MaryJanesFarm Farmgirl Connection

Username:	Password:
Save Password REGISTER
Forgot your Password?

All Forums

General Chat Forum

Farm Kitchen

canning question

New Topic

Reply to Topic

Printer Friendly

Author

Farm Kitchen: canning question

LuckyMommyof5
True Blue Farmgirl

500 Posts

Suzanne
OH
USA
500 Posts

Posted - Sep 05 2012 : 06:40:03 AM

Hi Farmgirls!

I've always canned my jams, jellies, preserves by pouring the hot mixture into sterilized jars, putting on the lids and waiting to hear them vacuum seal themselves and I was done. Recently someone told me that's dangerous (from a food safety standpoint) and I should have been putting them in the hot water bath. Is that true? Any thoughts?

Farmgirl Sister #3243

"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Betty J.
True Blue Farmgirl

1403 Posts

Betty
Pasco WA
USA
1403 Posts

Posted - Sep 05 2012 : 06:59:39 AM

The last time I made jams and jellies, the instructions said to do that also and that was three or four years ago. Not wanting to become ill, I put them in the hot water bath. It is also a new thing (to me) to use lemon juice when canning tomatoes. Probably because it adds the acids the newer tomatoes lack, because it doesn't seem to affect the taste.

Betty in Pasco

Melina
True Blue Farmgirl

435 Posts

Melina

USA
435 Posts

Posted - Sep 05 2012 : 08:01:47 AM

I always at least waterbath. For non-acidic things, and sometimes even acidic, I use the pressure cooker. It's actually faster than trying to get the water bath pot to come to a boil. I remember my grandma just hot packing jellies, etc., then sealing with paraffin. I also remember her gently scraping away mold from the top of the jelly, then serving it. We didn't die, luckily.

The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi

CheesemakerBeth
Farmgirl in Training

26 Posts

Beth
PALESTINE Texas
USA
26 Posts

Posted - Sep 05 2012 : 08:49:29 AM

An elderly lady (older then me, so that's saying something) told me to put my acidic jars in a cold oven. The jars shouldn't touch. Turn the oven on to 225 degrees. Leave it on for 60 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the door closed until the jars have cooled to room temp. (I always do this after supper and leave the jars over night). I've been doing this for the last 4-5 years and.....HAVE NEVER HAD A SINGLE JAR FAIL!!! It is SO much easier than a water bath and, again, every jar I've done this way has lasted until I opened them up, sometimes 2-3 years later!

delicia
True Blue Farmgirl

917 Posts

delicia
cincinnati ohio
USA
917 Posts

Posted - Sep 05 2012 : 6:24:33 PM

I have always done the waterbath. Never tried anything else. My Mammaw always used a waterbath and I learned from her. There may be other ways but, I have not heard of them.

LuckyMommyof5
True Blue Farmgirl

500 Posts

Suzanne
OH
USA
500 Posts

Posted - Sep 05 2012 : 6:50:40 PM

I think you ladies are right, and so was my friend. I'll be honest that I haven't had tons of consistent time since my first was born 10 years ago to can much consistently, so when I do make jam/preserves, we usually go through it so fast it doesn't last more than a few weeks, so I don't think it had time to go bad the way I was doing it. I was also shown how to can jam from my late grandmother, who, although a fabulous woman, liked to say most directions were for "the birds," and skipped things. She was fun to be with because of that, but now I'm wondering if her telling me the waterbath step wasn't really necessary for jams/preserves was accurate (and food safe). Good thing I asked - will have to be more serious about following directions for this myself!

Sadly, I can't use a pressure canner - I have a ceramic cooktop and the warnings say you can crack the cooktop if you try to use them on those.

Farmgirl Sister #3243

"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl

1674 Posts

Mary Beth
McLoud Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts

Posted - Sep 05 2012 : 7:21:01 PM

Suzanne, I teach canning classes and it is best to waterbath can your preserves. In the old days, we poured melted parafin onto the top of the jellies and preserves and that sealed them from any contamination. Just putting them into a jar with a lid leaves an airspace that can be full of bacteria and mold. Waterbath canning kills those things before the vacuum is formed. Regarding oven canning, that is very dangerous because #1 the jars today are made for wet canning only that evenly distributes the heat through the glass, avoiding cracks and #2 oven canning does not always heat the entire product all the way through and can leave pockets of differing temps. Waterbath canning and pressure canning are the only two approved methods for processing foods, the first for acidic foods and the other for nonacidic. Hope that helps.

Mary Beth

www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19

Marigold
Farmgirl in Training

38 Posts

Marigold
Chicago IL
USA
38 Posts

Posted - Sep 05 2012 : 9:30:46 PM

I just had this discussion with a Plain Folk (Amish) gal who says they never boiling water bath their jelly and it seals just fine. I could feel my 4-H teacher rolling over in her grave. From a food safety point of view processing in a boiling water bath is a no brainier especially if you favor low sugar or low acid recipes. The idea of the boiling water canner is to get the internal temperature above 220. It makes since that doing the oven thing would work, although I've never heard that before, interesting.

LuckyMommyof5
True Blue Farmgirl

500 Posts

Suzanne
OH
USA
500 Posts

Posted - Sep 06 2012 : 06:45:50 AM

Thank you, Marigold and Mary Beth! I did do the paraffin thing, but not the waterbath. Like I said, my grandmother was an infamous "step-skipper" and has even crossed things out in the battered, 60 year old canning book I inherited from her. I think I just never realized she might have been wrong! My late mother never canned anything herself - she hated anything to do with working in the kitchen. Thank goodness I found out now that I was not as up on canning procedures as I thought. I posted about suggestions for a beginner's book on canning as part of a bridal shower gift - think I will have to get a copy of one for myself, too, and relearn everything!

Oh well - it can be exciting to learn new ways of doing things!

Farmgirl Sister #3243

"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Annab
True Blue Farmgirl

2900 Posts

Anna
Seagrove NC
USA
2900 Posts

Posted - Sep 06 2012 : 08:11:29 AM

Water bath canner-----8 minuter from the time the last jar is placed back into the water.

Never had a problem!

I too use a bit of lemon juice- but it's more to prevent fading.

Tried this w/ tomatoes for more acid, and learned that they too have to go back into the water for 8-10 minutes processing. Mold in the jars was proof positive enough that I had goofed.

You best resource (aside from the great knowledge assembled here) is the Ball Blue Book : Guide to Home Canning, Freezing and Dehydration

For my own jam/jelly recipes I have followed Ball's liquid pectin recommendations. (or Certo) Those directions come enclosed with the 2 pouches of pectin. Some people swear by the powdered. But I process jams and jellies in multiple batches all morning and need a larger output. (5-6 jars per pint batch as opposed to the boxes that only yield 3 about pints) .

Betty J.
True Blue Farmgirl

1403 Posts

Betty
Pasco WA
USA
1403 Posts

Posted - Sep 06 2012 : 2:43:09 PM

I've read that never, ever put your jars in the oven and turn it on. Too much of a chance for an explosion.

I like to use the pressure canner, but I haven't taken it to the County Extension Service to get the gauge checked for a long time, so hesitate to use the pressure canner. I have been putting lemon juice in the jars that I canned tomatoes in for the acid that they are supposed to have. So far it has worked.j

I've also started taking the rings off the jars after losing all my strength and having great difficulty getting those rusty rings off. This should work and I hope it does.

Betty in Pasco