Ducks4you 2021 Ragtag Thread

[ducks4you]

@heirloomgal ,
Let me answer your questions.

Were the jars only washed in the sink, or do you have to sterilize them first in boiling water?
I wash, thoroughly dry and put my jars away for storage with lids and screwtops. Sometimes, eSPECIALLY if I am taking produce that I froze in the summer and canning in the winter--can you say, "grape jelly?"--I will boil water in the kettle and pour into my jars to warm them up in the sink right before I fill them. Up to You.
Were the chopped tomatoes cooked for long before being put in the jars?
I want my produce to be as close to as hot as the boiling water in my canner. If they are boiling, I am satisfied.
Do you need to sterilize the spoon for pushing out the bubbles?
You could, if you don't trust your spoon (or knife, as is often recommended) is clean enough. AGAIN, boil water in your kettle for these uses.
What is 'finger tight'?
As tight as you can turn them WITHOUT wrenching for just a little tighter. Air HAS to escape from the jars for them to seal. I have a tool that I THOUGHT was supposed to tighten the screw lids, and when using it I have, in the past, buckled my lids and created bad seals and lost produce. NOW, I use it if I need to get a screw top OFF.
What does 'stage them next it' mean? I'm lost after this point. What did you do with the jars and that pot of boiling water, put them in to sit on the bottom?
When you mention the stovetop being hot so not likely to crack (the jars I think), do you mean the jars are hot sitting on the hot stovetop? (you and I have the same type of glass top stove)
The whole glass stove is very hot. Since the jars will start cooling after you fill them, I like putting them close to the canner so that they remain hot. It's just my habit. Some people wouldn't think this necessary.
Canners come with a rack that both separates the jars so that they don't knock into each other while boiling and keeps their bottoms off of the very bottom of the canner where the canner is the hottest. It's all to cradle your jars.
BTW, I have 2 of these,

but I would recommend This canner,
if you haven't already bought one.

 

[ducks4you]

I have been hot water bath canning for over 20 years. In that time I have had ONE jar of tomatoes go bad.
You can ALWAYS tell--you pop off the lid and it smells like you canned it yesterday.
Or, the lid will buckle, and it smells bad.
DON'T be afraid, just jump in and do it.
AGAIN, I would recommend that you use pints first bc you can easily cover them with a couple of inches of water while boiling.
Do yourself a favor, and DON'T open any jars for several months. By that time, if you didn't get a seal if will really smell bad and you won't WANT to eat it.
I think people that get sick for bad canning open their jars maybe a week later. IF the seal wasn't good, you could have bacteria working on it and not really notice.
Remember, people have been home canning for a VERY long time.
I suspect that next year canners may in short supply.
Today, I am buying more lids. I have PLENTY of jars. Over the years many people have cleaned out their pantry's basements and couldn't bear to throw away the jars, so they have given them to me.
I truly appreciate this.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'll copy a link to what the CDC has to say about home canning and botulism. It's designed to scare you into following proper techniques. Botulism can be serious when it hits so I try to follow approved recipes, my kids and grandkids eat some of what I can. But the reality is that reported cases of botulism from canning are pretty rare. To me they are surprisingly rare as I'm convinced many people don't use approved techniques or recipes. I know of some people that water bath can some low acid foods, for example. If you do it right you will be OK.

Home Canning and Botulism

Home canning is an excellent way to preserve garden produce, but it can be risky—or even deadly—if not done correctly.

www.cdc.gov

There are little tricks we learn as we go along or maybe just develop our own systems or ways to do things. If a jar doesn't seal you'll know it. The lid "pops" when you push it. It should remain in the down position, held there by the vacuum. The way I further check the seal is that the day after I can, I remove the ring (you need to remove rings for storage so it doesn't rust on anyway) and wash the jar in hot soapy water. That removes any produce or residue that might be on the jar, sometimes they can be sticky. I'm not gentle when I do that but apply some pressure with the wash rag as I try to twist the lid itself off. I'm not really trying to twist the lid off but I apply enough pressure to make sure the threads are clean. I've never had a lid come off that I didn't already know it wasn't sealed but I feel a lot better about how well it has sealed.

