While many excellent types of salsa are available in supermarkets, you can tailor homemade fresh salsa to suit your own taste buds. By following guidelines in this publication, you can safely process salsa in a water bath canner for later enjoyment.

Find out about the difference between cleaning and sanitizing.

Water-bath canning is a method of preserving high-acid foods. Fresh foods contain a high percentage of water, which makes them very perishable. High-acid foods can be preserved safely when they reach temperatures provided by a boiling water-bath canner. To kill harmful molds, yeasts and some bacteria, processing using the boiling water-bath method ensures the safety of preserved produce. However, this method does not provide high enough temperatures to destroy botulinum spores in low-acid foods such as vegetables.

Never thaw food at room temperature or in warm water. If food is warmer than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but colder than 140 degrees Fahrenheit, bacteria will multiply quickly. From Cooking 101 (Week 2) Quick and Easy Menus, Recipes and Tips for Singles and Couples

You don’t need to have a gourmet kitchen to be a good cook, but having some kitchen equipment essentials can make cooking a breeze. From Cooking 101 (Week 1) Quick and Easy Menus, Recipes and Tips for Singles and Couples

Many types of fruit and juices can be used to make jams and jellies. This guide provides recipes for several wild fruits, including buffalo berries, chokecherries, gooseberries, ground cherries, pin cherries, rose hips and sand cherries. You may need to experiment a bit to get an acceptable product because of variations in the growing conditions and varieties of wild fruits.

We cannot change our genetic inheritance, but we can exercise and eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.

Handling fruits and vegetables safely is easy. Although an invisible enemy may be in your kitchen, by practicing the recommendations here you can Fight BAC!

Many people grow tomatoes in their traditional or container gardens. With a good year, you may want to preserve some tomatoes to enjoy during the winter. The recommendations in this publication take into account numerous tomato varieties, including those described as meaty, solid, firm and with few seeds, and the recommendations also allow for various growing conditions. If you do not want to follow these instructions, freezing is a safe alternative

Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, Powerade and All Sport, contain carbohydrates and electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium and chloride. They are made for physical activity, to help rehydrate and to keep energy levels high. Are sports drinks really necessary? Not always. You can get these same benefits from other sources. A sports drink is not better for you unless you are active for 60 to 90 minutes or are exercising in very hot conditions. Anything less, and water should be the drink of choice.