Canning News Fresno County Killers 

The really scary part about the elderberry article Leisa talks about that was pulled after I contacted the author is it was published on a county extension office newsletter site. Her information source was removed after she saw it and she didn't know that. Never rely on just one source double and triple check.

People say they’ve never had a problem before but neither had the sick person or dead person from botulism until they ate the food. Just takes one bad jar.

I learned how to can from YT'ers like you, Kneady Homesteader, Rose Red, and others then later from the USDA and the Center For Home Food Preservation guidelines. I've always appreciated that all of you not only never showed unsafe practices, but actively preached AGAINST unsafe practices. Thanks!

I'm 71 years old I have been canning for years, my brother in law and I go out sea fishing every August and catch Salmon we smoke and can the salmon we catch, I can fruits and vegetables some from what we grow and buy from farmers, my mother of 91 years old helps in canning my wife does not care to help in canning but she helps in the clean up works for me I look forward every year for the canning season

Oh boy. When you mentioned about no longer buying jams and jellies at farmers markets because you can't be sure about how they processed them, I shuddered. You're so right and I never thought about that! 😮

Hi, Leisa! There are so many YT channels where there is some questionable canning techniques. Do it right and safely and you feed your family. Take shortcuts and do not follow safe practices and you could kill your family. Thank you for all you do - teaching food safety - sharing recipes - and so much more! 💕😊

Leisa, you can "rant" all you want. We completely believe that you are looking out for our best interest by teaching proper procedures in canning. There will always those who march to a different drum. Thank you for sharing and for caring. 😊

Preach it Girl. I have left other channels because if unsafe canning practices and when i mentioned it they told me i was wrong.

I’m a “by the book” canner and even though I feel very confident in my home canning, I no longer give away any of it to protect myself from liabilities should someone come back and point the finger at me. I read a comment on a canning group I follow and this happened to a woman. Her daughter’s fiancé claimed he was poisoned by her canned tomatoes and called authorities on her. The kicker of it was, he didn’t get sick until a month after eating her tomatoes! Would not accept that he likely got food poisoning elsewhere.

IF YOU CAN'T CAN SAFELY THEN DON'T DO IT.

I teach canning and its amazing how agitated and oppositional people are. After going over safety, all they want to know is how to cut corners. Avoid the sterilizing of bottles. Re-using lids. I adjure them to stop focusing on cutting time, rushing through and going the easy route. I encourage them to enjoy the process and the tradition and to always follow directions. But there are always those that say "Well, my grandma doesn't do it that way...."🙄

5 days ago I saw a video of a young woman who canned pork. She didn't use 2 piece lids on her large jars, so I'm not sure they are even sealed. She water bath canned them. I posted a comment about safe canning. She told me that its only in the USA that pressure canning is a thing, that everyone all over the world did it other ways, that she had learned from someone who learned from their Memonite grandmother, and, and, and. I pointed out that the symptoms of botulism are similar to stroke. Scarey.

I think it is weird that no article describes the food that is suspected to have been poisoned. There is recently a recall on coffee drinks for botulism. Why would the reports not indicate what the food was?

Also, apparently, my grandmother would be somewhere, back in the day, like a bake sale or some such event, and lean over to whisper, "I wouldn't buy THAT, her kitchen isn't clean." LOL! The more food we raise/grow, and prepare ourselves, following the directions to the letter, the better off we are.

GREAT PSA ANNOUNCEMENT-I'm shouting it to the rafters, Be Safe and follow the rules.

