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 books
books books
books

Raspberry Pi 5
Raspberry Pi 5

Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs • Dogan Ibrahim & Ahmet Ibrahim

for Radio Amateurs Dogan Ibrahim

for Radio Amateurs

has a BSc
Program and Build Raspberry Pi 5 Based degree in
electronic
Ham Station Utilities with the RTL-SDR engineering,
an MSc degree
in automatic control engineering,
The RTL-SDR devices (V3 and V4) have gained popularity among radio
amateurs because of their very low cost and rich features. A basic system
and a PhD degree in digital signal
processing. Dogan has worked Program and Build Raspberry Pi 5 Based
Ham Station Utilities with the RTL-SDR
in many industrial organizations
may consist of a USB based RTL-SDR device (dongle) with a suitable
before he returned to academic life.
antenna, a Raspberry Pi 5 computer, a USB based external audio input- Prof Ibrahim is the author of over
output adapter, and software installed on the Raspberry Pi 5 computer. 70 technical books and published
With such a modest setup, it is possible to receive signals from around over 200 technical articles on
24 MHz to over 1.7 GHz. microcontrollers, microprocessors,
and related fields. He is a Chartered
electrical engineer and a Fellow of
This book is aimed at amateur radio enthusiasts and electronic engineering the Institution of the Engineering
students, as well as at anyone interested in learning to use the Raspberry Technology. He has been a licenced
Pi 5 to build electronic projects. The book is suitable for both beginners amateur radio operator for several
through experienced readers. Some knowledge of the Python programming decades (G7SCU) and also holds an
Arduino certification.
language is required to understand and eventually modify the projects
given in the book. A block diagram, a circuit diagram, and a complete
GQRX
Python program listing is given for each project, alongside a compre-
SDR++

5
hensive description.
Ahmet Ibrahim CubicSDR
The following popular RTL-SDR programs are discussed in detail, aided
by step-by-step installation guides for practical use on a Raspberry Pi 5:
holds BSc
(Hons) and RTL-SDR Server
MSc degrees Dump1090
in the fields
> SimpleFM > xcwcp > xastir of computing, FLDIGI
> GQRX > GPredict > qsstv software and networking. Ahmet has RTL_433
> > >
SDR++ TWCLOCK flrig
TWCLOCK
held positions in many industries
> CubicSDR > CQRLOG > XyGrib involved in enterprise computing.
> RTL-SDR Server > klog > FreeDV He enjoys advising, designing and
implementing complex cloud and
Morse2Ascii
> Dump1090 > Morse2Ascii > Qtel (EchoLink) on-premises computer systems. PyQSO
> FLDIGI > PyQSO > XDX (DX-Cluster) Ahmet is an experienced electronics Python!
> Quick > Welle.io > WSJT-X engineer and a licenced amateur
> RTL_433 > Ham Clock radio operator (2E1GUC). Welle.io
> aldo > CHIRP qsstv
The application of the Python programming language on the latest
Elektor International Media
Raspberry Pi 5 platform precludes the use of the programs in the book
www.elektor.com
from working on older versions of Raspberry Pi computers.

Dogan Ibrahim
Ahmet Ibrahim

SKU20858_COV_Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs_170x240_v01.indd Alle pagina's 10-04-2024 09:06

 Raspberry Pi 5 for
Radio Amateurs
Program and Build Raspberry Pi 5 Based
Ham Station Utilities with the RTL-SDR

●
Dogan Ibrahim, G7SCU
Ahmet Ibrahim, 2E1GUC

Boek Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs-UK 240321.indd 3 04-04-2024 13:19

 ● This is an Elektor Publication. Elektor is the media brand of
Elektor International Media B.V.
PO Box 11, NL-6114-ZG Susteren, The Netherlands
Phone: +31 46 4389444

● All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any material form, including photocopying, or
storing in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or incidentally to some other use of this
publication, without the written permission of the copyright holder except in accordance with the provisions of the
Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licencing Agency
Ltd., 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England W1P 9HE. Applications for the copyright holder's permission to
reproduce any part of the publication should be addressed to the publishers.

● Declaration
The authors and publisher have used their best efforts in ensuring the correctness of the information contained
in this book. They do not assume, or hereby disclaim, any liability to any party for any loss or damage caused by
errors or omissions in this book, whether such errors or omissions result from negligence, accident or any other
cause.

● British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

● ISBN 978-3-89576-612-1 Print

ISBN 978-3-89576-613-8 eBook

● © Copyright 2024 Elektor International Media

www.elektor.com
Editor: Jan Buiting, MA
Prepress Production: D-Vision, Julian van den Berg
Printers: Ipskamp, Enschede, The Netherlands

Elektor is the world's leading source of essential technical information and electronics products for pro engineers,
electronics designers, and the companies seeking to engage them. Each day, our international team develops and delivers
high-quality content - via a variety of media channels (including magazines, video, digital media, and social media) in
several languages - relating to electronics design and DIY electronics. www.elektormagazine.com

●4

Boek Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs-UK 240321.indd 4 04-04-2024 13:19

 Contents

Contents
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Chapter 1 ● Installing the Raspberry Pi 5 Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

1.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

1.2 Using a pre-installed micro SD card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

1.3 Larger font in Console mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

1.4 Accessing your Raspberry Pi 5 Console from your PC – the Putty Program . . . . . . . 18

1.5 Accessing the Desktop GUI from your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

1.6 Assigning a Static IP Address to your Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

1.7 Enabling Bluetooth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

1.8 Connecting the Raspberry Pi 5 to a Wired Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

1.8.1 Unable to connect to a wired network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

1.9 Installing the Raspberry Pi 5 Bookworm Operating System on a Blank

microSD Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Chapter 2 ● Using a Text editor, Creating and Running a Python Program . . . . . . . 29

2.1 The nano Text Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

2.2 Creating and Running a Python Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

2.2.1 Method 1 — Interactively from command prompt in Console mode . . . . . . . . . 34

2.3 Which method? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Chapter 3 ● Amateur Radio Programs – Software-Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

3.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

3.2 4-Band Resistor Color Code Identifier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

3.3 4-Band Resistor Color Code Identifier Including Very Small Resistors . . . . . . . . . . 40

3.4 Series or Parallel Resistors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

3.5 Capacitor Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

3.6 Capacitors in Series or in Parallel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

3.7 Resistive Potential Divider . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

3.8 Resistive Attenuator Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

3.9 RC Charging Transient Circuit Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

3.10 Calculating the Inductance of a Single-Layer, Air-Core Coil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

3.11 Constructing a single layer coil for required inductance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

●5

Boek Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs-UK 240321.indd 5 04-04-2024 13:19

 Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs

3.12 Calculating the Capacitance for Required Resonance Frequency . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

3.13 DC Circuits Mesh Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

3.13.1 DC Circuits mesh analysis — a more complex example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

3.14 DC Circuit Node Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

3.15 Bipolar Junction Transistor Analysis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

3.16 Designing Active Low-Pass Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

3.17 Passive Low-Pass Butterworth Filter Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

3.18 The 555 Timer IC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

3.19 Impedance Matching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

3.20 Designing a Common-Emitter BJT Transistor Amplifier Circuit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

3.21 Using a Windows-Based Simulation Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

3.21.1 Simulating the Resistive Mesh Circuit in Figure 3.33 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

3.21.2 Simulating the transistor circuit in Figure 3.42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

3.21.3 Simulating the transistor circuit in Figure 3.66 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Chapter 4 ● Hardware Based Projects for Amateur Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

