University of Wisconsin - Extension

Madison - Canning orchard-fresh fruit is a fun and rewarding process, providing a savory treat year round. Whether it is ripe juicy cherries, peaches or pears, canned fruit is easy to prepare, and the results are delicious and healthy too!

In order to prepare a safe and delicious batch of fresh canned fruit, start with high quality ingredients. For best results, use only fresh, firm and undamaged fruit, says Barb Ingham, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension food scientist.

"The fruit should be ripe enough to eat, and will produce a sweeter flavor if it is allowed to ripen on the plant," says Ingham. "Often quality will be higher if you process small batches of fruit as it ripens. Under-ripe fruit will lack natural sweetness and weaken the overall flavor of the canned product."

"You can speed up ripening for some fruits by putting them in a paper bag with an apple," Ingham says. "Fold down the top of the bag and allowing it to sit on a counter for a couple of days. Open up the bag and remove the ripe fruit every day. Fruits that can be ripened in a paper bag include apples, apricots, peaches, pears, plums and tomatoes."

Remember to wash fruit just before canning. Most fruit should be scrubbed individually under running water. Delicate fruits such as berries can be rinsed and drained using a colander.

For best results, follow recipes that are tested to ensure safety and quality. Sources of tested recipes include your local county UW-Extension office, or the "Complete Guide to Home Canning" (USDA Agriculture Bulletin no. 539), available on the web at http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html .

UW-Extension's Wisconsin Safe Food Preservation Series by Barbara Ingham includes Canning Fruits Safely (B0430), Freezing Fruits and Vegetables (B3278), Homemade Pickles and Relishes (B2267), Making Jams, Jellies and Preserves (B2909), Canning Vegetables Safely (B1159), Canning Salsa Safely (B3570), Tomatoes Tart and Tasty (B2605), and Canning Meat, Wild Game, Poultry and Fish Safely (B3345). Fruit varieties recommended for Wisconsin can be found in Apple Cultivars for Wisconsin (A2105), Home Fruit Cultivars for Northern Wisconsin (A2488), and Home Fruit Cultivars for Southern Wisconsin (A2582). These and other gardening and food preservation publications are available from your county UW-Extension office or from Cooperative Extension Publications (877-947-7827) and online at http://www1.uwex.edu/ces/pubs . There may be a fee for the publications.