You can preserve pineapple with a hot-water canner or a pressure canner.
Canning fruits is done for many reasons; from portioning provisions, to reducing household waste, to saving on bulk fruit purchased at a bargain. Canned pineapples make a tasty lunchbox treat or a nutritious snack, and you can process juices, jams and salsas that incorporate pineapple. As a high-acid food, you can safely preserve pineapple in a boiling-water bath and don't need to use a pressure canner. But if you're working with low-acid foods and want to toss in a few jars of pineapple, you certainly can. The pressure canner -- a kind of pressure cooker -- will reduce the processing time.
Instructions
1. Remove the peel and core from the pineapple.
2. Cut the pineapple into 1/2-inch slices, wedges or 1-inch chunks.
3. Stir the sugar into the water and bring to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar, to form a light syrup.
4. Place the empty jars in another large saucepan or soup pot and add enough water to cover the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a boil to sanitize the jars.
5. Reduce the syrup to a simmer and stir while adding the pineapple. Simmer until the pineapple becomes tender and easy to pierce with a fork.
6. Remove the jars carefully from the boiling water with the jar lifter and set the jars on a tea towel.
7. Remove pineapple from the syrup and pack into the jars. Ladle the syrup into the jars, leaving at least a 1/2 inch of space at the top.
8. Place lids on the jars and tighten the rings to hold them in place.
9. Set jars in the pressure canner and add 2 to 3 inches of water in the bottom. Bring the water to a simmer.
10. Fasten the lid into place and open the steam vent. Adjust the stove to medium-high heat. Wait for the steam to flow evenly from the vent, then allow it to flow for 7 to 10 minutes.
11. Close the steam vent and allow the pressure to reach 10 lbs.
12. Process under 10 lbs. of pressure for 18 minutes. You may need to reduce the heat during processing to keep the pressure at 10 lbs.
13. Remove the pressure canner from the heat and allow the pressure to fall to 0 lbs. Open the steam vent. If no steam escapes, carefully lift the lid away from yourself.
14. Remove the jars with the jar lifter and place them on the tea towel to cool for at least 12 hours. Check that the button on the lid remains depressed after 12 hours, indicating that the jar sealed properly to maintain sterile conditions. Do not tighten the metal bands if they loosened during processing. Label the jars and store them in a cool place.
Tags: pressure canner, steam vent, allow pressure, Bring water, during processing