When the internet finally came to my house, seven years ago, and I had the wonders of the Universe open up, I was astounded and appalled at the dangerous canning information out there. I come from people who can and freeze their food, had bushels of potatoes and apples in the basement, etc. My mother opened up the Ball canning book, no matter how many dozens of times she canned beans, tomatoes, etc. I do the same. And now we have the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Use the resources available. Bo one in my family has ever been the least bit ill from our good home preserved food. What I wonder about is all the people on here, and in our beloved SHTF books, that claim store-bought canned goods last practically forever. I've opened a can of Campbell's tomato soup both two months and one year after the date. The two months over one hissed and had black spots on top. The one year over the date can was brownish. Of course I threw them away. Now by comparison, I regularly eat my wonderful home-canned produce three or four years after I canned them. I've had tomatoes look a bit brownish five years on, but I threw them out because I had thirty or forty other jars that were younger. Is my kitchen cleaner, am I more careful, than a factory? I guess so. Well, I'm off to weed my huge garden, water inside my hoop house, pick raspberries, and be constantly amused by my farm animals. Nine new chicks peeping around. Thank you Leisa, for all you do!!

I am blown away by the willful ignorance of what I have seen or read from folks for food preservation.

Loved this video❤ So tired of content creators preaching unsafe canning methods. Some of these channels have thousands of potential victims that watch them. Please don’t ever back down on this issue. I learned to can from you. Go Leisa go! You tell ‘em!!!!!

thank you, Leisa. sometimes i get tempted to stray from the approved processes, just slightly, but things like this sober me up and bring me home to our safe, stable, home base.

Bravo!!! Bravo!!! When I learned better I quit buying anything from farmers markets and eating anything that looked like it might have been canned because I know better. I never knew people would do unsafe things. I’m in my seventies. We were poor but blessed to live in a rural area. We had a kitchen garden at our house and a few acres at Grandpa’s farm. We canned all our food. We did it by the book. So when I started canning fifty years ago I went by the book also. I bought every new edition of the BBB. Now I know even more that I didn’t then and I continue to update my knowledge through watching a few people on YT but also in some safe canning groups. I have a friend though who is young and a rebel. I shared your video on my Facebook page specifically hoping she would watch it. Love her to pieces but she’s just a rebel. Interesting because I have been a rebel my whole life, had to do my own thing, but canning food goes beyond my own thing. It involves others who might not sign on.

No apology necessary Liesa, people need to "get educated"! I recently read an article about the new "vacuum jar sealer".where they(persons) were planning to use in place of waterbath.& pressure canning...when I objected I was directed to the advertisement saying it will seal "liquids" 😳🥴😒 all you can do is point them to the NFP site, and with the.attitude that vacuum sealing can legitimately replace wb or pc - there will be more food-born illnesses shortly. Thanks for all you do to instruct people in food preservation areas ❤😊

Thank you for being a safe canning advocate. I hear the "My mom, grandparent, or I have done it this way for years and nobody has died" a lot. I would be willing to say that the person that canned this would say the same thing. My biggest fear is hurting someone with my canning. I refuse to eat anything someone else has canned for this exact reason. You never know when the "nobody has gotten sick/died" ticket has come to an end. I mention safe canning and get bashed for it all the time but I am ok with that if it helps at least 1 person think about not following unsafe practices.

Why do so many people think they know better than experts? 🤦‍♀ Thank you so much for teaching the approved methods for canning!!!

Leisa, you ‘not being in the mood’ is what I love about your channel. You tell it like it is no holds barred. I won’t even take canned food from others. And I don’t share what I can either. I don’t want someone saying what I gave them made them sick. I learn from you and Homestead Heart.

It is also important to realize that you are not hearing about more botulism incidents because our government has cut funds to the bone for education and regulation and investigation of anything relating to home food preservation. Great vid, Leisa!

Thank you Leisa! No need for you to be sorry! More people need to follow the safe food preservation guidelines!

While doing some family tree research, I came across an incident in 1920 in which an entire branch of my family (seven people at a luncheon gathering) was wiped out by botulism from a jar of commercially-packed olives. Fourteen people in Detroit were killed by olives from the same company, and another seven in Alliance, Ohio in 1919. There were others as well all across the midwest, all caused by eating a certain type of olive packed by Curtiss Brothers in California. These incidents caused a panic, and public health measures were launched to contain botulism and track down contaminated batches of food. Curtiss Brothers, of course, promptly went out of business.. I'm sure the USDA regs for both commercially and home canned foods stem from these incidents. Initial symptoms presented as double vision and violent stomach cramps, and progressed to impaired speech, swallowing and breathing. Muscle paralysis and death followed. A nasty, nasty way to go. These days botulism comes mostly from homemade canned foods, since commercial processng standards were put in place which reduced the number of incidents. Leisa is right - DO NOT TAKE CHANCES!

