As the fall crops are close to ripening in our community gardens, my wife and I have started learning about canning. I stumbled into an interesting short article by the BC Ministry of Health called: Home Canning - How to Avoid Botulism. This is old news for anyone who has canned before but for any other newbies out there, it’s a MUST read. Botulism is a deadly bacterium that thrives in a moist, low-acid, oxygen free environment. It is not killed by regular boiling. Low acid food such as vegetables, meat and seafood must be canned at higher temperatures than can be reached in a pot of boiling water. The only solution is pressure canner, which brings the minimum temperature up to 116ºC (240ºF), which is sufficient to destroy botulism spores.

Pressure canners can be purchased in the lower mainland from the manufacturer Wells Can. Map to Wells Can.