| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| SunshineDoc |
Posted - Sep 18 2010 : 1:09:59 PM
Hi Farmgirls ~ I've chatted with some of you through my original entry(Mindful Eating) in the Staying in Touch section. I'm trying a different venue, here, because I have a perplexing question I hope some one or another of you have experience with.
I can. A lot. And have for a long time. For the past several years I've loved using my (relatively) new steam canner in the place of the old water-bath - with its weight, bulk and hassle. I've never had trouble - and have pumped out many quarts and pints of canned tomatoes, fruits, sauces --
Then - last year I started have problems with jars breaking. Not in an impressive explosive sort of way, but - just - the bottoms fall right out when I pick up the jars to stow them away!
Which means fruit, tomatoes, you name it -- all over the floor with glass shards.
Yuck.
Many times yuck.
This year - happening again. Not often - maybe one quart out of five in the canner. But -- what might be happening? Any experience out there with this?
I thought it was the new jars I got - and swore off both BiMart and Ball since the sales clerk was so nasty when I tried to return the batch. But - this year it's Kerr and jars I didn't have trouble with last year.
HELP! Any thoughts at all would be most welcome!
Being mindful is a way of life - and health.
Mary Ann Wallace, MD
www.maryannwallace.com |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| batznthebelfry |
Posted - Feb 01 2011 : 10:20:29 PM
I was taught years ago to put a washcloth on the bottom of the canner even with the pressure ones before I put the jars in. it has always worked for me & I have never had a broken jar yet....Michele'
The Old Batz Farm |
| deemc54 |
Posted - Jan 18 2011 : 8:10:13 PM
I also have had jars break in the last few years. And I always use "real" canning jars - Ball and Kerr. There is another one that Dollar General makes that I use too. I do not use any old mayonaise jars that used to fit the canning lids. I try to always follow the rules. My pressure canner has a gauge on it. I find that this is the most difficult- to keep it at 10 lbs. of pressure. Maybe I have let it fluctuate and that was the cause of my jar breaking. The thing that agitated me the most was all the work that I put into that jar of broken produce- all the cutting up of the vegetables. I think it was the squash pickles that I made that the jar broke this summer. |
| SunshineDoc |
Posted - Jan 14 2011 : 11:04:38 AM
OK -- I've gone back and forth on whether to write this response, because I incredibly much don't want to discourage anybody from canning --- but - for the sake of doing the right thing,
I feel like I should again caution: botulism which is the main "bad player" in home canned products pumps out toxins anaerobically while in the jar. No amount of boiling will get rid of the toxins, once produced, because they are an inert protein - not a living substance. So - although boiling will kill organisms that may have squeaked their way in, it will not compensate for food that was improperly canned to start with in terms of this one.
I agree with Sheri, though - that home canning is a great way to go. We've purchased minimal fruits and veggies for the past --- long time (years) - because we put up so much stuff. And it's so great to have! So -- I hope this cautionary note is taken as simply a suggestion that nothing replaces doing it right to start with.
Being mindful is a way of life - and health.
Mary Ann Wallace, MD
www.maryannwallace.com |
| Sheep Mom 2 |
Posted - Jan 10 2011 : 09:50:44 AM
I use the pressure canner for everything except jam/jellies and fruit. I even do my applesauce in the pressure canner since I have had issues with the hot water method in the past with jars going bad. I can't say that the hot water method isn't ok for applesauce, just that after years of doing it in the water bath all of a sudden, two years running I had mega spoilage probs which I have not had since I started pressure canning the applesauce. I always pressure can my tomatoes as it takes less time and I know for sure they are safe. Even so - always boil canned vegies in an open kettle for 5 min. before tasting to be safe according to all the instructions from the County Extension office. I have been canning for 30+ years and as long as care and common sense are used and instructions followed, home canning is a great way to go.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran |
| HookAngel |
Posted - Jan 10 2011 : 08:11:34 AM
wow. lots of good info here on canning! Thanks for this post full of information. |
| SunshineDoc |
Posted - Dec 01 2010 : 10:17:48 AM
Laughing, Sunny ~ OK, in my new-found position of expertise based on the long string of helpful comments from so many true experts - here's the scoop.
Only use a water bath canner for high acid things - tomatoes (and even then, add vinegar to be sure); fruit. Any vegetable other than tomatoes really does need the extra heat generated by the pressure in a pressure canner. (Physics: Boyles law - pressure in a closed container increases the temperature).
