21 June 2018 - Oh You Think You Fancy?

Good Tips for Buying Canned Fruit

"Buy canned fruits according to grade if possible."

If there is one thing about this almanac is that they really like to talk about canned food.

We discussed canned vegetables here.

Which by the way, the deadline to submit your grievances to the USDA is coming up next month.

We discussed canned and frozen vegetables here.

We talked about can sizes here.

And I got so tired of writing about canned foods that I wrote about something else here!

So here we go again.

Another post about cans.

The higher the grade, the better quality in size, shape, and color.
It doesn't have anything to do with the nutritional value.

So all the labels of fancy just mean that it is or was more appealing looking.

So don't fall for the entire Grade A and Fancy labeling.

It's all just a marking tactic.

These guidelines were developed by the USDA.

For good reason too!

You wouldn't want spoiled food mixed in with your edible canned food.

So anything that is spoiled, rotten, defective etc., is sorted out either by hand or machine.

Sorting also removes any physical hazards, dirt, and filth from the food.

Seriously do not want machinery, grass, soil, or field mice in my canned food, thank you very much.

After sorting and grading, the food is blanched or partially cooked before canning.

Blanching is usually done with steam or hot water.

This prevents the food from oxidizing in the canning process that could alter the taste.

It also helps keep the products natural color.

We are going for as close to fresh as possible so this is necessary.

Buying lower grade food doesn't mean you are getting a bad product.

There are grading systems for a lot of foods out there.

It's part of the reason that "ugly food" gets a bad reputation.

People just think they are getting subpar food.

You want to hear a secret.

Most of the ugly food is processed for canning.

If it can't go in the produce bin because it will be passed up, you might find it in a lower grade can.

As I said before though, just because it looks better doesn't mean that it is.

The nutritional value of "ugly" produce can be just as good as a pretty one.

So don't pass up the lower graded or deformed produce just because you don't like the way it looks.

We are all beautiful and useful.