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THURSDAY | OCTOBER 8, 2020
Betty Kaiser: Cook’s Corner
Clarifying my ‘scary’ canning column
Betty Kaiser
D
ear Readers, my last
column featured a
Marinara Sauce recipe
that I can every year. It
stirred up a whole lotta
trouble.
So…
This column is in re-
sponse to an email that
my editors and I received
regarding my “scarily
dangerous advice.” We
were asked to “strongly
and immediately correct
the information in your
column … freezing is the
only safe option for pre-
serving this recipe.”
So, here is the correc-
tion:
You can eat it but Do
Not Can Betty’s Marina-
ra Sauce! And if you have
any questions about what
you are canning, call the
OSU Lane Extension Of-
fice 541-344.5859.
Two highly trained
Master Food Preservers
considered the recipe/
column “scary” for a vari-
ety of reasons, including
what could be dangerous
water bath canning, un-
safe recipes, my flying-
by-the-seat-of-my-pants
cooking, adding meat or
other uncalled for ingre-
dients in canning recipes
and more.
By those standards,
I plead guilty to every-
thing except the most se-
rious charge: water bath
canning.
I didn’t give instruc-
tions in the column on
how you should be doing
your canning. I did sug-
gest following instruc-
tions on your home can-
ner.
I also should have said
that I never do water
bath canning. I always
use a pressure cooker.
I didn’t cover all can-
ning bases.
Sorry!
I am not an expert in
canning so I don’t write
“how to” columns on
that subject. I’m a long-
time recipe columnist
sharing simple, seasonal
meal ideas to enjoy.
My foods education
consists of being raised
and fed by a Southern
family; studying Home
Economics at Pepper-
dine College in Los An-
geles and supervising the
kitchen and business at
Kaiser’s Country Diner
in California, and a local
donut shop bakery.
Unfortunately, in my
columns, I sometimes
must take shortcuts in
what I say and that got
me into trouble this time.
For instance, I should
have been more explicit
and said that I don’t can
meat.
I only add it after I
open the canned product
to prepare it for dinner.
The same thing goes for
my “cooking by the seat
of my pants” comment.
It’s after canning that ad-
ditions are made.
That wasn’t clear ei-
ther.
Mea Culpa!
In Oregon, Master
Food Preservers are
trained and certified vol-
unteers who assist Ore-
gon State University Ex-
tension Service. They are
highly educated in their
field and, among other
things, they provide up-
to-date food safety and
preservation informa-
tion to Oregonians.
They are protecting
the public and very seri-
ous professionals.
So in closing this col-
umn, I leave you with
these canning thoughts
from Beth Pool and
Kim Still, veteran Mas-
ter Food Preservers with
Lane County OSU Ex-
tension Services:
“Incidences of botu-
lism poisoning have been
on the rise in recent years
due to people finding
fresh recipes and think-
ing, ‘This is so tasty! I’ll
just can it.’ What happens
is the Clostridium botu-
linum bacteria actually
thrives in that low acid,
air-free environment (of
a water bath processed
canning jar), releasing a
deadly toxin that is taste-
less and odorless. When
consumed, it attacks our
nervous system... a very
long and painful death.
“Now, to address the
safe ‘hows’ of preserving
vegetables and meats.
All foods have their own
specific pH levels and
are either more baselike/
alkaline or acidic (drink-
ing water is neutral).
“Foods higher in acid,
such as fruits, can be
safely preserved by wa-
ter bath canning. Foods
lower in acid — vegeta-
bles and meats — must
be pressure canned (not
with a pressure cooker!)
at temperatures above
boiling (224°) to kill the
botulinum bacteria.
“It is also vital to pay
attention to their pro-
portions (ratios) when
combining
vegetables
(or meats) as in sauces,
soups, etc.
“Because of their vary-
ing pH/acidity levels,
the low-acid ingredients
must be measured by vol-
ume or weight according
to the recipe. Tomato
paste alters the density
of the product, causing
uneven processing and a
dangerous situation.
“Acid must also be in-
cluded in proper pro-
portions. If meat is add-
ed, the processing time
changes quite a bit.
“Despite commercially
made products you see
on grocery shelves, only
USDA approved recipes
should be used for home
canning.
“You will find safe
recipes for preserving
spaghetti sauce with or
without meat in a hand-
out published by OSU
Lane County Extension.
In it are recipes and ex-
planations of the science
behind preserving toma-
to products.
“The
website
is:
https://catalog.exten-
sion.oregonstate.edu/
pnw300.
“It may seem less sat-
isfying to use a ‘boring’
scientifically researched
recipe, but you can make
it ‘your own’ with extra
ingredients after you’ve
opened your safely pre-
served product and are
preparing your meal.
“Another
excellent
source for USDA ap-
proved canning recipes
is The National Center
for Home Food Preser-
vation, https://nchfp.uga.
edu. We can also recom-
mend recipes from Ball
Blue Book (post 1989
publishing date), as long
as you follow the mea-
surements and directions
exactly.”
— Keep it simple
and keep it seasonal
with Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s
Corner
LORANE COUNTRY NEWS
Contributed by
Lil Thompson
door and drive-in ser-
vices last Sunday at 10
for The Sentinel
a.m.
Indoor was with
• Lorane Christian
Church held both in- masks and at least six
foot distance. There vative services during
were at least seven cars these COVID-19 times.
outside for service.
