canning of other fresh produce, keep it in a shady, cool
place.
Fresh home-slaughtered red meats and poultry should be
chilled and canned without delay. Do not can meat from
sickly or diseased animals. Ice fish and seafoods after
harvest, eviscerate immediately, and can them within 2 days.