THere have been many recent discussion about the use of oil. Basically it offers a way for botulism to grow. It also can turn rancid. Corn and beans are dense, as they have seeds, so they do require longer processing. If you want a better texture, freezing these is an option. I like pickling beans as they don't require a long heat process due to the vinegar used. Cukes do have enzymes not helpful when canning. I cut both ends because I want to pickle in a salt brine and want the curing action to be rapid. A longer curing causes scum and mold on the brines surface.If you have ever eaten canned peaches you usually don't see any skins. They tend to lossen and float in the jars, like a tomato would do. Peaches do harbor their share of fungus on the skins. Peeling involves a quick dip in boiling water, just like a tomato.

Ken is correct that there have been a number of previous discussions of this issue, particularly on the pepper threads. However, in this case it definitely bears repeating because of the risk factor.

Botulism spores like a low-acid low-oxygen environment; give them nutrition in an environment like that (i.e. something like garlic infused in oil) and under the right conditions you can have botulism in the product within a few hours.

Oil insulates the botulism spores from penetration of heat and acid, the two things which will kill the spores. There are some few tested recipes with oil but if you examine them you'll see each product has been "super-acidified". It takes a food safety lab to do the kind of testing needed to determine the appropriate level of acidification and processing time to counteract the barrier effects of the oil. It wouldn't be a good thing to fiddle with at home.

As far as corn and green beans, as Ken said, they are high-density (especially the corn) and high pH, so like meats and fish they present exceptionally high-risk if the processing time is insufficient to GUARANTEE adequate heat penetration throughout the entire jar.

Carol

> Oil insulates the botulism spores from penetration of heat and acid, the two things which will kill the spores.

I apologize for not doing a better search & even though I don't read 90% of the threads here I do try to read all the pepper threads. The "...insulates the botulism spores from penetration of heat and acid..." is something that I don't recall ever reading & I thank you for it. Chances are that I just skimmed over it and it didn't register. I did do a google search before posting and got this: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=peppers+in+oil&btnG=Search From that search I bookmarked this: Making Pickled Peppers at Home

Pretty sure that I am considered way too much a risk taker here what with my fermenting etc, but on pod-head forums I come across as a safety freak and I'm really on you guys' side.

Thanks for the replies!

jt

Yes, oil coats the particles of food, like a blanket and allows botulism spores to survive, even if processed. Then, in the absence of air, in the sealed jar (anerobic condition) the botulism grows. That is the perfect environment for it. Like Carol said, there are a few tested recipes that are marinated foods that have a LOT of added acid. Also, not all foods can be marinated and canned.
Foods are processed according to the density, ph level, the size of the pieces of food, etc. So, corn being high in ph, more dense and starchy they take longer to process than something like carrots.

jt, I believe the reason for removing a 1/16" slice from the BLOSSOM end of cukes is to get rid of the ripening enzyme concentrated there. Some people remove the stem end also, feeling that the pickling solution penetrates better with more flesh exposed.

Like you, I have wondered if you should remove the blossom end from other produce. I have done several searches and read all the thread I could find, but haven't found any discussion.

Maybe someone will enlighten us.

Kay

Speaking for myself, I don't mind repeating previous discussions, particularly on issues as important as botulism risks. Even with Google, it can be extremely difficult sometimes to find pertinent threads.

I usually have pretty good luck finding previous threads and linking to them, but I think that's largely due to the fact that I've posted on those threads in the past and can fine-tune the search by recalling some specific term or oddball bit of information that appeared in a post.

Too bad we don't have an FAQ for these things. They're vital questions no matter how many times they're asked.

I remove the stem area and also peel fruits (or as with tomato sauce I may cook to the boil then strain out peels with a food mill). If you think about it, the stem is a scaly area which provides all kinds of cracks and crevices for bacteria to lurk. It can be difficult to clean thoroughly enough to get every spoilage/contamination agent out.

I'm also one of those who generally removes both ends of cucumbers, in part because by the time I've verified which end is the blossom I can have both ends trimmed and move on. There is one long-fermented dill recipe I make that calls for leaving a bit of the stem. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, but on the whole I prefer to remove as from my perception, there's less likelihood of scum formation. Not scientific, just personal observation.

Carol

If you look at the prospects of a FAQ, and all the redundent info on MANY topics, it would soon become huge and very difficult to read. A better search engine feature would be a great way to improve these forums. A good exampleis when I posted in a couple of threads, the word 'tamarind' and when I did a search a few days later, the search brought up nearly nothing, and none of my posts showed up either. Instead, most of the threads showed no mention of that word, even though I searched through the whole tread, using my 'find in page' option.

If it's an FAQ it's not supposed to be redundant. That's the point.

However, an FAQ is only as good as its index and I'm not sure anyone wants to take on the task of entering the information and organizing it.

Probably the easiest option is just to link to rec.food.preserving's FAQ. Formerly GardenWeb didn't allow that link, but more recently I have linked to it without difficulty.

Carol

isn't there some sort of an FAQ or recipe data base available on the Cooking Forum ... I think AnnT has undertaken the job of entering recipes.
Kay

AnnT is beginning the process of entering recipes for an FAQ. I expect it will be a slow process as recipes will not be entered without the permission of the poster.

Hypothetically this Forum could have its own FAQ since food preservation issues are different than those pertaining to baking, etc.

Carol

Carol, I do not know if an FAQ for this forum would be a good thing or not. I watch as you very knowledgable folks posting the same responses time after time and think it would be good. But then, I take notice of the nuances present in each question that can only be answered with a personal response and begin to wonder. A discussion of this subject certainly should stand alone ...so I'm signing off here and will start a new thread open to further discussion....
Kay