4.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

4.2 Project 1: Logic Probe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

4.3 Project 2: Station Mains On-Off Power Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

4.4 Project 3: Station Clock with Output to the Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

4.5 Project 4: Station Clock with Output to LCD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

4.6 Project 5: Station Geographical Coordinates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

4.7 Project 6: Waveform Generation in Software — Sawtooth waveform . . . . . . . . . . 120

4.7.1 The MCP4921 DAC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

4.8 Project 7: Generating a Waveform – Frequency Entry using Keypad and LCD . . . 126

4.8.1 The AD9850 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

4.8.2 Starting the program automatically at boot time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

4.8.3 Boxing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139

4.9 Project 8: Morse Code Exerciser with Rotary Encoder and LCD to Set wpm Value . 140

4.9.1 Rotary encoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

4.9.2 Boxing the project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148

4.10 Project 9: Morse Decoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149

●6

Boek Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs-UK 240321.indd 6 04-04-2024 13:19

 Contents

4.11 Project 10: Frequency Counter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

4.12 Project 11: FM Radio with Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

4.13 Project 12: Modified Project — Increasing the Output Signal Level –
Connecting a Loudspeaker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

4.14 Project 13: FM Radio using an LCD and Rotary Encoder to Set the Frequency . . 177

Chapter 5 ● Raspberry Pi 5 Audio Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

5.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

5.2 Using an External USB Audio Adapter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

5.3 Testing the Audio Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184

5.4 Audio Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185

Chapter 6 ● RTL-SDR Meets Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

6.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188

6.2 RTL-SDR V3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

6.3 RTL-SDR V4 vs V3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

6.4 The RTL-SDR Antenna Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

6.4.1. Dipole orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

6.4.2. Terrestrial signal reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

6.4.3. Satellite reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

6.4.4. Choosing the antenna element length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194

6.5 Hardware Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

6.6 Installing the RTL-SDR Software on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

6.7 Testing — Tuning to a Frequency Manually . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

6.8 Testing the RTL-SDR Dongle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

Chapter 7 ● A Simple FM Receiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

7.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

7.2 The Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199

7.2.1 Creating a shell script . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200

Chapter 8 ● GQRX on the Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

8.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

8.2 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

8.3 Using the GQRX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

8.3.1 The audio frame . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

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Boek Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs-UK 240321.indd 7 04-04-2024 13:19

 Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs

8.3.2 Streaming audio to your PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Chapter 9 ● SDR++ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

9.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

9.2 Installing SDR++ on the Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210

9.3 Using the SDR++ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

9.3.1 Quick startup example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

9.3.2 Graphical outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

9.3.3 Source options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

9.3.4 Display options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217

9.3.5 Radio module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

9.3.6 Frequency Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

9.3.7 Recorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Chapter 10 ● CubicSDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

10.1 Introduction to CubicSDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

10.2 Quick Startup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

Chapter 11 ● RTL-SDR Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

11.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223

Chapter 12 ● Dump1090 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

12.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

12.2 Dump1090 Essential Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

12.3 Installing Dump1090 on the Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226

12.4 Launching the Dump1090 Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Chapter 13 ● FLDIGI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

13.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

13.2 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

13.3 Digital Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

13.4 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

13.5 Starting the Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231

13.6 Decoding Morse Code (CW) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

13.7 Receiving Weather Fax (WEFAX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

13.8 Receiving RTTY Traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

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13.8.1 Using fldigi to receive RTTY messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

13.9 Receiving NAVTEX Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

13.9.1 Using fldigi to receive NAVTEX messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

Chapter 14 ● Quisk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

14.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

14.2 Installing quisk on the Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Chapter 15 ● RTL_433 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

15.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

15.2 Installing RTL_433 on the Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244

15.3 Program Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Chapter 16 ● Other SDR hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

16.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

16.2 HackRF One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

16.3 NooElec NESDR Smart HF Bundle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247

16.4 BladeRF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248

16.5 LimeSDR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

16.6 Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

16.7 ADALM-Pluto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250

16.8 AirSpy HF+ Discovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Chapter 17 ● Installation and Use of Some Popular Radio Applications . . . . . . . 252

17.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

17.2 Aldo Morse Code Tutor – Text Based . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

17.2.1 Installing aldo on the Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

17.3 xcwcp Morse Code Tutor — Graphical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

17.3.1 Installing xcwcp on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

17.4 GPredict — Satellite/Orbital Object Tracking and Rig Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

17.4.1 Installing GPredict on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

17.4.2 GPredict controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

17.5 TWCLOCK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

17.5.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

17.5.2 Using the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262

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17.6 CQRLOG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

17.6.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

17.6.2 Running the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

17.7 Klog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

17.7.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

17.7.2 Using the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266

17.8 Morse2Ascii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

17.8.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

17.8.2 Using the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

17.9 PyQSO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

17.9.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

17.9.2 Using the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270

17.10 Welle.io (DAB/DAB+ Radio) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

17.10.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

17.10.2 Running the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272

17.11 Ham Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

17.11.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

17.11.2 Running the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

17.11.3 Accessing from a web browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

17.12 Chirp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

17.12.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

17.12.2 Running the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277

17.13 Xastir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278

17.13.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

17.13.2 Running the program and configuring for internet APRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279

17.14 QSSTV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

17.14.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

17.14.2 Running the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

17.14.3 Testing the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284

17.15 FLRIG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

17.15.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

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17.15.2 Running flrig . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

17.16 XyGrib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

17.16.1 Installation of XyGrib on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288

1 7.16.2 Running XyGrib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

17.17 FreeDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

17.17.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

17.7.2 Running FreeDV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292

17.18 Qtel (EchoLink) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

17.18.1 Qtel installation on Raspberry Pi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

17.18.2 Running the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

17.18.3 Using EchoLink on smart phones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

17.19 XDX (DX-Cluster) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

17.19.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

17.19.2 Running the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

17.20 WSJT-X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

17.20.1 Installation on Raspberry Pi 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

17.20.2 Running the program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300

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Preface

In recent years there have been major changes in the radio equipment used by the radio
amateurs. Although the classical HF and mobile equipment is still in use by large numbers
of amateurs, computers and digital techniques are becoming very popular among amateur
radio operators or 'hams'. In early days of digital communications, personal computers
were used by hams to communicate with each other. PCs have the disadvantage that
they are rather expensive and bulky. Nowadays, anyone can purchase a £40 Raspberry
Pi computer and run almost all of the amateur radio software on this computer, which is
slightly bigger than the size of a credit card.

The Raspberry Pi 5 is the latest credit-card sized computer from the Raspberry Pi Foundation
that can be used in many applications, such as in audio and video media centers, as a
desktop computer, in industrial controllers, robotics, and in many domestic and commercial
applications. In addition to many features found in other Raspberry Pi computers, the
Raspberry Pi 5 offers Wi-Fi, Classic Bluetooth, and Bluetooth BLE capability which makes it
highly desirable in remote and Internet-based control and monitoring applications.

The Raspberry Pi 5 is a 64-bit quad-core Arm Cortex-A76 processor running at 2.4 GHz,
which is two to three times the performance boost when compared to the earlier Raspberry
Pi 4. The Raspberry Pi 5 comes with an enhanced graphic performance, using the 800-
MHz VideoCore VII graphics chip. Additionally, the Raspberry Pi 5 features a Southbridge
chipset made for the first time by the Raspberry Pi Foundation. With the help of this RP1
Southbridge, the Raspberry Pi 5 delivers higher performance and functionality for peripheral
devices. It should now be possible to carry out many real-time operations such as audio
digital signal processing, real-time digital control and monitoring, and many other real-time
operations using this tiny powerhouse.

The RTL-SDR devices (V3 and V4 dongles) have become very popular among radio fans
because of their very low cost (some around £12) and rich features. A basic system may
consist of a USB-based RTL-SDR device (dongle) with a suitable antenna, a Raspberry Pi
5 computer, an USB-based external audio input/output adapter, and software installed on
the Raspberry Pi 5 computer. With such a simple setup, it is possible to receive signals from
around 24 MHz to over 1.7 GHz.

This book has four purposes. Firstly, it is aimed to teach the installation of the operating
system and basic operating principles and features of the Raspberry Pi 5 to beginners.
Secondly, many hardware-based projects are given using the Raspberry Pi 5 together
with the Python programming language. These projects have been chosen to be useful to
amateur radio operators. Thirdly, the book explains in some detail how to use the RTL-SDR
devices (both V3 and V4) together with a Raspberry Pi 5 and popular RTL-SDR software to
tune in and receive signals from a wide range of ham and other frequency bands. Lastly,
the book also explains how to install and use some of the popular amateur radio software
packages on the Raspberry Pi 5.

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 Preface

It is important to realize that the book uses the Python programming language on the
latest Raspberry Pi 5 platform, and most of the programs in the book will not work on
older versions of Raspberry Pi computers. Readers interested in exploring older Raspberry
Pi models in amateur radio projects are recommended to purchase author's earlier book
entitled: Raspberry Pi for Radio Amateurs: Program and build RPI-based ham station
utilities, tools, and instruments (available from Elektor).

I hope you enjoy reading the book.

Dogan Ibrahim, G7SCU and Ahmet Ibrahim, 2E1GUC

London, 2024

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 Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs

Chapter 1 ● I
 nstalling the Raspberry Pi 5 Operating
System

1.1 Overview
The Raspberry Pi 5 is the latest credit card size computer from the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
It is based on 2.4-GHz Cortex-A76 Arm processor with a new Southgate bridge for handling
the peripheral interface. A new VideoCore VII GPU is provided with 800 MHz speed. A dual
camera interface is another nice feature of the Raspberry Pi 5. The microSD card interface
supports cards that work at much higher speeds than previously.

The Raspberry Pi 5 is similar to the older Raspberry Pi 4, where both devices have dual 2
4Kp60 HDMI display interfaces, although the Pi 5 supports HDR output. The 2×20-pin GPIO
interface is the same in both devices. The Raspberry Pi 5 additionally supports two camera
interfaces, a PCIe bus connector, a UART interface, an RTC clock power connector, and a fan
power connector. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are supported by both devices. The on-board power
switch on the Raspberry Pi 5 is a useful feature. The Raspberry Pi 5 is powered from a 5 V,
4 A USB-C type power supply and is slightly more expensive than the Raspberry Pi 4.

The camera and display connectors on Raspberry Pi 5 are 15-pin and smaller instead of
the original 22-pin connector used on Pi 4. A ribbon cable with a 22-pin connector on one
side and a 15-pin one on the other side is required to connect an existing Raspberry Pi 4
camera to Raspberry Pi 5. The Raspberry Pi 5 has two connectors, allowing two cameras
or DSI displays (or a mix of ) to be connected. The PCIe connector is for fast external PCIe
compatible peripherals, such as SSDs.

The new power button on Raspberry Pi 5 could be very useful. When the device is ON,
pressing the button brings up the shutdown (logout) menu. A safe shutdown will occur with
another press of the power button.

Figure 1.1 shows the front view of the Raspberry Pi 5 with the components labelled for
reference.

Figure 1.1: The Raspberry Pi 5.

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 Chapter 1 ● Installing the Raspberry Pi 5 Operating System

The Raspberry Pi 5 can get very hot when working. While the 'idle' CPU temperature is
around 50 degrees Celsius, it can go higher than 85 degrees under stress. It is recommended
to use a cooler to lower the CPU temperature. A dedicated active cooler is available for
Raspberry Pi 5. Holes and power points are provided on the board to install and power
the active cooler. Figure 1.2 shows the Raspberry Pi 5 with the active cooler installed. The
active cooler cools down the on-board SoC, RAM, and the Southgate chipset. With the
active cooler and when the CPU is idle, the CPU temperature is around 40 degrees. The fan
of the cooler operates automatically when the CPU temperature just exceeds 50 degrees
Celsius.

Figure 1.2: Raspberry Pi 5 with active cooler.

The Raspberry Pi 5 operating system called Bookworm is available either on a pre-installed

micro SD card or by downloading the system image onto a blank micro SD card. In this
chapter, you will learn to install the operating system using both methods.

1.2 Using a pre-installed micro SD card

The pre-installed Raspberry Pi 5 operating system is available in various size micro SD cards.
The author used the pre-installed 32 GB micro SD card supplied by Elektor. Additionally,
the author used a 7-inch HDMI compatible monitor, a Raspberry Pi official keyboard, and
a mouse. The author's hardware setup between the Raspberry Pi 5 and various devices is
shown in Figure 1.3.

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 Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs

Figure 1.3: The authors' hardware setup.

The steps are as follows:

• Insert the pre-installed micro SD card into your Raspberry Pi 5.

• Connect all the devices as in Figure 1.3.

• Connect the Raspberry Pi 5 adapter to the mains (AC power).

• You should see the Raspberry Pi 5 booting the first time and asking you various
questions to setup the device, such as the username, password, WiFi name and
password, any updates if necessary, etc. etc. In this book, the username is set
to pi.

• The Raspberry Pi 5 will boot in Desktop mode and will display the default
screen. You can press Cntrl+Alt+F1 at any time to change to the Console mode.

1.3 Larger font in Console mode

It is probably hard to see the characters on a 7-inch monitor in Console mode. You can
follow the steps below to increase the font size:

• Make sure you are in the Console mode

• Enter the following command:

pi@raspberrypi: ~ $ sudo dpkg-reconfigure console-setup

• Select UTF-8 in the Package Configuration screen (Figure 1.4)

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 Chapter 1 ● Installing the Raspberry Pi 5 Operating System

Figure 1.4: Select UTF-8.

• Select Guess optimal character set (Figure 1.5)

Figure 1.5: Select Guess optimal character set.

• Select Terminus (Figure 1.6)

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 Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs

Figure 1.6: Select Terminus.

• Select font 16x32 (Figure 1.7)

Figure 1.7: Select font 16×32.

1.4 Accessing your Raspberry Pi 5 Console from your PC – the Putty

Program
In many applications, you may want to access your Raspberry Pi 5 from your PC. This
requires enabling the SSH on your Raspberry Pi and then using a terminal emulation
software on your PC. The steps to enable the SSH are as follows:

• Make sure you are in Console mode.

• Type: sudo raspi-config.

• Move down to Interface Options.

• Highlight SSH and press Enter (Figure 1.8).

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 Chapter 1 ● Installing the Raspberry Pi 5 Operating System

Figure 1.8: Highlight SSH.

• Click Yes to enable SSH.

• Click OK.

• Move down and click Finish.

You will now have to install a terminal emulation software on your PC. The one used by the
authors is the popular 'Putty'. Download Putty from the following web site:

https://www.putty.org

• Putty is a standalone program and there is no need to install it. Simply double
click to run it. You should see the Putty startup screen as in Figure 1.9.

Figure 1.9: Putty startup screen.

• Make sure that the Connection type is SSH and enter the IP address of your
Raspberry Pi 5. You can obtain the IP address by entering the command
ifconfig in Console mode (Figure 1.10). In this example, the IP address was:
191.168.1.251 (see under wlan0:)

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 Raspberry Pi 5 for Radio Amateurs

Figure 1.10: Command ifconfig.

• Click Open in Putty after entering the IP address and selecting SSH.

• The first time you run Putty you may get a security message. Click Yes to
accept this security alert.

• You will then be prompted to enter the Raspberry Pi 5 username and password.
You can now enter all Console based commands through your PC.

• To change your password, enter the following command:

pi@raspberrypi: ~ $ passwd

• To restart the Raspberry Pi enter the following command:

pi@raspberrypi: ~ $ sudo reboot

• To shut down the Raspberry Pi, enter the following command. By the way,
never shut down by pulling the power cable as this may result in the corruption
or loss of files!

pi@raspberrypi: ~ $ sudo shutdown –h now

By default, the Putty screen background is black with white foreground characters. The
authors prefer to have white background with black foreground characters, with the
character size set to 12 points bold. You should save your settings so that they are available
next time you want to use the Putty. The steps to configure the Putty with these settings
are given below:

• Restart Putty.

• Select SSH and enter the Raspberry Pi IP address.

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In case you have doubts about how well a food will freeze, test it before
freezing large quantities. To test, freeze three or four packages and sample
the food a couple of weeks later. This will show the effect of freezing but not
the effect of storage. Some varieties of the same kind of food freeze well,
others do not.

Much of the success you have with your home freezer will depend on how
you prepare, package, wrap and seal foods. Protecting frozen food is as
important as freezing food of high quality.

You will need general kitchen utensils plus a steel, aluminum or enamel
kettle large enough to hold at least one gallon of boiling water, with a tight
fitting cover. Use a mesh basket, a strainer, or large squares of cheesecloth
to hold one pound of vegetables in the boiling water.

Steaming of cut, sliced or green leafy vegetables is recommended and will

preserve more nutrients than water does.

You will need a container to hold ice water for quick chilling of vegetables to
stop cooking action. Drain thoroughly in a colander and turn out on
absorbent towels.

It is false economy to skimp on wrappings and containers. They should

protect the food from cold air, which is dry, so as to retain the moisture in
foods and prevent freeze burn and dehydration. Select them according to
the use they will be put to.

Most freezer containers on the market today are easy to seal, waterproof,
and give satisfactory results. Rigid plastic containers, bags, and jars with
wide tops are favorites.

Moisture- and vapor-resistant wraps, which are exceptionally effective at

excluding oxygen, include heavyweight aluminum foil, coated and laminated
papers, polyethylene films, saran, and polyester films. They should be
strong and pliable so the wrap will adhere readily to irregularly shaped
objects, and eliminate as much air as possible to avoid frost accumulation
inside. Careful wrapping is of no avail if the package breaks. It should be
easily sealed, either by heatsealing or freezer tape.

Freezer bags are available, and freeze-and-cook bags that withstand

temperatures from below 0° F. to above the boiling point. The freeze-and-
cook bags are suitable for freezing and reheating food. Points to consider
include the size convenient for your use and the cost.

Materials not moisture-proof and vapor-proof, and thus not suitable for
packaging foods to be frozen, are ordinary waxed papers, cartons from ice
cream or milk, and plastic cartons from cottage cheese or gelatin 322
products because they crack easily.

Compare price, durability, shape and reusability in selecting containers,

keeping in mind their convenience and the economical use of freezer space.

Retaining the vitamins and other nutrients depends on how fruits and
vegetables are handled before freezing, on storage temperature in the
freezer, and on how you cook them. Always follow up-to-date
recommendations available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture or
county Extension office.

Select foods of top quality. A freezer is not magic—it does not improve food.
Its function is to preserve quality and food values and to prevent spoilage.

Choose vegetables and fruits suitable for freezing, and the best varieties for
freezing. Because growing conditions and varieties vary greatly across the
country, check with your county Extension office to find out which varieties
are best for freezing.

Freeze fruits and vegetables when they are at their best for table use. If
possible, freeze those that are ripened on the tree, vine or bush. Fruits
should be ripe but firm.
Enzymatic changes continue after harvest, lowering quality and nutritive
value. If stored at too warm temperatures, fruits can lose vitamin C, turn
brown, lose flavor and color, and toughen.

Don’t delay in harvesting vegetables since asparagus, corn, peas, snap

beans, and lima beans all deteriorate rapidly in the garden after reaching
their peak.

Observe cleanliness while you work, to avoid contaminating foods.

Prepare vegetables for freezing by blanching them in boiling water for

recommended times. County Extension offices will have information on
specific times for various foods.

Blanching vegetables is absolutely necessary to inactivate enzymes that

cause undesirable changes in flavor and texture. This brief heat treatment
reduces the number of micro-organisms on the food, enhances the green
color in vegetables such as peas, broccoli and spinach, and displaces air
trapped in the tissues.

Pack food in containers as solidly as possible to avoid air pockets, leaving

the necessary head space for expansion. Press out as much air as possible,
with your hands or by using a freezer pump. Then seal the plastic bags by
twisting the open end, folding it over. Freezer rubber bands, twist-seals, or
freezer tape are satisfactory for sealing bags.

Label packages clearly and carefully with name of product, date when
frozen, number of servings or poundage, and any information that will help
you. Special pens are made for marking frozen food products. Or you can
use a wax pencil or crayon.

Speed is important in preparing food and getting it into the freezer, so as to

maintain quality. Put only the amount of unfrozen foods into the freezer at
one time that will sharp freeze within 24 hours.

Allow at least one inch between packages of unfrozen food in the freezer for
circulation of cold air. Leave packages in freezing position for 24 hours
before stacking them close together.

Uniform freezing temperature and keeping frozen products at 0° F or lower

will maintain quality. Different foods have varying storage periods, so keep
your frozen food inventory changing.

Use a freezer thermometer in your freezer. Check your freezer door and wall
plug daily to avoid any catastrophe.

A freezer can pay wonderful dividends with considerable thought and

planning by the homemaker.

323
Pressure Canners, Vital for Low-Acid Foods

[6]
by Nadine Fortna Tope

Use of a pressure canner for preserving low-acid foods is not new. Pressure
canners for home canning were first marketed in the early 1900’s. In 1917,
the U. S. Department of Agriculture announced that use of a pressure
canner at 10 pounds pressure (240° F) was the only safe method for
canning vegetables. Today’s recommendations are essentially the same.

A temperature of 240° F or 10 pounds pressure at sea level is needed to kill

spoilage organisms in a reasonable time, especially the spores of Clostridium
botulinum. These spores, if not killed, can produce the most deadly toxin
known to man.

The commercial canning industry stringently follows safe canning practices.

Their safety record is excellent. A Complete Course in Canning by Lopez
(1975) says that since 1925 four deaths have been reported from the
consumption of more than 800 billion cans of commercially processed foods.
The record for home canning is much worse—450 deaths in a fraction of the
number of cans. Unsafe practices were probably used in preserving the
deadly home-canned food.

Methods like open kettle, oven, and boiling water bath canning for low-acid
foods are not sufficient to kill Clostridium botulinum spores. Educators talk
to many people even today who still use unsafe practices because “that’s
the way my mother always did it”, or because they are unfamiliar with
pressure canners.

In this chapter, the need for safe pressure canning procedures will be
discussed along with the rationale for using care in preparing low-acid foods
for canning.

Acidity of a particular food is the most important factor in determining which

canning method should be used—pressure or boiling water bath.
Acidity is measured and stated much the same way we express length or
weight. Acidity (pH) refers to acid strength, not the amount of acid present.

For example, citric acid, an acid found in oranges, grapefruit, and other
citrus fruits, is a weak acid compared to hydrochloric acid, a very strong
acid. The measure used to express acid strength is pH. The pH scale runs
from 1 to 14 with 7 as the neutral point. Substances with pH below 7 are
called acidic, while those above 7 are called basic or alkaline foods. The
lower the pH, the more acid the food.

Acidity or pH of a food affects the length of time it must be processed at a

particular temperature to make it safe. The more acid the food (the lower
the pH), the shorter the time required for processing.

Almost all foods are acid in nature. Hominy is an example of a food that is
neutral or slightly alkaline.

Foods are further categorized as high acid or low acid because the C.
botulinum spore will not grow at pH levels of 4.6 or below. High acid foods
(pH 4.6 or below) include tomatoes and all fruits except figs. (See chart).

Those with a pH above 4.6 are the low-acid foods. All vegetables except
tomatoes and those that have been pickled or fermented are low-acid.

