10/24/08 Canning; bovine vet

Given the prices in the supermarket a lot of Americans are discovering or re-discovering canning food. Elizabeth Andress of the National Center for Home Food Preservation says the actual metal cans used by direct heating to preserve food are not readily available. ANDRESS "So we're really promoting people using the glass jar, two piece metal lid system." Canning can be done either with boiling water best used for most acid foods like most fruits, pickles, relishes and jams or canning low or non-acidic foods under pressure with a pressure canner. ANDRESS "The ones that would really require pressure canning would be a lot of the things we know in our diet as vegetables; green beans, peas, corn or meats, poultry and seafood." Storage should be between 50 and 70 degrees with low humidity and away from direct sunlight. The University of Idaho has hired Doctor Roxanne Pillars who will teach senior veterinary students at the Caine Teaching Center. Pillars saw Idaho's growing dairy industry as an opportunity to teach and do more bovine related research. She will provide production and preventative medicine, clinical evaluation, and diagnostic support for dairy producers and the center's live animal caseload and will also initiate research on infectious diseases of cattle. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott