Canning dense foods

I put up many different things for our family. My rule of thumb is always process for the ingredient which has the longest time associated with it, such meat in pasta sauce 90 minutes vs 30 for plain based on the recipe. With that in mind, I have looked endlessly for many types of recipes to make store bought items at home. For instance, chocolate fudge sauce. All the references I could find said no-go for the home canner because commercial items are often done at higher pressures and that is why you can buy certain things, like pumpkin puree or refried beans, in the store but cannot do them at home. I have tried to find some reference for the “higher pressure” in commercially processed foods… haven’t found anything. Can you explain why we can find dense products to buy, but “experts” say they cannot be safely canned at home?

Angie Riggsby
Buckley, Washington

I don’t believe store foods are canned at a higher pressure but are pre-heated to certain temps before being packed. And in a factory, they are packed by machine, instantly, then move on down to the canner. At home we can’t work so precisely and some folks are pretty slow. So they make the recommendations for them, including us, too. I’ve never heard of a person getting botulism from home canned pureed pumpkin or refried beans. BUT I suppose it is possible, especially if they really cooled down prior or during packing then someone closed up their canner to build pressure BEFORE it had exhausted steam sufficiently, building up heat BEFORE pressuring up. Experts are trying to keep us safe from ourselves in every way possible, including home canning. — Jackie

Black cherries

I ordered some shrubs from my Conservation District since you are out of stock. They are called Black Cherry (Prunus serotina) are they the same thing? Boy I hope so I got 10 of them. Just wonder if it’s the same.

Brandy Gunderson

Sorry, but no. Black Cherry are not Hansens Bush Cherries but a tree that can eventually grow to 100 feet. Hansens Bush Cherries are a shrub topping out at about 6′ and about 8′ wide and bushy. It is known as the Western Sand Cherry or Prunus besseyi. We don’t sell any trees, shrubs or plants but we may be selling Hansens Bush Cherry pits next year, depending on the harvest as we’ve grown many from seed. — Jackie