When I can "solid" food like corn, green beans, or soup I measure how much I want, usually enough for 18 pints or 7 quarts since that's what my canner holds when pressure canning. When I'm filling the jars I use a slotted spoon to get the right amount of solids in each jar, then fill up to the air gap with the liquid.

When I'm filling a jar an essential piece of equipment is a soup spoon. Sometimes I overfill so I need to remove a little liquid. Or when I release the air bubbles I often need to add more liquid. Sometimes that soup spoon is more handy for that than the ladle.

This doesn't really apply to canning. Several years back we cut some 100% cotton tee shirts into rags that we use in the kitchen in place of paper towels. We wash them along with the kitchen linens. That's what I use to wipe the threads and top of the jar down before adding lids and rings. Rinse them out as you go, they can get dirty, but they don't shred.

As long as you can cover the jars with an inch of water, you can use a pressure canner to water bath can. With my canner I can pressure can 18 pints at a time but can only water bath can 9 pints. Either way it's good for 7 quarts.

When you finish pressure canning do not release the pressure, let it cool off on its own. Do not put cool or cold water on the canner to hurry it along. It needs to gradually cool down so you get a good seal without the product bubbling out.

You need to adjust your processing times if your altitude above sea level is more than 1,000 feet. The higher you are the thinner your air so water boils at a lower temperature. This chart may be helpful.

Altitude Adjustments for Home Canning

There are many guidelines to follow when canning, an important one often overlooked is checking one’s need to adjust for altitude.

extension.sdstate.edu

That's enough for this morning. If we haven't scared you off we'll be glad to answer any questions.

 

[ducks4you]

Ridgerunner is a Garden Master AND a canning master.
Seriously, the first time you make grape jelly, you WILL be hooked! Especially when you look at the price of it in the stores!!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Just because I like photos and you mentioned jelly I'll include these. First was my 2015 Christmas gift to people I actually liked. That may be hard to read so the top is a Chutney. Top row, left to right, is Mulberry Jelly, Margarita Jelly, Strawberry Jam. Mixed Fruit, Apple Jelly, and Sweet Pepper Jam. Bottom row is Pear Jam, Blueberry Jam, Mimosa Jelly, Mint Jelly, Grape Jelly, and Peach Jam.

Then my 2017 gift to the same people. If you look closely you can see some differences. Top row was Pear Jam, Purple Hull Jelly, Peach Jam, Dandelion Jelly, Plum Jam, and Mulberry/Dandelion Jelly. Bottom row was Blueberry Jam, Peach Jelly, Blackberry Jelly, Apple Jelly, Grape Jelly, Sweet Pepper Jam, and Chutney.

 

[Zeedman]

Today, I am buying more lids. I have PLENTY of jars. Over the years many people have cleaned out their pantry's basements and couldn't bear to throw away the jars, so they have given them to me.
I truly appreciate this.

That is my situation also. Besides all of the jars we already had, a neighbor inherited a lot of jars (in various condition) and offered them to us. Only a few had to be discarded, either for a chipped rim, or for something we couldn't easily clean out. THEN the lid shortage forced us to buy several cases of new jars, just to get the lids. The family always returns jars to us to re-use; so barring catastrophe, the jars we have will probably last our lifetimes. Two orders of lids finally came in (just in time for the apple harvest) so we're good for next year... but I will buy more over the winter, when peak canning season is over. I was able to order Ball lids through a hardware store, of all places.

To the canning discussion, I would only add a couple comments. I generally sterilize the jars I will need in the canner, prior to filling them. Sometimes I find that a batch produced more than expected, and need another jar or two. When that happens, I put about 1/2" of purified water (from the R/O system) into the jar, place an inverted bowl over it, and microwave it. The microwave has an 'auto reheat' function, which will shut off when the water boils... I set the temp to 'high' after that, and boil the water for at least another 60 seconds. The steam will quickly sanitize the inside of the jar. The same could be accomplished by timed cooking, if the water is allowed to boil long enough for the steam to do its work.

I remember my Grandparents doing water-bath canning with paraffin. Canning spoilage was probably more commonplace then than it was now; but they were experienced, and never had problems. They purified & re-cycled the paraffin year after year. I was surprised to see that paraffin is still being sold in some canning sections. It would be ironic (and tragic) if the canning lid supply became so unreliable, that we were forced to revert to using paraffin as our more self-reliant ancestors did.

