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Selecting, Preparing, and Canning: Berries -- Whole 1
United States Department of Agriculture, Extension Service2Blackberries, blueberries, currants, dewberries, elderberries, gooseberries, huckleberries, loganberries, mulberries, raspberries.
Quantity: An average of 12 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 8 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A 24-quart crate weighs 36 pounds and yields 18 to 24 quarts -- an average of 1-3/4 pounds per quart.
Quality: Choose ripe, sweet berries with uniform color.
Procedure: Wash 1 or 2 quarts of berries at a time. Drain, cap, and stem if necessary. For gooseberries, snip off heads and tails with scissors. Prepare and boil preferred syrup , if desired. Add 1/2 cup syrup, juice, or water to each clean jar.
Hot pack -- For blueberries, currants, elderberries, gooseberries, and huckleberries. Heat berries in boiling water for 30 seconds and drain. Fill jars and cover with hot juice, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
Raw pack -- Fill jars with any of the raw berries, shaking down gently while filling. Cover with hot syrup, juice, or water, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in Table 1 .
Processing directions for canning berries in a dial- or weighted-gauge canner are given in Table 2 and Table 3 .
Tables
Table 1.
Table 1. Recommended process time for Berries, whole in a boiling-water canner. Process Time at Altitudes of Style of Pack Jar Size 0-1,000 ft
1,001-3,000 ft
3,001-6,000 ft
Above 6,000 ft Hot Pints or Quarts 15 min 20 20 25 Raw Pints 15 20 20 25 Quarts 20 25 30 35 *After the process is complete, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait five minutes before removing jars.
Table 2. Process Times for Some Acid Foods in a Dial-Gauge Pressure Canner. Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of Type of Fruit Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time (Min) 0-2,000 ft
2,001-4,000 ft
4,001-6,000 ft
6,001-8,000 ft
Applesauce Hot Pints 8 6 lb 7 lb 8 lb 9 lb Hot Quarts 10 6 7 8 9 Apples, sliced Hot Pints or Quarts 8 6 7 8 9 Berries, whole Hot Pints or Quarts 8 6 7 8 9 Raw Pints 8 6 7 8 9 Raw Quarts 10 6 7 8 9 Cherries, sour or sweet Hot Pints 8 6 7 8 9 Hot Quarts 10 6 7 8 9 Raw Pints or Quarts 10 6 7 8 9 Fruit Purees Hot Pints or Quarts 8 6 7 8 9 Grapefruit and Orange Sections Hot Pints or Quarts 8 6 7 8 9 Raw Pints 8 6 7 8 9 Raw Quarts 10 6 7 8 9 Peaches, Apricots, and Nectarines Hot and Raw
Pints or Quarts
10 6 7 8 9 Pears Hot Pints or Quarts 10 6 7 8 9 Plums Hot and Raw Pints or Quarts 10 6 7 8 9 Rhubarb Hot Pints or Quarts 8 6 7 8 9 *After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face.
Table 3. Process Times for Some Acid Foods in a Weighted-Gauge Pressure Canner. Canner Pressure (PSI) at Altitudes of Type of Fruit Style of Pack Jar Size Process Time (Min) 0-1,000 ft
Above1,000 ft
Applesauce Hot Pints 8 5 lb 10 lb Hot Quarts 10 5 10 Apples, sliced Hot Pints or Quarts 8 5 10 Berries, whole Hot Pints or Quarts 8 5 10 Raw Pints 8 5 10 Raw Quarts 10 5 10 Cherries, sour or sweet
Hot Pints 8 5 10 Hot Quarts 10 5 10 Raw Pints or Quarts 10 5 10 Fruit Purees Hot Pints or Quarts 8 5 10 Grapefruit and Orange Sections Hot Pints or Quarts 8 5 10 Raw Pints 8 5 10 Raw Quarts 10 5 10 Peaches, Apricots, and Nectarines Hot and Raw
Pints or Quarts 10 5 10 Pears Hot Pints or Quarts 10 5 10 Plums Hot and Raw Pints or Quarts 10 5 10 Rhubarb Hot Pints or Quarts 8 5 10 *After the canner is completely depressurized, remove the weight from the vent port or open the petcock. Wait 10 minutes; then unfasten the lid and remove it carefully. Lift the lid with the underside away from you so that the steam coming out of the canner does not burn your face.
Footnotes
1. This document is Fact Sheet FCS 8277, a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: May 2003. Reviewed: June 2005. This document was extracted from the Complete Guide to Home Canning, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA. It was originally published on CD-ROM as part of HE 8148, Guide 2: Selecting, Preparing, and Canning Fruit and Fruit Products. Please visit the EDIS Web site at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu2. Reviewed for use in Florida by Amy Simonne, assistant professor, Food Safety and Quality, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension service.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A. & M. University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Larry Arrington, Dean.
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