| Term | Definition |
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| Fermented Pickles | Vegetables, usually cucumbers, that are submerged in a salt-water brine to ferment or cure for up to 6 weeks. Dill, garlic and other herbs and spices are often added to the brine for flavoring. Fermented pickles are also called "brined pickles."
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| Fingertip-Tight | The degree to which screw bands are properly applied to fresh preserving jars. Use your fingers to screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight. Do not use a utensil or the full force of your hand to over-tighten bands.
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| Firming Agent | See crisping agent.
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| Food Poisoning | Any illness caused by the consumption of harmful bacteria and their toxins. The symptoms are usually gastrointestinal.
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| Fresh Preserving | A modern term used to describe the process of preserving fresh produce and freshly prepared foods in glass preserving jars with lids and bands in the presence of heat to destroy microorganisms that cause spoilage. This term is synonymous with home canning.
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| Fresh-Pack Pickles | Cucumbers that are preserved in a spicy vinegar solution without fermenting, although they are frequently brined for several hours or overnight. All fresh-pack pickles should stand for 4 to 6 weeks after processing to cure and develop optimal flavor.
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| Fruit Butter | A soft spread made by slowly cooking fruit pulp and sugar to a consistency thick enough to mound on a spoon and spread easily. Spices may be added.
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| Fruit Pickle | Fruit, usually whole, that is simmered in a spicy, sweet-sour syrup until it becomes tender or transparent.
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| Funnel | A plastic utensil that is placed in the mouth of a fresh preserving jar to allow for easy pouring of a food product into the jar. Funnels help prevent spillage and waste.
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| Gasket | A rubber ring that sits along the inside circumference of a pressure canner lid and comes in contact with the base when locked into place. The gasket provides a seal between the lid and the base so steam cannot escape.
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| Gel Stage | The point at which a soft spread becomes a full gel. The gelling point is 220F (104C), or 8F (4C) above the boiling point of water.
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| Gelling Agent | Any substance that acts to form a gel-like structure by binding liquid.
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| Headspace | The unfilled space in a fresh preserving jar between the top of the food or liquid and the underside of the lid. The correct amount of headspace is essential to allow for food expansion as the jars are heated and for the formation of a strong vacuum seal as jars cool.
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| Heat Penetration/Heat Processing | See processing.
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| Hermetic Seal | A seal that secures a food product against the entry of microorganisms and maintains commercial sterility.
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