I triple check a recipe when I can anything. I always worry that I will make a mistake. I like to get my recipes from the USDA online, I feel like those are maybe updated more often than even the Ball books. I use the Ball books, just not as often. Thank you Leisa for all of your info. You gave me the courage to start canning. I am thankful for you and very appreciative of all you teach us.

Chats like this are proof you are a real teacher! I'm still fairly new to preservation but I discovered early on that there are people like you and Rose Red and The Purposeful Pantry that aren't afraid to say no, you can't or yes you can and , most importantly HERE'S WHY. That is how I tell the difference between a teacher and a talking head. I'm a visual learner and the books just made my head spin so I'm eternally greatfuly to have found safe teachers who give an understanding of why to do what you do. Now my guidelines book is full of tons of notes scribbled in the margins (and even extra pages) of things I've learned from you and others like you and is finally useful to me. Can't thank you enough for all ive learned.❤

Since the Hein family in 1931 ran amok with botulism… you’d think we would have learned something, but not so much. Thanks for spreading the word!

NO grief from me Liesa. I have learned so much from you about safe canning AND I will never teach anyone canning like the in the "good ole days" Knowledge first!!! I tell them to check out your channel for great knowledge and safety procedures. That is after checking out the NCHFP. Love your bluntness and truth!

just moved over 1000 jars of food to our new home and I spent days setting up the new pantry and re-evaluating every last jar and then did it again to ensure i didn't miss anything that could be a problem. I've been in food service my whole life it is to easy to get people sick while doing it all the right way, let alone short cuts and non proven methods. You do a great job of trying to make people see what they need to safety wise and leave it up to them to decide. Thank you for being a positive influence even if others are to blind or unwilling to take a hint.

Thank you, Leisa! That's why I follow you. I have people tell me I've done it this way for yrs. I follow the books and your video's. I would never want to share something I have canned making them sick. Never apologize for safety and caring for others. Its education.

Absolutely right! Follow safety rules or just don't can. This is a message that I have always understood. How awful it would be to make someone ill, but shortcuts could kill someone.

Thank you for teaching safe canning. 🙏

I’m so glad Leisa that you are protecting us newbie canners in your Collaboration because I too have seen unsafe canning practices. Thanks for all that you do and the effort you put into it.

Thanks Leisa, always appreciate your input! The dry canning unpeeled potatoes, was a shock to me when I saw that…Ahhhh NO!!!! I find that some people are afraid of pressure canners. One should FEAR improperly canned food illness, more than learning to safely use a pressure canner! Can’t afford one? Save up, like most of us do. The expensive favorite is built like a Tank, and it’s very safe if directions are followed. It will last several lifetimes! Most importantly, start canning only by accepting a simple fact…you are not exempt from the rules, proper canning procedure is necessary!

Check out the Utah State University’s home canning case study of a woman who thought she had canning all figured out. This beautiful wife and mother testifies on the brief documentary. There are awful shots of her long stay in the hospital on a respirator. She narrowly avoided the ultimate cost.

I've tossed all of that REBEL canning crap thank you Leisa, I didn't know ignorant of the dangers... I follow the safe blue blook canning now and GO TO THE BOOK to make SURE we are safe! Thanks again Leisa!

Thank you for sharing this information . Keep preaching safety.

Absolutely love your resounding quote: when we KNOW better, we DO better👍💯

Thank you so much for all you do! Your teaching of proper canning practices has taken a lot of the mystery on this topic. I have now been canning for over 6 years and watch your you tube lessons religiously even if it is just a refresher class. Thank you for all that you do.