 

[jbosmith]

I also remember paraffin and I remember little drops of it mixing in with the top of the jelly... I second the idea that we not go back to that, though I have a sterno burner and a little block of paraffin sitting around for nostalgia's sake.

I have a family member who was a Y2K prepper and when TS didn't HTF he gave me most of a pallet of canning jars and cases of lids. I was living in an apartment and gave away all but a sane number of jars but kept the lids. I finally ran out last year. Last year, of all years! I found a few more boxes since but, in the meantime, I ordered the ones from Uline and have had no problem with them. They look like the unbranded ones that you get from Golden Harvest in Canada and it wouldn't surprise me to find out that they're the same.

For what it's worth, unused Ball lids from 1997-1999 still seal as good as new, though I don't think they're BPA free.

 

[jbosmith]

Is there any possibility for an explosion with a pressure canner?

There's videos online of all the fail safes on canners and it's amazing how well thought out they are. I use a Presto 23 quart canner with a weight so that I don't have to get the dial calibrated all the time.

If the hole with the weight gets clogged, there's a rubber button thing on top that pops out to release excessive pressure.

If you manage to cover both (which I think you'd have to do on purpose), the lid seal fails at a slightly higher yet pressure and vents all of the steam straight down, rather than out. It'll probably ruin the seal but they're cheap to replace.

If you manage to get to pressures even higher than that (freak welding accident?), there's a round ring in the base that you only notice if you go looking for it. That'll blow out, likely violently enough to damage the stove, but will keep the canner from exploding.

You definitely need to respect pressure canners enough to make sure you're following proper procedures, but mostly so that you don't ruin your food and equipment. Your kitchen won't becoming a smoking crater or anything.

 

[heirloomgal]

Thanks so much everybody!! This is SO great!!



I am definitely going to have to read this a number of times to fully grasp it all and have it sink in! Intimidation is my main obstacle to overcome! But going diving into the facts & information always help me get my leg over the fence so to speak. Having experienced people share their tips and methods REALLY helps. So, looks like the Ball Canning Book comes highly recommended, I'll have to get a copy. The great thing is I can come back on this thread and re-read what I need to even in the midst of canning. I hesitated for years getting on any social media but boy am I glad that I did. I can't believe how much I can learn on this site, it's amazing!

Honestly, I'm totally embarrassed that I am a gardener, and I don't know how to can. It's a darn shame, and I'm sure I would have been able to preserve so much more if I had had canning skills. I just froze and dried everything I could. Sometimes, even when I did that, I threw stuff out. Even with well-timed blanching, textures for anything but tomatoes & berries were off.

Feeling so empowered right now

 

[heirloomgal]

Just because I like photos and you mentioned jelly I'll include these. First was my 2015 Christmas gift to people I actually liked. That may be hard to read so the top is a Chutney. Top row, left to right, is Mulberry Jelly, Margarita Jelly, Strawberry Jam. Mixed Fruit, Apple Jelly, and Sweet Pepper Jam. Bottom row is Pear Jam, Blueberry Jam, Mimosa Jelly, Mint Jelly, Grape Jelly, and Peach Jam.

View attachment 44200

Then my 2017 gift to the same people. If you look closely you can see some differences. Top row was Pear Jam, Purple Hull Jelly, Peach Jam, Dandelion Jelly, Plum Jam, and Mulberry/Dandelion Jelly. Bottom row was Blueberry Jam, Peach Jelly, Blackberry Jelly, Apple Jelly, Grape Jelly, Sweet Pepper Jam, and Chutney.


View attachment 44201

Wow @Ridgerunner , this is incredible! What a remarkable amount of variety in jams and jellies! I'm very curious to know what does Dandelion Jelly taste like? I've never heard of Mimosa, Purple Hull Jelly - what are those? What a wonderful skill to be able to do this. Dreams.

At one time, I was an inveterate chutney maker. Date and raisin, coconut & coriander, spiced plum, tamarind. I dabbled with tomato chutney. I'm curious to know what kind you've got there.