Canned Greens Help

[firem3]

I canned some turnip greens and a week later they all had a whiteish powder in them. I shook the jar and it dissolved back into the juice. Is this normal? are they OK to eat? What is it? Thanks.

 

[BarredBuff]

I don't know what that is. Salt, maybe?

 

[k15n1]

When in doubt, throw in out.

Here's some tips on food safety for canned goods, including visual indications of spoilage:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/14wS-zItl1wG-da03xQ8OMEo3lt77DmQFxQVAv-YZTWE/edit

Personally, I prefer to blanch and freeze greens.

 

[so lucky]

Do you have a lot of calcium in your water? It might be calcium settling out of the water onto the dark green of the leaves.

 

[moolie]

I don't can greens, but this page may help: http://pickyourown.org/canninggreens.htm

Q. Cloudiness: When I can greens (or yellow) I seem to develop a cloudy murkiness in the jar. No one seems to know why this happens and it is very frustrating. I have tried both canning salt and table salt and it still seems to do this. This year I tried bottled water thinking there may be something in my cities water, but alas, I still have this cloudiness.

A. There are a number of potential causes to cloudiness:

1. First, the greens may be too mature which makes them too starchy. This starch settles out of the food during canning.

2. Be sure to use a NON-metal pot - or a coated metal (teflon, silverstone, enamel, etc.) without breaks in the coating. the metal reacts with acids (such as vinegar and natural acidity) and makes the solution turn cloudy. This is the most common cause of cloudy pickled vegetables.

3. Sometimes the fillers (anticaking agents) in regular table salt may cause slight cloudiness, so always use canning or pickling salt, which is better than kosher salt. It is available with the canning supplies in most large grocery stores.

4. Hard water might also cause cloudiness. Minerals in hard water can give a cloudy appearance. If soft water is not available, boil the hard water and let it sit undisturbed overnight. Pour off the top portion and use it in the solution.

The cloudiness caused by these first 4 conditions is not dangerous and usually doesn't affect the taste.

5. Finally, it could be spoilage due to improper processing. Do not consume them in this case. Check for spoilage using the usual methods (look for a leaking container, damaged lid, lid that is not sucked down (no vacuum), visible signs of growth, bad odors, etc.)