On Fri, 29 Aug 2003 20:38:16 +1200, Kelvyn
wrote:
In article, says...
I did the same (in oven)..roma are best for this treatment and i quarter
them so they dry better/faster...then i tightly packed them in glass jars,
added a lot of chopped basil and covered with olive oil....it worked ok.
kelvyn.
-----------------
Please note: I feel obliged to post this - I'm not going to
argue the point with you (or anyone else), but I feel a
responsibility to post what I know about it. Having once
presented reliable sources of information, I have nothing
further to say on the subject and people can make up their
own minds whether or not to follow the USDA (and other)
recommendations.
------------------
Before you do it again, please read this:
-----------------------
How do I can oil with herbs? Can I can pesto?
Herbs and oils are both low-acid and together could support
the growth of the disease-causing Clostridium botulinum
bacteria. Oils may be flavored with herbs if they are made
up for fresh use, stored in the refrigerator and used within
2 to 3 days. There are no canning recommendations. Fresh
herbs must be washed well and dried completely before
storing in the oil. The very best sanitation and personal
hygiene practices must be used. Pesto is an uncooked
seasoning mixture of herbs, usually including fresh basil,
and some oil. It may be frozen for long term storage; there
are no home canning recommendations.
From: The National Center for Home Food Preservation,
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_canning.html#31
----------------------------------
I know that the tomatoes are high-acid, but the basil is
not.
I would definitely question the safety of 'preserving' even
tomatoes in oil: modern varieties of tomatoes are not
necessarily high-acid enough to even can safely using the
water-bath method of canning, and the addition of some acid
(lemon juice) or use of a pressure canner for tomatoes is
now recommended by the USDA.
Reliable sources of information on canning include the
following:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/index.html - The National Center
for Home Food Preservation, recently established by the US
Department of Agriculture at the University of Georgia.
These folks are pulling together information from a variety
of sources, and have become a very, very useful resource for
home food preservers.
http://extension.usu.edu/publica/foodpubs.htm - Utah State
University extension publications
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publication...ions_usda.html
- a copy of the USDA 'Complete Guide to Home Canning'
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publication...n_guide_03.pdf
- Guide 3, Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Tomatoes and
Tomato Products
Pat