Last month, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the year’s first produce infection outbreak. Imported cucumbers (American slicer) were contaminated with salmonella in 34 states during September, with 17 cases in Colorado and 30 in New Mexico.

As of Sept. 29, 671 people had reported infection with strains of salmonella poona, with 52 percent of those infected being under 18. At this point, 131 have been hospitalized and three deaths have been reported.

This doesn’t mean you should stop eating fruits and vegetables, but it is a reminder that produce needs to be washed correctly.

Produce should never be washed until it is ready to be served because storing washed produce in the refrigerator can spur bacterial growth. Before refrigerating produce, remove any excess dirt with a damp towel.

Before serving, wash the produce under running cool water (but don’t immerse it in water) and then rub it with a clean vegetable brush. No soap or cleaner is advised.

Steamers at this elevation are not recommended because they cannot maintain an adequate high temperature for the designated time. Also, don’t forget that you need to add processing time when using a water bath because water here just doesn’t get as hot as at sea level. I had forgotten how hot water can get until I was in Minnesota last week and burned my mouth while sipping a cup of tea. The guideline for a water bath is to add seven minutes to processing time for jams and 14 minutes to items to be processed for more than 20 minutes.

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Nothing says wonderful better than homemade jam and jelly. Try a few new twists this year by adding 1 teaspoon or less of herbs or other flavoring.

Honey can be substituted for sugar in products made with pectin by using one cup of honey for every cup of sugar for any 6-pint recipe. You should decrease the liquid appropriately. In recipes with no added pectin, honey can replace up to half the sugar. The liquid should also be decreased. Never double jam and jelly recipes (unless you want syrup or hard gel). If you must make larger batches, try clear-gel (modified corn starch) as a thickener rather than pectin. It is also great for canned pie filling.

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When canning fruits, understand sugar has a purpose besides just to add flavor. It helps preserve color and helps firm texture of your fruits. If you would rather not use sugar, substitute syrup with water and 30 percent to 50 percent unsweetened white grape juice or apple juice. You can eliminate sugar altogether, but your fruits will be less appealing and will spoil more quickly once opened. There are no tested recipes for using sugar substitutes such as Sucralose in home canning. Refer to the manufacturer’s directions.

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For home-canned salsa, try substituting some sweet peppers for hot peppers, and vice versa. You may also substitute colored peppers for green ones.

You also can add tomato paste to thicken any salsa recipe without changing the processing time.

Sugar or salt can be reduced in any tested salsa recipe. Otherwise, refrigerate or freeze a salsa recipe that can’t be safely canned up to two weeks.

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Tomatoes are the most popular item for home-canning. Acid is added to home-canned tomatoes to ensure safety. Add 1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each pint of home-canned tomatoes. Add ½ teaspoon citric acid, or 2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice per quart. Add a bit of sugar, is desired, to offset any changes in flavor. Tomato products are not to be thickened with flour or cornstarch in an attempt to create a condensed soup when canning.

Wendy Rice is the family and consumer science agent for the La Plata County Extension Office. You can contact her at [email protected] or 382-6461.