My "doc-voice" really does need to caution: botulism is a really, really nasty player - and is the number one prob with home canned stuff done improperly. It's an anaerobic bacteria, meaning it thrives in places without air. If not killed by enough heat - it just sits in those cans happy as can be, pumping out toxin in its general environment. A very small amount ingested causes huge trouble. Paralysis. Death. You know - stuff other people make a lot of money off of by making it into movies.
But I digress. Hopefully I answered the original question. :)
Being mindful is a way of life - and health.
Mary Ann Wallace, MD
www.maryannwallace.com |
| MTNSunshine |
Posted - Dec 01 2010 : 09:39:10 AM
Such great info! So in your opinion what is safer? The pressure canner or the water bath canning method?
Proud FarmGirl #914 ;o) |
| SunshineDoc |
Posted - Oct 18 2010 : 09:28:19 AM
Hi Paula - welcome! Yes, I have noticed which jars break - and that was part of the confusion because only the NEW jars were breaking! In the 25+ years I've been canning - I've only had this start to happen in the last two years. So I wasn't sure what was going on. But - after this string of helpful comments, I'm aware there is a whole composite of sloppy little things I've gotten by with -- which I guess the newer material of these more recent jars just couldn't withstand.
And Angie - yes - this is one of the several "sloppy little things" I admit I've slipped into. Being in a bit of a hurry and not waiting for jars to be really hot before I use them. :)
Busted! LOL In more ways than one, I guess.
Cheers, All -
Being mindful is a way of life - and health.
Mary Ann Wallace, MD
www.maryannwallace.com |
| Cherime |
Posted - Oct 18 2010 : 06:33:10 AM
The only thing I reuse lids for is when I use a jar to hold something that I want to keep dust out of, NOT for sealing/canning purposes.
CMF |
| levisgrammy |
Posted - Oct 18 2010 : 06:12:50 AM
Angie, I have never re used them. It never crossed my mind that it was an option. :)
farmgirl sister#43
O, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it!
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,
But only--how did you take it?
--Edmund C. Vance.
|
| dandylee |
Posted - Oct 17 2010 : 8:05:47 PM
I do lots of pressure canning every year. Usually I get a few jars that do this. I believe through talking with more experienced ladies that the reason for this is weak/old jars. Jars do not last forever, the glass loses its strength or time from being clanked around, your going to get tiny unnoticable fractures in the glass. Try sorting your old jars and your new jars that you buy each year and see which ones you have problems with.
Dairy farm raised bon-a-fide Farmgirl
#2195 |
| emsmommy5 |
Posted - Oct 17 2010 : 7:51:20 PM
Because you DO reuse them... or haven't thought about reusing them??? =)
Do what you love, love what you do. |
| levisgrammy |
Posted - Oct 17 2010 : 12:13:15 PM
I have never even given thought to re using my lids.
farmgirl sister#43
O, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it!
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,
But only--how did you take it?
--Edmund C. Vance.
|
| emsmommy5 |
Posted - Oct 17 2010 : 11:59:27 AM
The time I have had jars break was when getting in a hurry and putting cold pack bottles into a hot canner. If I take the extra few minutes to make sure the bottles are warm, then things seem to do ok. Out of probably 50+ dozen jars this season, I've only lost 3 to breakage and maybe 10 to not sealing.
If I am using older or reusing lids, I boil them for 15 minutes and then recheck for softness of the gasket. I don't reuse lids from pressure canning and don't can with used lids in the pressure canner. And yes, I know some people will have a fit about reusing lids... just have to be careful and inspect well and know when to chuck them in the recylcing. I also reuse those lids to seal jars with the vaccuum packer.
Do what you love, love what you do. |
| SunshineDoc |
Posted - Oct 17 2010 : 10:55:42 AM
I was just thinking about this post yesterday. I have, since this round of good advice done a LOT of canning - using only newish lids; using my old tried'n'true wooden chopstick to remove bubbles, leaving plenty of space in the head, and reverting back to a water bath. All jars sealed. No undue messy incidents.
So - some combination of all these good tips made the difference.
Beautiful!
And now have a pantry full of canned tomotatoes; tomato sauce; tomato pickle; zucchini pickles of a variety of sorts; cherry relish; canned cherries; canned grapes -- etc etc. Lovin' it.
Being mindful is a way of life - and health.
Mary Ann Wallace, MD
www.maryannwallace.com |
| levisgrammy |
Posted - Oct 17 2010 : 05:38:41 AM
I never heard of using a knife to get the air bubbles out. When I purchased my equipment many years ago I also purchased a long plastic flat utensil for just this purpose. My mom showed me how to can and never mentioned about not using a knife. hmmm. Maybe because she didn't use one. :)
farmgirl sister#43
O, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce,
Or a trouble is what you make it!