THANK YOU FOR THE RANT SOMETIMES PEOPLE NEED A SCOLDING AND A WAKE-UP CALL.

Leisa, you know I have only been canning for about a year and you taught me how, right here on yt. I have shopped around and found some other channels too, but I find myself watching very few of them anymore and facebook is even worse. I even found a comment on your channel on fb that was not following guidelines. I trust you so I just try to always remember what I learned from you. "If it is a tested recipe and you follow it then it is good". Thanks again for being such a great mentor.

There are so many people on RU-vid who are “rebel” canners. So scary. When I was new to it I was lucky to come across you and RoseRed Homestead and then led to the USDA so learnt the basics before I dared start! People teaching canning g dry potato and I’ve seen canning dry carrots just for starters!!!

My husband constantly nags me about my “ has to be done by usda recommendations! “ it scared me bad before I made the effort to do it the safe way. Now I feel way better about canning because I watch only those that do it by the book! ❤ I am right there with you!

I still feel like I am new to pressure canning (3 years into canning). If anything, if the recipe says 12 pounds of pressure, I try to keep my gauge between 12 and 14 pounds. Same for time...90 minutes can easily become 95 minutes. I eat everything I can and have enjoyed it all. I know that if I serve the vegetable beef soup, it is safe. I have already eaten another jar from the same batch and have slightly gone over the required pressure and time.

Great rant, no need to say you're sorry. It needs to be said over and over again. New people are joining the trend due to inflation. So keep yelling truth and safety. Love ya girl.

Love your channel, Leisa, and love your rants! And my wife let out a cheer for your words about natural selection.

Thank you for informing everyone. I agree with you. No one should put their life and the lives of others at risk!

That's right, not very many rules, follow them

Thank you for sharing this. The amount of channels and people in my local community that have not the safest canning methods is really heartbreaking

THANK YOU FOR YOUR RANT! Sad part is that many of those, self identified, "Rebel Canners" will never know if a person, 4 states away from them , dies because of their "Best way to can cheese, no soak dry beans or water bath corn". I grew up eating water bath canned foods and survived. However, I still remember hearing on the radio (before I'd even heard of television) about a local family of 4 who died from home canned foods. That memory is why, in later life, I bought my first pressure canner in the early 1970s. My mother did the best she could with what she had. That included iron clad rules about how she canned and what she did after she canned the food. I know how she canned and what those rules were. I will not teach them either! Doesn't matter if I survived. It will matter if the person I teach her methods doesn't. I don't buy home canned foods either. When neighbors include them as gifts, I discarded them according proper disposal instructions. One neighbor's gift was waterbath canned vegetable beef soup. (He didn't own a pressure canner.) Another lady was proud of her canned cake. Off soapbox, before I go too far about people who brag about breaking the guidelines for safe canning. Again, thank you!

Thank you Lisa for the update I promote safe canning and I teach safe canning I wish some of these canners out there would practice safe canning. It's not like our granny's did it and lived to tell the tale, surely since we have better supplies for a safe canning experience why risk yourself, your family, and friends?

I share your concern about farmers markets offerings.

Lisa…thank you. You know I’ve been hesitant to start pressure canning. I bought the All American and then watched your videos yo make sure I was doing things correctly. I did read the directions. I read my Ball Blue book and then I watched your videos. Thank you for what you bring to us.

2:57 key quote: “We are actively tracing those who may have consumed the contaminated food.”

Just had a can of green beans from 2008 that my grandmother put up (now deceased). She taught my mother, who taught me. I have both the Ball book & USDA book for canning. The only rebel canning I do is dry beans. Never an illness from our food in 3 generations. Many RU-vid videos I watch for ideas but their canning practices are scary so I pass them by. Your videos & recipes I always look for because I know they are safe. Recently going thru a basement pantry & found a jar dated 1949. Many jars still sealed. Some rusted thru. Needless to say, we did NOT eat anything from there! Lol.