Safe processing times have been established at 240° F for low-acid home
canned products, since at this temperature the processing times are
reasonably short and texture of the resulting product remains good. 324
The heat-resistant C. botulinum spore has been known to survive
many hours of boiling at 212°. Once food reaches 240°, the spore is killed
when held for the recommended number of minutes.

Fruit and Vegetable Acidity

High acid foods
Lemon Juice
Cranberry Sauce
Gooseberries
Rhubarb, Dill Pickles
 Blackberries
Applesauce, Strawberries
Peaches
Raspberries, Sauerkraut
Blueberries
Sweet Cherries, Apricot
Tomatoes
Low acid foods
Figs, Pimentos
Pumpkins
Cucumbers
Turnips, Cabbage, Squash
Parsnips, Beets, Green Beans
Sweet Potatoes
Spinach
Asparagus, Cauliflower
Carrots
Potatoes
Peas
Corn

Holding of produce to be canned for long periods in warm summer

temperatures gives bacteria ample time to multiply into vast numbers, thus
increasing the chances of spoilage.

For example, one cell can multiply into a billion cells in just 15 hours of
holding under favorable conditions.

Salt and spices added to low-acid canned products in amounts

recommended do not appreciably alter processing time. Salt may slightly
lower the heat resistance of some micro-organisms but not enough to
present a problem if omitted for dietary reasons.

Fats and oils, if added, may reduce the rate of destruction of bacterial
spores. Spores of C. botulinum have been known to survive beyond all
reasonable expectation when heated in oil suspensions. Thus, adding oil or
fat to a product being canned could be dangerous and is not recommended.

The type, consistency, and piece size of food and how it is packed in the jars
are important factors which affect processing time. In preparing jars of food
for the pressure canner, follow directions carefully. Do not use jars larger
than the directions specify.

Determining the safe processing time for a food product involves two
important steps.

First, the rate of heat penetration is measured by finding the spot in the jar
that takes the longest time to heat. This is referred to as the “cold spot”.
Times will depend on the type of food (squash vs tomato juice) as well as
how it is prepared (whole kernel vs cream style corn).

The second step is done in a laboratory. A known amount of some live

bacterial spores is put into the “cold spot” of the jar of food. These jars are
then heated and the amount of time needed to kill the spores is determined.

How Food Is Heated

Heat is a form of energy which flows from hot to cold substances. This flow
occurs by convection, conduction, and radiation. In a pressure canner,
convection and conduction are the primary methods of heat transfer.

Convection heating occurs in thin liquids and in gases like air and steam. As
molecules are heated, they become lighter and rise to the top of the jar,
displacing cooler ones toward the bottom. This movement is visible in water
that is being heated in a clear glass container. Convection heating occurs
best in liquids like fruit and vegetable juices or broths. These heat rapidly
and thus have shorter processing times.

Small quantities of starch either added or leached from vegetables slows

down the convection and increases processing time. For example, jars of
liquid containing pieces of green beans or peas would heat more 325
slowly than apple juice because the pieces would interfere with
convection.

A tightly packed jar takes longer to heat than a loosely packed one which
allows some convection heating. Thus it is important not to over-pack jars
as this will decrease the rate of heat penetration.
Some types of food heat by a combination of conduction and convection.
One example is a peach half in thin sirup. The sirup heats by convection
while the peach heats by conduction. Another example is cream style corn.
Initially, the liquid is thin and heats by convection. As the liquid thickens, it
heats by conduction.

Conduction occurs when heat is transferred from one particle or substance

to another right next to it. This is the slowest type of heat transfer. Foods
that mat together, like spinach, or viscous material like mashed pumpkin,
heat by conduction. The larger the pieces of food or the thicker the puree,
the slower the heat penetration.

Pressure Canners
A pressure canner is a kettle made from a material, usually aluminum, that
is strong enough to safely withstand the pressures used in home canning.
The lid is built so it can be locked to the base of the canner. On one type,
metal in the sealing edge is ground smooth so little or no leakage occurs
between the lid and the base. Care should be taken to avoid damage to the
sealing surfaces which could ruin the canner.

Other canners have a gasket made of a rubber-like substance that prevents

leakage of steam. The gasket should be washed in hot suds, rinsed, and
dried thoroughly after use.

All pressure canners include a safety plug or fuse. One type has a metal fuse
that melts when the temperature is too high. If the canner is used properly
the fuse should never need replacing. Another type of canner has a rubber-
like safety plug. Care should be taken to replace the plug when the rubber
gets hard. As the rubber hardens, it takes a greater pressure for it to blow
out. Some older type canners have a petcock that serves as a vent and
safety valve.

In canners that have a pressure gage, vents serve to exhaust air from the
canner. The air is exhausted by venting for 10 minutes after steam starts
escaping. All the air must be exhausted before the canner is sealed because
the steam has much more heat energy. For example, air in a 212° F oven
feels just warm while 212° steam from a teakettle will burn you.
Be sure to read and follow the instructions with your canner.

All canners should have some type of rack in the bottom. A rack keeps the
jars from touching the bottom of the canner and breaking. It also aids in
transferring the heat more evenly within the canner by permitting water and
steam circulation.

There must be enough water in the canner to provide steam throughout

processing. Two quarts of water is usually recommended, although this may
vary depending on size of the canner and the quantity of jars.

Pressure canners have either a dial gage, a pressure control or a

combination of these. The dial pressure gage indicates the pressure and
corresponding sea level temperature. The control type canner has a
precision weight that sits on the vent pipe and jiggles to regulate pressure.
A third type is a combination gage and control.

The dial pressure gage measures steam pressure. The tube in the pressure
canner gage operates like a New Year’s Eve noisemaker, which is a flat
paper tube rolled up. Blowing into the tube causes it to become more round
and unroll.

The pressure gage works the same way except not as dramatically. 326
The gage is made of a partially flattened metal tube. When pressure
is applied, the tube becomes more round and straightens slightly. The
needle [pointer] moves as the tube straightens. The gage is calibrated to
indicate pressure. Pressure is controlled by adjusting burner heat to
maintain the desired pressure. This type of gage should be checked yearly
or after suspected damage, such as dropping, to be sure it functions
properly.

A pressure control consists of a precision weight that rests on a specially

designed vent pipe. It automatically maintains an even pressure and
temperature inside the canner. Pressure builds inside the canner until the
upward force (steam pressure times seat area) is greater than the
downward force of the weight on the seat area. At this point, the control
weight is lifted, releasing steam and reducing pressure, until the upward
force equals the weight. The pressure inside again increases slightly, lifts the
weight, and releases the pressure.
The repeated lifting and reseating or jiggling of the control weight indicates
that the pressure is being controlled.

The burner is adjusted so the control jiggles at least several times a minute.
Excessive jiggling will deplete the supply of water in the canner.

There are two types of pressure controls. One type is a single weight with 3
holes which fit on the vent pipe. The diameter at the base of the hole (seat
area) is different for each of the 3 pressures—largest for 5 pounds pressure,
and smallest for 15 pounds pressure.

The second type has 1 seat area and a 3-piece weight. For 5 pounds
pressure, the small center weight is used. One additional ring or weight is
added for 10 pounds pressure, and a second ring or weight is added for 15
pounds pressure.

With care, the pressure control remains accurate throughout the canner’s
lifetime. Be sure that seat areas where the weight and the vent pipe make
contact are not damaged or excessively worn; this could affect the canner’s
performance.

The combination gage is not as common as the other two types. It has a
sliding piston which pushes up on a spring. As pressure inside the canner
increases, the piston is pushed up. Rings on the piston indicate pressure. If
the heat is not regulated correctly, pressure builds up to beyond 15 pounds,
at which point the weight is lifted to release the excess pressure. It will
jiggle audibly, indicating to the user that the pressure is too high. This
system serves as a gage as well as a safety device.