And it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts,
But only--how did you take it?
--Edmund C. Vance.
|
| SunshineDoc |
Posted - Sep 20 2010 : 10:01:09 AM
Yes - it all continues to make sense. I did notice, too, that the jars that didn't seal the most were a batch of pickles in which I tried just a little too hard to squeeze just a little too much more in. I wondered about that.
All of this -- confirming and so helpful. I smile. Who needs Google with Farmgirls around?
:)
Being mindful is a way of life - and health.
Mary Ann Wallace, MD
www.maryannwallace.com |
| Cherime |
Posted - Sep 20 2010 : 08:36:03 AM
Just watched If Walls Could Talk on HGTV and they were showing an old home where the metal jar lids had rusted off allowing the animals to get at the stuff inside but the old jars themselves were undamaged. Jars do experience a lot of wear and tear and it is probably best to not be thumping about in them with metal implements.
CMF |
| Betty J. |
Posted - Sep 20 2010 : 08:23:34 AM
Mary Ann, I've found that when pressure canning, filling the jars a little too full have caused the liquid in the jars to pressure out and they are the ones that don't seal because the "juice" has worked its way between the seal and the clean jar rim. I usually use a damp clean cloth to clean the rim before I put the lid on. Hope this makes sense!
Betty in Pasco |
| SunshineDoc |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 5:02:33 PM
Thank you Sheri -- thank you! I think I'll toss the bunch of them. Very helpful!
Your southerly neighbor,
Being mindful is a way of life - and health.
Mary Ann Wallace, MD
www.maryannwallace.com |
| Sheep Mom 2 |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 4:10:32 PM
I have received a lot of "gift" lids - some that have been around for a long time and I do have problems with sealing with the older lids. A lot depends on how and where they were stored. If they were stored in a place that gets hot (like a garage or shed) it can damage the seals. I don't use any lids that I haven't purchased within two years. Older lids will often fail. If the lids are stuck together don't use them as it means the seals have gotten to warm in storage even if they are still pliable. If you are going to store them be sure they are kept in a cool place but don't let them freeze either.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran |
| SunshineDoc |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 3:25:22 PM
These notes continue to be so enlightening and helpful. Yes - the thinner jars are the ones breaking (I was beginning to think, before all this feedback, that was the whole explanation, since I've been canning for over 25 years and had never had this happen before) But -- other recent changes, in addition to switching from hot water to steam canning is that I found a long -- ahem -- metal stick thingee to use to remove air bubbles! Before I have always used a chop stick. (Naively -- I didn't realize I was doing the "right" thing all along!)
So -- thanks some more.
Also -- while I'm on here and getting such good wisdom from the wizened. Another recent malady that's brand new to me is that some of my jars just aren't sealing. Never had that happen before. My suspicion is this -- my mother has passed into her post-canning years after a stroke, and I was bequeathed her supplies. Which included a rather large sack of lids. Lord knows how old some of these are. I check them carefully before using, discarding any that seem questionable in any way -- but -- is there a shelf life for these things? Like I said, I check them carefully - press on the rubber, etc --- but ---
What do you think, Farm Girls? Advice? Could this just be the steamer prob, too?
Being mindful is a way of life - and health.
Mary Ann Wallace, MD
www.maryannwallace.com |
| natesgirl |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 1:27:18 PM
Chopsticks are a great idea! I hadn't thought of that. My bubble wand has went MIA, thank you children, who think everything is for diggin in the yard with. I have a whole box of chopsticks for us to use on oriental nights and they are easy to find around here.
I had forgotten about the metal thing in the jars. You have to keep that in mind when usin the product from the jar as well. I'm gonna go get some long, skinny rubber spatulas for all of my jelly jars. You can damage the bottom of the jar with a butter knife or spoon when diggin for the last of the jelly from the jar!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
| Sheep Mom 2 |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 10:24:43 AM
I have always used a chop stick to remove the air bubbles - works well without the risks.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran |
| star-schipp |
Posted - Sep 19 2010 : 07:53:21 AM
I'm taking the same class as Angie and another thing the instructor told us was to NOT use a knife to remove the air bubbles from the jar because it can cause teeny tiny nicks in the jar leading to breakage later. Use something not sharp or metal.
We can do no great things; only small things with great love - Mother Teresa
Star - farmgirl sister #1927 |
