We’re going to look at some Canning basics, tips, tricks and a step-by-step easy and simple approach to Canning.
Enjoying the bounty from your vegetable garden or your orchard this year doesn’t have to be hard..stressful or nerve wracking! It can be simple and easy. Undertanding the fundamentals can help make canning fast and efficient with less clean-up and mess-ups!
Canning Tools
Canners: Water-bath or Pressure Cooker? That is the question!
Boiling-Water Canners
These canners are made of aluminum or porcelain-covered steel. They have removable perforated racks and fitted lids. The canner must be deep enough so that at least 1 inch of briskly boiling water will be over the tops of jars during processing. Some boiling-water canners do not have flat bottoms. A flat bottom must be used on an electric range. Either a flat or ridged bottom can be used on a gas burner. To ensure uniform processing of all jars with an electric range, the canner should be no more than 4 inches wider in diameter than the element on which it is heated.
Using Boiling-Water Canners
Follow these steps for successful boiling-water canning:
- Before you start preparing your food, fill the canner halfway with clean water. This is approximately the level needed for a canner load of pint jars. For other sizes and numbers of jars, the amount of water in the canner will need to be adjusted so it will be 1 to 2 inches over the top of the filled jars.
- Preheat water to 140 degrees for raw-packed foods and to 180 degrees for hot-packed foods. Food preparation can begin while this water is preheating.
- Load filled jars, fitted with lids, into the canner rack and use the handles to lower the rack into the water; or fill the canner with the rack in the bottom, one jar at a time, using a jar lifter. When using a jar lifter, make sure it is securely positioned below the neck of the jar (below the screw band of the lid). Keep the jar upright at all times. Tilting the jar could cause food to spill into the sealing area of the lid.
- Add more boiling water, if needed, so the water level is at least 1 inch above jar tops. For process times over 30 minutes, the water level should be at least 2 inches above the tops of the jars.
- Turn heat to its highest position, cover the canner with its lid, and heat until the water in the canner boils vigorously.
- Set a timer for the total minutes required for processing the food.
- Keep the canner covered and maintain a boil throughout the process schedule. The heat setting may be lowered a little as long as a complete boil is maintained for the entire process time. If the water stops boiling at any time during the process, bring the water back to a vigorous boil and begin the timing of the process over, from the beginning.
- Add more boiling water, if needed, to keep the water level above the jars.
- When jars have been boiled for the recommended time, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait 5 minutes before removing jars.
- Using a jar lifter, remove the jars and place them on a towel, leaving at least 1-inch spaces between the jars during cooling. Let jars sit undisturbed to cool at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.
Pressure Canners
Pressure canners for use in the home have been extensively redesigned in recent years. Models made before the 1970’s were heavy-walled kettles with clamp-on or turn-on lids. They were fitted with a dial gauge, a vent port in the form of a petcock or counterweight, and a safety fuse. Modern pressure canners are lightweight, thin walled kettles; most have turn-on lids. They have a jar rack, gasket, dial or weighted gauge, an automatic vent/cover lock, a vent port (steam vent) to be closed with a counterweight or weighted gauge, and a safety fuse.
Pressure does not destroy microorganisms, but high temperatures applied for an adequate period of time do kill microorganisms. The success of destroying all microorganisms capable of growing in canned food is based on the temperature obtained in pure steam, free of air, at sea level. At sea level, a canner operated at a gauge pressure of 10.5 lbs provides an internal temperature of 240 degrees.
Two serious errors in temperatures obtained in pressure canners occur because:
- Internal canner temperatures are lower at higher altitudes. To correct this error, canners must be operated at the increased pressures specified in this publication for appropriate altitude ranges.
- Air trapped in a canner lowers the temperature obtained at 5, 10, or 15 pounds of pressure and results in under processing. The highest volume of air trapped in a canner occurs in processing raw-packed foods in dial-gauge canners. These canners do not vent air during processing. To be safe, all types of pressure canners must be vented 10 minutes before they are pressurized.