The combination gage should be kept clean and dry when not in use, to
prevent corrosion. It also must be checked yearly to be sure the piston
slides easily and indicates the correct pressure.

Effect of Altitude
Atmospheric pressure is like the thickness of frosting on a cake. Where it is
thickest it weighs more per square inch than where it is thin. At sea level,
where the atmosphere is the thickest, it is heavier than atop a mountain.
As altitude increases, atmospheric pressure or its weight per square inch
decreases. Altitude affects the boiling point of water. Where altitude is least,
at sea level, water boils at 212° F. As altitude increases the boiling point of
water decreases.

The same is true in a pressure canner. Under 10 pounds pressure at sea

level, water boils at 240° F. As altitude increases, the temperature in a
pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure is less than 240°. This difference
is enough to affect the safety of canned products at altitudes above 2,000
feet.

327

Fred Farout
Processing times and pressures should be adjusted for altitude change.

Processing time for a particular vegetable is the time it takes to heat the
coldest part of the jar to a temperature of 240° F, and maintain it long
enough to kill any C. botulinum spores present. At an altitude of 2,000 feet,
it takes 11 pounds of gage pressure for water to boil at 240°. For each
additional 2,000 feet increase in altitude, 1 pound of pressure should be
added.

For pressure canners that have the pressure control, the 15 pounds pressure
weight should be used at altitudes above 2,000 feet for canning low-acid
food.
At the end of processing, pressure inside the jars as well as inside the
canner is 10 pounds. The pressure inside the canner should be allowed to
drop slowly. If pressure inside the canner is released too rapidly, pressure
inside the jars will be great enough to force the contents, especially liquid,
out of the jars. This may prevent a jar from sealing if a piece of food lodges
on the top of the sealing rim. It may even break the jar.

Remove the lid from the canner as soon as the pressure drops. Jars should
then be taken out and allowed to cool to room temperature quickly. A type
of non-toxic spoilage called flat sour can occur if the jars are allowed to
stand in the canner for long periods.

When using the steam-pressure canner, the pressure given is for altitudes
less than 2,000 feet above sea level. If you live in an area with a higher
altitude, it is necessary to make an adjustment in pressure. See the next
chapter for details.

328
Home Canning of Fruits and Vegetables

[7]
by Carole Davis

Canning in the home is increasing in popularity as a method of food

preservation. Economic considerations are causing consumers to look for
ways to stretch their food dollars. By having their own gardens and canning
the harvested produce, they often can save money. Eating quality of home-
canned products encourages some individuals to can. The activity of
growing or obtaining produce and preserving it in the home sometimes
gives people a sense of personal achievement and satisfaction.

In canning, food is preserved by applying heat to prepared food in

containers so that micro-organisms that cause spoilage or food poisoning
are destroyed and enzymes that cause undesirable quality changes in the
flavor, color, and texture of food are inactivated. Preservation of food by
canning also depends on sealing the food in sterile, airtight containers to
prevent it from coming in contact with micro-organisms in the environment.

Canning is not a difficult technique, but it must be done properly to avoid

spoilage and food poisoning, such as the often fatal botulism. It is extremely
important that only tested reliable instructions are used, such as those
found in U.S. Department of Agriculture publications. Based on scientific
research, specific instructions have been developed for preparing, packing,
and processing each food. Instructions should be followed exactly from
beginning to end—without taking any shortcuts or altering any recipes.

Acidity of the food is the chief factor in influencing the time and
temperatures necessary for processing. The more acid the products, the
easier spoilage organisms are destroyed by heat. Acid foods—such as
tomatoes, fruits, and pickled vegetables—can be safely processed at the
temperature of boiling water in a boiling-water-bath canner. If spoilage
organisms are not killed by adequate processing, they will continue to grow
and could reduce the acid in the canned product, thus encouraging the
growth of more dangerous organisms, such as Clostridium botulinum.
Low-acid foods—all vegetables, except for tomatoes—require a more severe
heat treatment than acid foods to kill the organisms. The only safe way to
can these foods is with a steam-pressure canner, one with a weighted or
dial gage, to obtain temperatures above boiling. Clostridium botulinum is
extremely dangerous in these low-acid foods because if it is present, and
the heat treatment has been insufficient, it can grow and produce a deadly
toxin in the sealed containers.

Processing times are based on sea level conditions where water boils at
212° F or, when under 10 pounds of pressure, at 240°. As the altitude
increases, the temperature at which water boils decreases. Therefore, at
altitudes above sea level you need to make adjustments in canning
instructions to insure that foods are adequately processed.

When using a boiling-water-bath canner you must add more time in

processing, as given in the table.

At altitudes above sea level it takes more than 10 pounds of pressure for the
temperature of boiling water to reach 240° F.

When using the steam-pressure canner, the pressure must be increased

although the time remains the same as that recommended for sea 329
level. At altitudes above 2,000 feet, process as follows:

Altitude Pounds of pressure

2,000 feet 11
4,000 feet 12
6,000 feet 13
8,000 feet 14
10,000 feet 15

Altitude Corrections for Boiling Water Bath

Increase processing time if the time recommended

is:
Altitude
(feet) 20 minutes or less More than 20 minutes
 1,000 1 minute 2 minutes
2,000 2 minutes 4 minutes
3,000 3 minutes 6 minutes
4,000 4 minutes 8 minutes
5,000 5 minutes 10 minutes
6,000 6 minutes 12 minutes
7,000 7 minutes 14 minutes
8,000 8 minutes 16 minutes
9,000 9 minutes 18 minutes
10,000 10 minutes 20 minutes

Equipment
Use jars made especially for home canning so the jars will be the right size
for the processing time and temperature used, properly heat tempered, and
resistant to mechanical shock. Always check jars before using to be sure
they do not have nicks or cracks. Wash jars in hot, soapy water and rinse
well.

It is important to use standard jar closures. They are designed to fit home
canning jars correctly, and are made from suitable materials to provide a
proper seal. One of the most popular types is the two-piece lid with a metal
ring or band and a flat metal disk with a sealing compound. Flat metal disks
can be used only once since they may not seal properly if reused. Metal
bands may be used repeatedly if they are not rusted or dented.
 Screw ring band and disk.

Wash and rinse lids and bands. Metal lids with sealing compound may need
boiling or holding in boiling water for a few minutes; follow the
manufacturer’s directions. Porcelain-lined zinc caps with rubber shoulder
rings can also be used to seal jars. Rubber rings should be used only once.

Water-bath canners are readily available on the market. However, any large
metal container may be used for a water-bath canner if it is deep enough so
the water is well over the tops of the jars and has space to boil freely. Allow
2 to 4 inches above jar tops for brisk boiling. The container or canner must
have a tight fitting cover and a rack to allow water to circulate under the
jars.

The steam-pressure canner is made of heavy metal and has a cover which
fastens to make the pan steam-tight. The cover is fitted with a safety 330
valve, a petcock or vent, and a gage—either weighted or dial. All
parts of the canner must be clean and in good working order. Check the
gage before the canning season, and also during the season if canner is
used often. The weighted ones need only be checked to determine if they
are thoroughly clean. A dial gage can be tested for accuracy by a county
Extension agent or an equipment manufacturer.

A pressure saucepan may be used for canning pint jars of food. However, 20
minutes must be added to the processing time recommended for a
particular food canned with the pressure canner. This is because pressure
saucepans heat and cool more rapidly than pressure canners do. Thus
additional time is needed to compensate for the otherwise reduced exposure
of the food to heat.

Selecting and Preparing

Home-canned foods will be no better than the raw products with which you
begin. Fruits and vegetables should be of good quality with no bruises or
soft spots. Be sure to choose fresh, firm, ripe fruits and young tender
vegetables. Use them before they lose their freshness. Do not use overripe
produce because some foods lose acidity as they mature, and the
recommended processing time may not be adequate.

Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly, but gently, to remove dirt which
contains bacteria. Wash small quantities at a time under running water or
through several changes of water. Lift fruits and vegetables out of the water
so the dirt will not resettle on the food. Do not let fruits or vegetables soak,
as they may lose flavor and food value. Peel and cut or slice produce as
indicated in instructions for each specific fruit or vegetable.

Fruits and vegetables may be packed raw into jars, or preheated and packed
hot. Raw or cold pack means that raw, unheated food is placed in jars and
covered with boiling hot sirup, juice, or water. When foods are hot packed
they are heated in sirup, water or steam, or juice for a specified length of
time and then packed hot into jars.

Most raw fruits and vegetables can be packed fairly tightly into containers
because they cook down during processing. However, raw corn, lima beans,
and peas should be packed loosely because they expand during processing.

Hot food should be packed fairly loosely. It should be at or near the boiling
temperature when packed. There should be enough sirup, water, or juice to
fill in around the solid food in the container and to cover the food. Food at
the top of the container may darken if not covered with liquid.

Do not overpack containers as this may result in underprocessing. It is

necessary to leave headspace between the lid and the top of the food or
liquid in the jar because there will be some expansion of food during
processing. The amount of headspace varies with the product, style of pack,
and method of heat sterilization, so follow directions for each fruit or
vegetable.

When using the flat metal lid with sealing compound, put the lid on a clean
jar rim, with sealing compound next to the glass. Then screw the metal
band down firmly. The lid will still have enough “give” to let steam escape
during processing. Do not tighten the band further after removing the jar
from the canner.

When using the porcelain-lined zinc cap, fit the wet rubber ring down on the
jar shoulder. Fill the jar and wipe clean the rubber ring and jar rim. Screw
the cap down firmly and turn back ¼ inch. When the jar is removed from
the canner, tighten the cap to complete the seal.

331

Processing Fruits
Sugar or sugar-water sirup is often added to fruits to help them hold their
shape, color, and flavor. Sugar can be added in the dry form to very juicy
fruits.
To make sugar sirup—mix sugar with water or juice extracted from the fruit.
Proportions for 3 types of sirup are as follows:

Type of Sirup Sugar (cups) Liquid (cups)

Thin 2 4
Medium 3 4
Heavy 4¾ 4

Heat sugar and water or juice together until sugar is dissolved.

Fruit may be canned without sweetening—in its own juice or in water—for

special diets. Processing time is the same for unsweetened fruit as for
sweetened because sugar is not needed to prevent spoilage.

Process fruits by the boiling-water-bath method. Work only with the quantity
of food needed for one canner load at one time.

As each jar is filled, adjust the lid, and place the jar on the rack in the
water-bath canner about one-half full of hot or boiling water for raw or hot
pack, respectively. Be sure the water is 1 to 2 inches over the tops of the
jars, and there is an additional 1- to 2-inch space to allow the water to boil
freely.

Cover the canner and when the water comes to a rolling boil, start to count
the processing time. Boil gently and steadily for the recommended time for
the fruit you are canning. A definite length of time is recommended for
processing each kind of fruit.

When the processing time is completed, immediately remove the jars from
the canner with a pair of jar tongs. Adjust the jar lids if necessary. Cool the
jars on a rack or folded towel away from drafts.
Hot packing peaches.
 Covering peaches with a boiling sirup solution.

Processing Vegetables
A steam-pressure canner must be used for processing all vegetables except
tomatoes and pickled vegetables. Work only with the quantity of vegetable
needed for one canner load at a time. As each jar is filled, adjust the lid,
and place the jar in the pressure canner containing 2 to 3 inches of hot or
boiling water for raw or hot pack, respectively, to keep food hot.

The manufacturer’s directions for general operation of the canner 332

you are using should be followed. A few pointers on the use of any
canner follow:

—Use 2 to 3 inches of boiling water in the bottom of the canner.

—Set filled containers on rack in canner.

—Fasten canner cover securely.

—Allow steam to escape from open petcock or weighted gage opening for at
least 10 minutes to drive all air from canner. Then close petcock or put on
weighted gage.

—When pressure reaches 10 pounds (240° F), start counting processing

time. Keep pressure constant by regulating heat under the canner.

—When processing time is completed, remove the canner from heat

immediately. Cool undisturbed at room temperature until the pressure
registers zero. After a minute or two, slowly open the petcock or remove the
weighted gage. Unfasten the cover and tilt the far side up so steam escapes
away from you.

—Remove containers from canner with jar tongs.

—Adjust lids if necessary.

—Cool jars on a rack or folded towel away from drafts.

Cooling snap beans on a rack. Leave space between jars so air can circulate.

Day-After Check
Jars should be examined after they have cooled, but within 24 hours after
processing, to be sure a seal has been obtained. To test a jar that has a flat
metal lid, press the center of the lid; if the lid is down and will not move, it
is sealed. Turn jars with porcelain-lined zinc caps partly over in your hands;
if they do not leak, they are sealed.

When jars are thoroughly cooled, metal screw bands should be carefully
removed. Wipe outside of jars clean, and label jars to show date and
contents. Store in cool dry place. If you find a jar that did not seal, use food
right away or re-can the food immediately; empty the jar, pack and process
the food as if it were fresh.

Look for Spoilage

Check dates on jar labels to be sure you first use food that has the earliest
processing date. Before opening any jar for use, look at it carefully for
spoilage signs. If it leaks, has a bulging lid, spurts liquid when opened, or
has an off-odor or mold, then do not use it. Do not even taste it. Destroy it
out of the reach of children and pets.

Canned vegetables may contain the toxin that causes botulism without
showing any visible signs of spoilage. Therefore, boil all home-canned
vegetables covered for at least 10 minutes before tasting or serving. Heating
generally makes any odor of spoilage more evident.

If the food appears to be spoiled, foams, or has an off-odor during heating,

destroy it.

333
[8]
How to Can Cut Green Beans
1. Select green beans:
Choose young, tender beans
Allow 1½ to 2½ pounds of fresh beans for each quart to be canned
2. Prepare green beans:
Wash beans
Trim ends
Cut into 1-inch pieces
3. Pack into jars:
To pack raw—
Pack raw beans tightly into jar
Leave ½-inch space at top of jar
Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints; 1 teaspoon to quarts
Cover with boiling water to ½ inch from top of jar
Wipe jar rim clean
Adjust jar lid
Process in pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure (240° F)
Pints—20 minutes
Quarts—25 minutes
(At altitudes above sea level, increase pressure according to instructions
in early part of chapter)
To pack hot—
Cover cut beans with boiling water; boil 5 minutes
Pack hot beans loosely into jar to ½ inch of top
Leave ½-inch space at top of jar
Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints; 1 teaspoon to quarts
Cover with boiling water to ½ inch from top of jar
Wipe jar rim clean
Adjust jar lid
Process in pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure (240° F)
Pints—20 minutes
Quarts—25 minutes
(At altitudes above sea level, increase pressure according to instructions
given earlier)
4. Allow pressure to return to 0
5. Remove jars from canner
6. Complete seals, if necessary
 [9]
How to Can Peaches
1. Select peaches:
Choose fresh, firm, ripe fruit, with no soft spots or bruises
Allow 2 to 3 pounds of fresh peaches for each quart to be canned
2. Prepare peaches:
Wash peaches
Dip in boiling water; then in cold water
Slip off skins
Cut in halves and remove pits. Slice if desired
3. Prevent darkening:
Drop peeled peaches into solution of 2 tablespoons each of salt and
vinegar per gallon of water
Drain just before heating or packing raw
4. Pack into jars:
To pack raw—
Pack raw peaches in jar to ½ inch of top
Cover with boiling sirup (See sirup table)
Leave ½-inch space at top of jar
Wipe jar rim clean
Adjust jar lid
Process in boiling-water bath—
Pints—25 minutes
Quarts—30 minutes
(At altitudes above sea level, increase processing time according to
table near start of chapter)
To pack hot—
Heat peaches through in hot sirup (See sirup table). If fruit is very juicy,
heat it with sugar, adding no liquid
Pack hot fruit in jar to ½ inch of top
Cover with boiling sirup
Leave ½-inch space at top of jar
Wipe jar rim clean
Adjust jar lid
Process in boiling-water bath—
Pints—20 minutes
Quarts—25 minutes
(At altitudes above sea level, increase processing time according to
table near start of chapter)
5. Remove jars from canner
6. Complete seals, if necessary

