How To Quickly Spot Spoiled Food: Safe Canning Tips
When it comes to home-canning, safety is likely the first thing on your mind. I mean after all, it’s the first thing that came up in my conversations with a bunch of millennial-aged women when asked why they don’t preserve food at home. And food safety should be a top priority, rightfully so. But it doesn’t have to stall your progress. I’ll share a few safe canning tips & tell you how to prevent botulism in canning.
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Why Home-Canned Food Safety Matters
You might be here because you’re ready to start canning, but there’s just one thing nagging at you.
Making the fam sick because you’re not confident you know what you’re doing yet.
Totally relatable but girl, you just gotta take the bull by the horns & do the thing at some point.
Remember, doing the thing doesn’t mean you have to eat it right then & there. So there’s really not much to lose that’s not replacable.
Understanding the signs of spoilage (& knowing what enemies you’re up against in the first place) will help you feel more confident.
Not just about preserving the food, but confident in eating it too.
Because…what else did you preserve it for?
We’re all about keepin’ the fam safe from food-borne illnesses, but fully-stocked pantries are a non-negotiable – amIright?
It’s also important because you’re your only governing authority here. You are the Manufacturer, the Quality Control analyst, the Quality Assurance tester & the Consumer all in one.
It’s important to get a handle on what will affect the safety of your home-preserved foods (particularly home canned foods). The reality is, poorly canned foods are the perfect environment for some naaaaaaastyyyyy lil’ buggies (like botulism). But one of the best ways to instantly spot spoiling in your home canned foods is A) choosing the best food preservation method from jump (with a trusted recipe) & B) inspecting your jars regularly.
4 Factors that Cause Spoiling in Preserved Foods
There are 4 main threats to…well really any preserved food. They are:
- Air / Moisture
- Light / Radiation
- Pests / Physical Damage
- pH & temperature
“To each their own”. We’ve all heard it & it applies to bacteria too.
Each species of bacteria needs or prefers one (or more) of these conditions to live.
So by removing them, you eliminate the possibility of them being able to survive & replicate.
The best way to win at preserving food yourself is to choose a food preservation technique that combats these. And the more it eliminates, the better. Any factors not addressed by your chosen method should be covered through your storage conditions.
Take canning for example. Whether water-bath, steam or pressure canning, you will be changing the pH & subjecting food to certain high temperatures for long enough to kill off harmful bacteria. You’ll also be creating an airless environment. (Properly sealed canned foods create a vacuum within the jar when the lid is sealed).
However, your storage space needs to protect these precious beauties from prolonged, direct sunlight/radiation & any risk of physical damage. (Think, sturdy shelving not easily reached by pets or small children. And obviously, some place dark & cool.)
Boom, boom, boom-buddie, boom. All 4 factors defeated right there.
Common Causes of Spoiling in Home-Canned Foods
Home-canned food can go bad. Yeah, it’s not like raw milk girl that doesn’t truly “spoil”, just “changes”. And at first it might seem like every step in the process is rigged to trip you up. It’s not. But here’s what could:
Improper Processing: Using the wrong method for certain types of food can definitely lead to spoiling. While the old-timers had their ways, trying to water bath can low-acid foods like vegetables or meats could end very badly. Those foods really should be pressure canned to kill all bacteria because the pressure canner will reach (& maintain) a temperature higher than boiling for a set amount of time. You just can’t get it water-bathing. But don’t worry, high-acid foods like fruits & jams can safely be processed in a water bath canner.
Contamination (during canning): You wouldn’t walk to school 15 miles uphill both ways then climb into bed with ya muddy boots, would you? (Sure hope not). Alright then, so the same should go for canning food at home. Always start with (& keep up) a clean workspace. Sterilize your jars as needed per your recipe. And always, I mean always use the prettiest, choicest, freshest ingredients you can to avoid contamination. This is like my top of the list of safe canning tips. Start right, work right, eat right.
Storage Conditions: Despite doing the work, the storing matters too. It’s preferable to store preserved foods (especially home-canned foods) in a cool, dark place (like 50–70°F (10–21°C)) where they won’t be prone to temp swings more volatile than a first-time toddler mom’s emotions. This helps keep them safe & fresh. In the case of canning, exposure to heat &/or sunlight risks warping the seals. And that is the gateway to letting in little microbes that eventually cause spoiling.
Key Signs of Spoilage to Look For
I love canning food at home because it’s a great way to preserve fresh produce & meats for our eating pleasure year-round. But sometimes spoiling is sneaky. It can be invisible, odorless & even tasteless.
Other times it’s pretty clear something didn’t go how it was supposed to. But nonetheless, here’s a few safe canning tips still.
We’re talking green goopey messes, fuzzy/hairy growths. Visual changes. Cloudiness, discoloration, or mold growth inside the jar or on the food are major flags on the play. Cloudy liquid can signal contamination, while mold is a clear sign that something has gone wrong.
Things that move that aren’t supposed to…like bubbling or fizzing. And normally, this would be fine right. Fermentation is actually a preservation method on its own. But if you see bubbles or a fizzy appearance in a canned food jar after opening, it’s likely that fermentation is your peep-hole into the presence of some bacteria you don’t wanna eat.
Need I say this one? Unusual smells. Girl, if it doesn’t smell right, it might not be right. And I don’t mean it smells bad because you’re early in the first trimester & everything smells, looks & sounds bad. Food that genuinely has an off smell or an overly strong odor has probably gone bad.
Then there’s the obvious sign: a loose or bulging lid. Properly sealed lids should be tight & slightly concave (meaning they dip a lil in the middle). If the lid bulges or is loose, there’s some gas inside. Definitely a clear sign of bacterial activity. And for the record, this is yet another safe canning tip to store canned foods without the rings. Rings can create false seals, but just because you don’t see a gap doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
How to Prevent Botulism in Home-Canned Foods
Aging is a thing everywhere in life. So spoilage is always a possibility. But other than using your physical senses (+ your common sense), follow tested recipes & use trusted canning jars & lids.
Use canning recipes that have been tested for safety, especially from trusted sources like the USDA or the National Center for Home Food Preservation. These recipes have gone through rigorous testing to make sure parameters like time & acidity levels are safe.
Reliable canning jars & lids (like my favorites from ForJars) are like extra insurance. But if you use cheaply made jars & lids, you may end up paying for it in failed batches & spoiled food. Didn’t know glass came in quality & cheap varieties? It does. Check this post for more.
Understand when to use pressure canning vs water bath canning methods. Certain foods require certain techniques. It’s ok to trust science for safety here over word-of-mouth stories, especially if you’re just beginning. This is the #1 of all safe canning tips because the wrong method will mess you up!
Use best practices for storage & consumption so things don’t go bad on you. Label your jars with at least the month/year you made it so you can practice a first-in, first-out rotation. Aim to eat the food within 1-2 years. Despite being well-preserved, it will still lose some nutrients over time.
And it’s just a good practice to store your home canned foods without the rings. This at least allows you to detect spoiling quickly. And speakin’ of checking things…do a full inventory periodically to inspect your canned foods (& other preserved items for that matter).
Key Take-Aways
You don’t have to worry about making your family sick by canning your own food. The best safe canning tips are super simple to follow.
Start with the highest quality food you can & pair it with the most effective preservation method.
Use tested recipes & trusted products then prepare for storage.
Create a systematic rotational consumption plan so that you eat through the oldest items first before newer ones.
And try to consume home canned foods within the first year or two for the best nutrient profile.
Visually inspect the jars & rings regularly & when in doubt…throw it out.
See? Easy peasy, girl. 😎✌🏽