Same for next Sunday
Thank you to Lorane at 10 a.m.
Church for its inno-
• Crow-Applegate-Lo-
rane School District
started Sept. 22 with all
QUALITY SENIOR LIVING IS EXPANDING IN COTTAGE GROVE! distance learning due to
the rise in COVID-19
cases in Lane County
taking us over the met-
ric for any in person
classes.
The high school held
an assembly on Zoom
for their students.
All students and staff
Our new luxury suites will be worked hard in this new
available for move-in October learning environment.
They will keep students
and parents updated on
Magnolia Gardens Senior Living has
how everything is work-
completed construction of 37 new suites.
ing.
For more information,
We are a full-service Assisted Living
call
Applegate Elemen-
& Memory Care Community with
tary at 541-935-2100
24/7 Immediate Placement for
EXPERIENCE
or Crow Middle/High
Urgent Admissions.
EXTRAORDINARY
School at 541-935-2227.
• Please, everyone be
Reserve your
Call (541) 514-2485 for
careful
on Stoney Point.
more information or to
suite by
Last week someone
schedule a personal tour!
October 31, 2020
almost ran into the back
and secure your
of a flagger’s truck and
introductory
over the weekend a car
rate special
went over the side of the
for two years!
construction site.
Assisted Living, Memory Care & Independent Living
Just slow down in ei-
ther direction and be
1425 Daugherty Ave., Cottage Grove, OR 97424
prepared to stop.
(541)-942-0054 • www.MagnoliaGardensSL.com T
Pet Tips
‘n’ Tales
By Mary Ellen
“Angel Scribe”
‘Glory’ous Love
It is rare for a mare to lie down after giving birth, and it
was a good thing she did; Glory’s weak premature colt
curled up in her arms for comfort.
(This column was first published Ocrt. 30, 2019)
A
fter living outside of Oregon for 14 years, includ-
ing six years in China, Renee’s family was thrilled to
move back. They celebrated with a skiing trip, stopping at
a restaurant, where an image of a magnificent Gypsy colt
graced the cover of a magazine.
“In that minute, I fell in love with the Gypsy breed,” ex-
plains Renee. “The colt’s beauty took my breath away; the
hair on its mane and tail resembled long, fine and beautiful
feathers. After seeing the magazine, I was so enthralled that
I could not eat. Life seemed to come to a stop until I could
touch, feel and love a Gypsy horse.”
A month later, she was the happy owner of two Gypsy
horses and discovered this magnificent mystical looking
breed was cuddly looking, exceptionally giving, forgiving
and loving.
Years later, Renee owned several more Gypsies, including
the mare Glory Upon Glory from Ireland. In New York, the
agricultural department unloads arriving livestock, washes
and disinfects their feet to prevent the spread of hoof-and-
mouth disease. From there, Glory was flown to Kentucky
and trucked to Oregon, still nursing a filly.
Later, Glory was bred through a Tennessee stallion’s se-
men, which arrived in a box via Fed-Ex. Their veterinarian
was the middle-man in the conception.
Glory’s colt was born 36 days premature, which was a se-
rious threat to the colt’s survival. Renee, knowing that his
early birth was a dangerous to the colt, felt it needed some
divine help. So, she named him “Segway,” which means a
small pathway to the Lord.
“The first two hours, I watched Glory and Segway in the
pasture,” said Renee. “I had never seen a mare lie down be-
fore, but Glory did. Little Segway crawled into her lap and
snuggled his muzzle into her cheek and kissed her. Glory
leaned her head on her son’s head. Then, he put his head on
her chest. She lay her head over his neck and head, and he
put his neck all the way down onto her lap, and she lay her
head on his body. It was so precious. They lay quietly for 15
minutes and Segway fell asleep.”
Renee walked out to the colt and coaxed him away from
his mother’s arms, to his stall, to encourage him to nurse.
“But he did not nurse and started to fail,” said Renee. “I
cried out, ‘Lord, you have to heal this baby.’ Then, I phoned
my church and asked them to please pray for the colt. Then
I phoned my uncle, a minister of another church, and his
congregation also began praying for Segway. It was a very
scary time.”
Renee said she milked Glory and hand-fed Segway three
times a day for three days.
“On the third day, I found him joyfully running around
his stall like a happy newborn colt! He was finally nursing
on his own,” Renee said.
In gratitude for all the prayer’s success, Renee sent an
email to her daughter, Lauren, and the stallion’s owner,
which included the cradling photos of Segway.
“From these two people things went crazy. Segway’s pho-
tos circumnavigated the globe several times over,” Renee
said. “There was an avalanche of responses from people
wanting to use Glory and Segway’s photos as their screen-
saver to give them inspiration.”
Someone in Copenhagen, Denmark, even wanted to
make calendars, Renne said. An OB nurse in Ohio, who
teaches “Kangaroo Care” (the process of connecting pre-
mature babies skin-to-skin with mothers to promote infant
well-being and improved brain development) asked if she
could put the photograph on a bulletin board along with
other pictures of newborn critters of all kinds in kangaroo
positions.
Clearly, Renee was right: Gypsy horses are special and
they can inspire people around the world.
TIPS:
• Gypsy horses look mystical and magical. When these
horses ‘dance’ in their pastures, they look like a unicorn
missing their horn.
Write us about your fun pet at angelscribe@msn.com
