Canning herb infused syrups - Ask Extension
I am wanting to can douglas fir tip infused syrups. If I follow the canning berry syrups procedure, but replace the liquid with water I've steeped wit...
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Canning herb infused syrups #871022
Asked May 31, 2024, 10:25 PM EDT
I am wanting to can douglas fir tip infused syrups. If I follow the canning berry syrups procedure, but replace the liquid with water I've steeped with Douglas fir tips and add lemon juice to reach the correct acidity, can I water bath can it safely?
Potential recipe:
13-15 oz doug fir
5 cups water
6 3/4 cups sugar
Enough lemon juice to reach 4ph
Thank you for your time!
Rose
Washington County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Rose,
This is a great question.
Given the information that you provided, the acid addition (lemon juice) to a pH of <4.2 (<4.0 is better) would be critical to the safety of your syrup. This makes your pH meter and calibration an extremely important tool. We don't typically recommend consumers using pH meters at home because they require daily (sometimes more often) calibration and an incorrect measurement could have big consequences.
Recipe formulation and processing time determination is a bit more complicated than you suggest.
For acidified foods (like this), there are specific stages in the preparation and processing that support rapid acidification (typically boiling in the acid) to help the pH stabilize quickly. The pH is recorded at different stages to verify that it stays in the safe zone after processing.
You can read more information here (see processing section): https://cals.cornell.edu/cornell-agritech/partners-institutes/cornell-food-venture-center/acid-acidified-foods#:~:text=Acidi%EF%AC%81ed%20foods%20must%20be%20properly,shelf%2Dlife%20of%20the%20product.
If you would like more information or to find time for a quick phone call, please email me at <personal data hidden>.
Thanks for using Ask Extension!
Joy
This is a great question.
Given the information that you provided, the acid addition (lemon juice) to a pH of <4.2 (<4.0 is better) would be critical to the safety of your syrup. This makes your pH meter and calibration an extremely important tool. We don't typically recommend consumers using pH meters at home because they require daily (sometimes more often) calibration and an incorrect measurement could have big consequences.
Recipe formulation and processing time determination is a bit more complicated than you suggest.
For acidified foods (like this), there are specific stages in the preparation and processing that support rapid acidification (typically boiling in the acid) to help the pH stabilize quickly. The pH is recorded at different stages to verify that it stays in the safe zone after processing.
You can read more information here (see processing section): https://cals.cornell.edu/cornell-agritech/partners-institutes/cornell-food-venture-center/acid-acidified-foods#:~:text=Acidi%EF%AC%81ed%20foods%20must%20be%20properly,shelf%2Dlife%20of%20the%20product.
If you would like more information or to find time for a quick phone call, please email me at <personal data hidden>.
Thanks for using Ask Extension!
Joy
