Question about Canned Vegetables

[Burl]

1st, Thanks to everyone that answered my questions this morning, but now I have another question that maybe you can help me with.
I like to eat my vagetables but in the past they have all come from the can. I know it's bad and I understand that they have lots of salt added and some mysterious ingredients that make the nutritionists wince, but is there a way to prepare them so that they can be used.
I ask this because I like to eat beans and peas of all types and I know that they are full of protein, fiber, and good carbs, so they should have a place in a normal diet.
If you read my post from this morning you know that I am trying to make a life style change as well as a diet change. I am learning.
My question is can the canned vegetables be drained, rinsed, re-rinsed and then placed in water, brought to a boil and then eaten without destroying to much of the vital nutrients, or should I just bite the bullet and spend the weekend cooking everything I need for the next week?
Once again I wait for the axe to fall.

[fitnessman]

It is always best to rinse canned veggies.

This time of the year fresh veggies are so cheap (I garden so always a good supply).

What I do is slice and blanch fresh veggies (mostly squashes and Peas) and then freeze. Most often I have enough to carry me through the winter.

[Burl]

It is always best to rinse canned veggies.

This time of the year fresh veggies are so cheap (I garden so always a good supply).

What I do is slice and blanch fresh veggies (mostly squashes and Peas) and then freeze. Most often I have enough to carry me through the winter.

Thnks Fitnessman, I knew the answer to the question before I asked it but you always hope for an easy out.
I guess this weekend I will be off to Sears for a small deep freeze, a couple of crockpots and maybe some canning utensils.
Giving up a few hours of the boob tube on a weekly basis to cook fresh veggies seems like a good trade off.
I'm up for it.

[Sassyfras]

How can I prepare asparagus so that it's tolerable, I love it form the can but probably because of all the nasty stuff.

[Original Poster]

How can I prepare asparagus so that it's tolerable, I love it form the can but probably because of all the nasty stuff.

I like asparagus grilled.
Drizzle with olive oil and add some fresh squeezed lemon.

[GymRat27]

I like asparagus grilled.
Drizzle with olive oil and add some fresh squeezed lemon.

roasting in the oven works well too. Olive oil, kosher salt (if you are good with sodium) and pepper.

[GymRat27]

1st, Thanks to everyone that answered my questions this morning, but now I have another question that maybe you can help me with.
I like to eat my vagetables but in the past they have all come from the can. I know it's bad and I understand that they have lots of salt added and some mysterious ingredients that make the nutritionists wince, but is there a way to prepare them so that they can be used.
I ask this because I like to eat beans and peas of all types and I know that they are full of protein, fiber, and good carbs, so they should have a place in a normal diet.
If you read my post from this morning you know that I am trying to make a life style change as well as a diet change. I am learning.
My question is can the canned vegetables be drained, rinsed, re-rinsed and then placed in water, brought to a boil and then eaten without destroying to much of the vital nutrients, or should I just bite the bullet and spend the weekend cooking everything I need for the next week?
Once again I wait for the axe to fall.

I am almost a dietitian (an internship to complete and a test to take) and I was just at a conference for dietitians this past March. The Canned Food Alliance was there sponsoring a few of our activities and even providing breakfast one morning. Canned fruits and vegetables really do have a lot of good qualities that I DON'T think many nutritionists wince at. Fruits and veggies are canned at their peak of freshness and because of the canning process, fewer of their vitamins and minerals are degraded. If you have trouble finding fresh canned is a good alternative. (It is actually better to eat canned green beans than to buy fresh one's at the market and have them spoil before you get to them.....catch my drift??) Canned foods keep longer and are more convenient for many of us. Of course you do have to watch your sodium intake but many vegetables are available now with "no added sodium". Be sure to read the labels before you buy!!

[Be-Be]

I've also heard that frozen fruits and veges can be better than fresh grocery store fruits and veges. I think it had to do with how some are preserved during shipment. Is that true?

[RaSP]

Former Cannery Quality Control Tech here.

Generally speaking canned product is of a lower grade than frozen, but it's not always such a bad thing. For example we graded corn either a 2, 4, 6, or 8. Grade two was the best and sweetest corn and went almost exclusively to the flash freezers (and all of the plant managers that came by every 5 minutes for a sample). Grade 4 was split between canned and frozen, grade 6 went to cream style corn, and grade 8 went to the dairy farm for cow food. Corn is graded up for sweetness and moisture, so a grade 2 is very sweet and has a high water content. Grade eight is basically little yellow starch pellets.

With green vegetables, the canning process "hides" rot and other defects in the vegetable that would be unsuitable otherwise. A lot of these are faults that are simply visually unappealing, but do not effect the nutritional value or taste of the product. Small amounts of insect or wind damage, as well as stray plant parts would fall into this group. Rotten parts of the food dissolve into the brine during the canning process, and are so diluted it doesn't effect the flavor. It sounds gross, but it really isn't a big deal.