I'm shocked at the people that will water bath green beans or carrots for 3 hours instead of pressure canning.

Holy smokes !!!!preach it sister preach ❤love ya

Preach Liesa! I’m appalled when influencers use “rebel” canning practices without disclosing to their audience that they are not following recommended modern canning practices. When they say “granny did it” I say they also dosed kids with kerosene to treat worms. When we know better, we do better.

Thank you for always sharing the truth about canning with us. I love to can and I practice safe canning techniques ALL the time. Have a blessed day!!!!

I read just yesterday where 2 or 3 companies have recalled food because of a possibility of this. This was food in grocery stores. However it's always best to know what your doing when you home can.

I learned how to can from watching your videos. Before that I didn’t even know what canning was, I’ve followed your advice to the letter…it’s been invaluable, you’re an amazing teacher!

This is why I no longer eat at family reunions, holidays etc. I only feed my family my cooking. They do water baths in Europe, but it’s for very long time. They call it WECK.

Most excellent rant lady. If you're going to can food, do it right. Money wasted sucks. Getting sick or dead sucks even worse.

I live in Fresno, we have a culprit and it's several errors in the process. Looks like everyone is safe and it's a good opportunity for the health department to share proper canning at the end of the story. Thanks lisa for everything you do. Follow-up story below FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) - Two women remain in intensive care following an outbreak of botulism the Fresno County Department of Public Health has linked to cactus pads, or nopales in Spanish. Interim Health Officer Dr. Rais Vohra says the office was initially alerted to the outbreak on Monday, June 24th. As many as ten people had been seen at hospitals in Clovis and Selma, with symptoms including blurred vision and vertigo. Through interviews, they learned all of them had attended the same family gathering, and ate nopales. “I give a lot of credit to Environmental Health. They went through the trash,” says Norma Sanchez, Communicable Disease Specialist with Fresno County Department of Public Health. “They were able to get specimens - from the trash can. We were concerned about the nopales, cactus salad. Originally it was said they were frozen.” Sanchez says she was able to track down the woman who prepared the salad-and learned they had been home-canned in May. “She used two of the four jars she had at her Clovis home,” Sanchez says. Investigators learned only adults were affected by the outbreak-as they were the only ones who had eaten the nopales. One woman who remains hospitalized had eaten them Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The second woman had eaten them Friday and Saturday. “Home canning is done all the time, but we want people to be careful,” said Dr. Vohra. “The risk is real and unfortunately we found botulism can happen with these home-canned cactus pads known as nopales.” Vohra explained Botulism is a paralytic disease that affects the nerves. In the most severe case, nerves and muscles of respiration become affected and people can’t breathe on their own. Vohra says the two women who remain in ICU-who are sisters-are on respiratory support. The others released from hospitals had received antitoxins. Sanchez says it’s not clear to what lengths the woman sterilized her jars. “She said she didn’t use much salt,” says Sanchez, who says health workers found the remaining jars in “bad shape” in a shed. The woman told health department workers she didn’t follow any specific safety guidelines and had learned to can from family and friends. “This is a great opportunity to teach the community,” Vohra said. Click here for the National Center for Home Food Preservation’s page on canning.

I follow the rules, but worry and go over did I do that right? Did I measure 2 teaspoons or 2 tablespoons? If you look up overthinking in the dictionary, you'll see my picture.

Thanks for sharing this news us, and always promoting safe canning practices.

A couple weeks ago I was watching a You Tube video that the guy started the video asking how everyone was doing with their canning, dry canning and freezing. I couldn’t help myself and responded that dry canning was not an approved method. About an hour later I got a blistering comment from a lady that informed me I didn’t know what I was talking about

Keep preaching it sister! I love that you care about people’s well being!

Thanks for the important update dear

I like that you dont caudle. And that you are always safe.❤❤❤❤❤thank you for all you do.❤❤

Thank you Leisa!!!

