3 Tips For Safely Setting Up A Community Cannery
Posted on: 7 August 2015
Homesteaders and backyard gardeners alike can preserve their harvests with pressure and water bath canners, but these methods rely on breakable glass jars instead of tougher aluminum cans. Working with your extension office or rural development agency to set up a professional grade cannery for the community is a great way to encourage people to learn new skills without investing a lot of money into their own equipment. Make sure every can of food that leaves your cannery is safe to eat by following these five safety tips.
Get A Professional Equipment Installation
Unlike the portable hot water and pressure canners, the sterilization and sealing equipment for working with metal cans needs a permanent installation. While steam cleaners generally work right out of the box once attached to power and water connections, both manual and powered can seamers need a lot of adjustment and fine tuning after being mounted to a countertop or bolted to the floor. Don't try to install the equipment yourself or your first few batches of canned food are likely to become contaminated due to incorrect settings.
Train at Least One Specialist
The can seamer creating the hermetic seal keeping out bacteria slowly becomes loose after clamping and folding hundreds or thousands of metal lids. Regular adjustments to the seam controls prevent mistakes that lead to wasted food and potential poisoning. If you are running the cannery as a free service to the community, find a volunteer willing to train with an adjustment guide or a local inspector so they can specialize in maintaining the equipment.
Use the Right Lubricants
Without fresh doses of lubricant at the service intervals recommended by the manufacturer, you could end up with badly worn machinery that can't hold adjustments well enough to fold safe seams anymore. Many canneries use any industrial lubricant with the right viscosity, but sticking with a food grade product is better because:
- Oil leaking from the can seamer can get flicked or dripped into open and waiting cans with no consequences
- Lubricants spread on the lid by the seamer won't ruin the taste of the food if the top of the lid dips into the liquid during opening
- Water and acidic juices won't eat away at the lubricant as easily and cause corrosion
- Exposure to food grade lubricants is healthier for the volunteers maintaining and running the equipment.
The equipment for a community cannery will likely cost a few thousand dollars, so make sure your grant money stretches by maintaining the can seamers, sterilizers, and other tools you buy.
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