Health Tip: Canning Your Own Food?

(HealthDay News) — Home canning can help you enjoy homegrown foods all year long. But do it wrong, and the consequences could be deadly.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers this advice for home canning:

Follow up-to-date techniques for canning and preserving food, rather than traditions handed down in your family.
Make sure you use the right equipment for the food you’re canning, such as produce, meat, fish or poultry.
Avoid using a boiling water canner, which can introduce botulism-causing toxins to the food.
Throw out any canned food if the container is bulging, leaking or squirts food or liquid when opened.
Discard any canned foods that smell bad or appear moldy or discolored when opened.
Never taste canned food to determine if it’s safe.