I appreciate you and how you keep us informed. Thank You 🌸 Thank You 🌹 Thank You 🌼

Thak you lisa im new to your channel and i really enjoy your channel and commentary , thank you. 👍

If I want to can something, I ALWAYS check with this channel and see if it's allowed and HOW it's properly done. Thank you, thank you!!! Your work here keeps my family safe.

Thank you for all of your hard work. and we are on the same mindset👍

Thank you for everything you’ve done to help us be safe ❤

Thank you the PSA “rant” Leisa. Rant all you want. I am still a nervous wreck when I can. I follow all the rules but I’m still nervous. This is only my second year of canning but like others here I follow RoseRed homestead and others from your recommendations. Thank you Thank you!

You, and the folks you trust and those in the FB group are the ones I trust the most. I do not follow recipes from other groups and you have taught me to do my own research. If I have a question, y’all have taught me where to go for the correct/safe answers. Leisa and this group’s support are what gave me the courage to start pressure canning - I can trust that it is safe… follow the process, trust the process.

There was an "outbreak" in France a couple of months ago due to consumption of preserved/canned fish done by a wine bar in Bordeaux. one death and 10 in hospital.

As a UK viewer, Im interested to know why the ncfhp and the Uni's stopped testing and bringing out new recipes, given that pressure and waterbath canning is a major food preservation method in the US. Especially as recipes and food styles have changed over time since they stopped ,and it would make sense to evolve with it to be able to address some of the recipes currently classed as rebel or unsafe only because they havent actually been tested and a safe method established, and also to prove why the unsafe recipes are unsafe ..esp as Food prices are on the up and more folk are looking to preserving and other ways to make their food go further .

Some of that love our Family and appreciate you teaching the proper method .Thank you . ❤

Great Information Ma’am, I’m not a rebel canner as many classified themselves to be. I make sure to have the ball book reference/ page to show when I share canning content. Thank You for sharing such a important video

Amen Lisa!

Thank you!

I totally agree with you! I am not taking chances with my well being nor anyone else!

Loved the rant. 😉 Thank you very much. 😃

It's a good rant. The first year I canned, although going by all the directions, I still wouldn't give any away until knowing they were safe. Year two, I shared some things, but any new recipes went for a trial run on me first.

I have been following you and every time you say to follow the guidelines I listen closely. Every book that you recommend for safety I have brought. I am just learning and trying to be as safe as possible.

I watch you and a couple of others because of your caution. I always use a recipe from a canning book when I go to can. Huge thanks to all you good by the book canners as I have learned a lot.

Thank you for posting this. I am new to your Chanel and it’s nice to see someone with common sense. I’ve actually stopped watching other RU-vidrs. Because they were giving improper canning instructions. Darwinism at its best. Keep up the great work.

thank you!!!!

Good talk! Thank you

Have you ever seen an Amish Canner? It's a stainless steel rectangular vessel with a drain plug on the short side. Yes for large batches, it sits over a wood fire or, with a rack, propane flame(s). Cover the jars with water and let it boil for three hours. For meat. "People have been feeding their families like this for a century and nobody has died yet." That's the nicest thing I was told when I kindly directed an "influencer" where to find proper procedures. About four of her 'devoted followers' verbally pounced on my comment to protect this dear sweet Mamaw who would never hurt a fly. Like you said Leisa, natural selection. SMH

I recently re-certified my ServSafe Manager course, and all references to botulism have been removed. It is still a risk in commercially canned food as well, and it's glossed over as "toss any bulging cans". I've spent years watching and reading up on reliable canning methods before starting to pressure can. High acid foods are much more forgiving and generally won't kill you like pressure canned could.

I will always be safe before sorry. If I ever decide to can, I will look back on ur videos. I do not want to skip steps or do it the easy way when it comes to something so important.I have gotten food poisoning before, I cannot imagine botulism. I would never forgive myself. I luv ur spicy remarks. I hear all of them that u plant in ur commentary & luv it. That’s right, Speak & Stand in the Truth. It’s important! Especially these days.😉

Thank you for being so tough and tell the truth

It IS terrifying!