As far as "nasty things", our brine was plain old salt water. A good half gram per serving, but low sodium (diet) product is available which has about half that. I can't see any reasons beyond pallatbility, sodium content, and price to determine whether you buy canned or frozen.

More important IMHO is brand. Branded product is always better than generic. Brands like Birds Eye and Green Giant tend to have better product than a generic brand. Birds Eye is especially well known for their attention to quality. We always had to shut the entire plant down for a shift to clean everything before we ran Birds Eye. Most generic brands are just the stuff nobody else bought.

More than you ever wanted to know.

Oh yeah, whenever we found any animal parts we would throw away whatever was being processed and 2 tons before and 2 tons after just to be safe. The only thing that probably happens a lot is grasshoppers in green beans. On a belt, with their legs cut off, they really look just like little green beans. Wonder what the brine does to them? LOL


*R*

[RaSP]

I've also heard that frozen fruits and veges can be better than fresh grocery store fruits and veges. I think it had to do with how some are preserved during shipment. Is that true?

I don't think it has much to do with the shipping and handling. Frozen product is generally of a better grade, but most of the difference is aesthetic. A grade 4 green bean is every bit as nutritious as a Grade 2 one. The grade 2 one just looks a lot nicer, and may be a wee bit closer to the peak of ripeness.


*R*

[ChocoChick]

I am so glad I eat fresh veggies.

[GameDayDog]

Hey RaSP ... that was a good post.. and once again, we have everythyng covered... as you worked at a cannery.. and when I went local, I delivered produce...

I was there as it came off the 18-wheelers and went into our warehouses, where it was sorted and thrown on our trucks for delivery to local hospitals & restaurants... Basically, if they required a produce product, we delivered it...

Your real concern is definitely decyding to eat canned or fresh produce... Since I made deliveries to local restaurants, I was able to enter their kitchens.. ... Seeing the food prep areas convinced me of where not to eat... altho I did fynd some great new spots...

Peace..~G

[Burl]

Former Cannery Quality Control Tech here.

Generally speaking canned product is of a lower grade than frozen, but it's not always such a bad thing. For example we graded corn either a 2, 4, 6, or 8. Grade two was the best and sweetest corn and went almost exclusively to the flash freezers (and all of the plant managers that came by every 5 minutes for a sample). Grade 4 was split between canned and frozen, grade 6 went to cream style corn, and grade 8 went to the dairy farm for cow food. Corn is graded up for sweetness and moisture, so a grade 2 is very sweet and has a high water content. Grade eight is basically little yellow starch pellets.

With green vegetables, the canning process "hides" rot and other defects in the vegetable that would be unsuitable otherwise. A lot of these are faults that are simply visually unappealing, but do not effect the nutritional value or taste of the product. Small amounts of insect or wind damage, as well as stray plant parts would fall into this group. Rotten parts of the food dissolve into the brine during the canning process, and are so diluted it doesn't effect the flavor. It sounds gross, but it really isn't a big deal.

As far as "nasty things", our brine was plain old salt water. A good half gram per serving, but low sodium (diet) product is available which has about half that. I can't see any reasons beyond pallatbility, sodium content, and price to determine whether you buy canned or frozen.

More important IMHO is brand. Branded product is always better than generic. Brands like Birds Eye and Green Giant tend to have better product than a generic brand. Birds Eye is especially well known for their attention to quality. We always had to shut the entire plant down for a shift to clean everything before we ran Birds Eye. Most generic brands are just the stuff nobody else bought.

More than you ever wanted to know.

Oh yeah, whenever we found any animal parts we would throw away whatever was being processed and 2 tons before and 2 tons after just to be safe. The only thing that probably happens a lot is grasshoppers in green beans. On a belt, with their legs cut off, they really look just like little green beans. Wonder what the brine does to them? LOL


*R*

Is to late to change my name to, Fresh Veggie Only Burl? I don't think I can ever look at a green bean again knowing it might have had legs at one time.
And don't anyone tell me it's just protein that is not going to work. It's a bug and I don't eat bugs knowingly

[RaSP]

And don't anyone tell me it's just protein that is not going to work. It's a bug and I don't eat bugs knowingly

Awww come on! Grasshoppers have to be better that tuna. LOL

If you pour out your bag of flash frozen green beans and one has eyes, it's just a bonus. I think they would be much harder to spot in a can. Of course there are always garter snakes. They're green, too but when you find them in a bag of green beans they don't always have eyes. LOL

*R*

[Be-Be]

I've had chocolate covered grasshoppers - not too bad.