334
Freezing Your Garden’s Harvest

[10]
by Annetta Cook

The growing season brings an abundance of fruits and vegetables freshly

harvested from your garden. The unmatchable sweetness of peas cooked
fresh from the pods, the tender-crisp texture of fresh broccoli, the
delectable flavor of sweet juicy strawberries are irresistible. It is always a
disappointment when the growing season is over. You may have more
produce than you were able to use within a short time, so why not savor its
just-picked freshness during the autumn and winter months—freeze it!

Of all the methods of home food preservation, freezing is one of the

simplest and least time-consuming. The natural colors, fresh flavors, and
nutritive value of most fruits and vegetables are maintained well by freezing.
However, to freeze foods successfully—that is, to preserve their quality—
produce must be carefully selected, prepared and packaged, and properly
frozen. Be sure to use reliable home-freezing directions such as those found
in U.S. Department of Agriculture publications. Unless recommended
practices and procedures are observed, the food’s eating quality will be a
disappointment.

The first consideration before deciding whether to freeze the garden’s

harvest is whether your freezer can maintain temperatures low enough to
preserve quality of the food during freezer storage. Storage temperatures
must be 0° F (-18° C) or below to help prevent unfavorable changes in the
food, including growth of bacteria. The temperature control of your freezer
should be adjusted so the warmest spot in the freezer will always be at 0° F
or lower. Freezers and most two-door refrigerator-freezer combinations are
best suited for long storage of home-frozen fruits and vegetables since they
can be set to maintain this temperature.

Proper preparation of produce is also important to insure high eating quality

of frozen vegetables and fruits. Vegetables, except green peppers and
mature onions, maintain better quality during freezer storage if blanched, or
heated briefly, before freezing.

Blanching is necessary to prevent development of off-flavors, discoloration,

and toughness in frozen vegetables. Besides stopping or slowing down the
action of enzymes responsible for these undesirable changes, blanching also
softens the vegetable, making it easier to pack into containers for freezing.

Fruit does not need to be blanched before freezing. However, most fruits
require packing in sugar or sirup to prevent undesirable flavor and texture
changes in the frozen product. Sugar, either alone or as part of the sirup,
plus the acidity of fruit retards enzyme activity in fruit stored at 0° F or
below.

Packaging Material
Material selected for packaging fruits and vegetables for freezing must be
moisture-vapor-proof or moisture-vapor-resistant to keep the food from
drying out and from absorbing odors from other foods in the freezer. Loss of
moisture from the food causes small white areas called “freezer burn” to
develop. These areas are not harmful, but if extensive they can cause the
food to become tough and lose flavor.

Suitable packaging materials include rigid plastic food containers, 335

plastic freezer bags, heavy aluminum foil, freezer paper or plastic
film, glass freezer jars, and waxed freezer cartons. Collapsible, cardboard
freezer boxes are frequently used as an outer covering for plastic bags to
protect them against tearing.

Select packaging materials suiting the shape, size, and consistency of the
food. Rigid containers are suited for freezing all foods, but are especially
good for fruit packed in liquid. Non-rigid containers are best for fruits and
vegetables packed without liquid. Paper, plastic, or foil wraps are ideal for
freezing bulky vegetables such as broccoli, corn on the cob, and asparagus.

Rigid containers with straight sides and flat bottoms and tops stack well in
the freezer. They take up less freezer space than rounded containers,
containers with flared sides, and bulky, wrapped packages or plastic bags
without protective outer cartons. Containers with straight sides or those that
are flared, having wider tops than bottoms, are preferred for easy removal
of the food before thawing. If the opening is narrower than the body of the
container, the food will have to be partially thawed so you can get it out of
the container.

Freezer containers and bags are available in a variety of sizes. Do not use
those with more than ½-gallon capacity for freezing fruits and vegetables
since the food will freeze too slowly, causing poor quality food.

Choose a container that will hold enough food for one meal for your family.
You may wish to put up a few smaller packages for use when some family
members are not home or to go with your family-size packages when guests
are present for meals.

Pack foods tightly into containers. Since most foods expand during freezing,
leave headspace between the packed food and closure.

For fruits that are in liquid, pureed, or crushed and packed in containers
with wide openings, leave ½-inch headspace for pints, 1-inch headspace for
quarts. If containers with narrow openings are used, leave ¾-inch
headspace for pints, 1½-inch headspace for quarts.

For fruits and vegetables packed without liquid, leave ½-inch headspace for
all types of containers. Vegetables that pack loosely, such as asparagus and
broccoli, require no headspace.

Any container for freezer use must be capable of a tight seal. Rigid
containers should have an airtight-fitting lid.

Press out all air from the unfilled parts of plastic bags. Immediately twist the
top of each bag and securely tie it with a paper- or plastic-covered wire
twist strip, rubber band, or string to prevent return of air to the bag.

Some bags may be heat-sealed with special equipment available on the

market. Follow the manufacturer’s directions.

Edges and ends of paper, foil, or plastic wraps should be folded over several
times so the wrap lies directly on top of the food and all air has been
pressed out of the package. Seal the ends with freezer tape to hold them
securely in place.
Selecting and Preparing
Grow varieties of fruits and vegetables that freeze well. Your county
Extension office can provide information on suitable varieties that grow well
in your locality.

Produce selected for freezing should be of optimum eating quality. Freezing

only preserves the quality of produce as it is at the time of freezing. It never
improves quality.

Fruits to be frozen should be firm and ripe. Underripe fruit may have a bitter
or off-flavor after freezing. Pick berries when ripe and freeze them as soon
after picking as you can. Some fruits—apples, peaches, pears—may 336
need to ripen further after harvesting. But take care they don’t get
too ripe. Frozen fruit prepared from overripe fruit will lack flavor and have a
mushy texture.

Choose young, tender vegetables for freezing. Since vegetables lose quality
quickly after harvest, freeze them as soon as possible for maximum quality.
The sugar in corn, peas, and lima beans is rapidly lost when held too long
before freezing. If you must hold vegetables and ripe fruits for a short while,
refrigeration will help retain the just-picked freshness better than leaving
produce at room temperature.

Wash small quantities of fruit gently in cold water. Do not permit fruit to
stand in water for any length of time since it will become water-soaked and
lose flavor and food value. Drain fruit thoroughly.

Peel fruit and remove pits or seeds. Halve, slice, chop, crush, or puree fruit
as indicated in the instructions for each specific fruit. Some fruit, especially
berries, may be left whole, but remove stems or hulls. Work with small
quantities of fruit at a time, particularly if it is fruit that darkens rapidly. Two
to three quarts is an adequate amount to handle at one time.

Pack fruit by sirup pack, sugar pack, or unsweetened pack. Most fruit has
better texture and flavor with a sweetened pack. Apples, avocados, berries,
grapes, peaches, persimmons, and plums can all be frozen satisfactorily
without sweetening, but the quality is not quite as good as freezing in sirup
or sugar. An unsweetened pack will give as good a quality product for
gooseberries, currants, cranberries, rhubarb, and figs as a sweetened pack.
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