To vent a canner, leave the vent port uncovered on newer models or manually open petcocks on some older models. Heating the filled canner with its lid locked into place boils water and generates steam that escapes through the petcock or vent port. When steam first escapes, set a timer for 10 minutes. After venting 10 minutes, close the petcock or place the counterweight or weighted gauge over the vent port to pressurize the canner.
Weighted-gauge models exhaust tiny amounts of air and steam each time their gauge rocks or jiggles during processing. They control pressure precisely and need neither watching during processing nor checking for accuracy. The sound of the weight rocking or jiggling indicates that the canner is maintaining the recommended pressure. The single disadvantage of weighted-gauge canners is that they cannot correct precisely for higher altitudes. At altitudes above 1,000 feet, they must be operated at canner pressures of 10 instead of 5, or 15 instead of 10, PSI.
Check dial gauges for accuracy before use each year. Gauges that read high cause under-processing and may result in unsafe food. Low readings cause over-processing. Pressure adjustments can be made if the gauge reads up to 2 pounds high or low. Replace gauges that differ by more than 2 pounds. Every pound of pressure is very important to the temperature needed inside the canner for producing safe food, so accurate gauges and adjustments are essential when a gauge reads higher than it should. If a gauge is reading lower than it should, adjustments may be made to avoid overprocessing, but are not essential to safety. Gauges may be checked at many county Cooperative Extension offices or contact the pressure canner manufacturer for other options.
Using Pressure Canners
Follow these steps for successful pressure canning:
- Put 2 to 3 inches of hot water in the canner. Some specific products in this Guide require that you start with even more water in the canner. Always follow the directions with USDA processes for specific foods if they require more water added to the canner. Place filled jars on the rack, using a jar lifter. When using a jar lifter, make sure it is securely positioned below the neck of the jar (below the screw band of the lid). Keep the jar upright at all times. Tilting the jar could cause food to spill into the sealing are of the lid. Fasten canner lid securely.
- Leave weight off vent port or open petcock. Heat at the highest setting until steam flows freely from the open petcock or vent port.
- While maintaining the high heat setting, let the steam flow (exhaust) continuously for 10 minutes, and then place the weight on the vent port or close the petcock. The canner will pressurize during the next 3 to 5 minutes.
- Start timing the process when the pressure reading on the dial gauge indicates that the recommended pressure has been reached, or when the weighted gauge begins to jiggle or rock as the canner manufacturer describes.
- Regulate heat under the canner to maintain a steady pressure at or slightly above the correct gauge pressure. Quick and large pressure variations during processing may cause unnecessary liquid losses from jars. Follow the canner manufacturer’s directions for how a weighted gauge should indicate it is maintaining the desired pressure.
IMPORTANT: If at any time pressure goes below the recommended amount, bring the canner back to pressure and begin the timing of the process over, from the beginning (using the total original process time). This is important for the safety of the food.
Miscellaneous Tools
Jar Lifter:
This tool lifts jars firmly and securely in and out of hot water. Use two hands and squeeze the lifter firmly when moving jars. It’s nice to know that you have a firm grip on the jars as they are hot and the water is hot!
Magnetic Wand:
This magic wand enables you to sterilize lids and bands in hot water, then you can easily lift them out!!
Jar Funnels:
Wider and shorter than most other funnels, these guys come in both wide-mouth size and regular-mouth size. They are super valuable for preventing spills when filling jars.
Combo Ruler-Spatula:
The tapered end of thes somewhat flexible tool easily slips in along the side of filled jars to release those air bubbles. The notched end can measure headspace for you.
What is your favorite canning tool that you couldn’t live without?
This article is hopping around the following Blog Hops:
Homestead Barn Hop, Wildcrafting Wednesday, From the Farm Fridays, Simple Saturdays Blog Hop, Simple Life Sunday Blog Hop.
Copyright:
This article may be contributed to third-party sites, but it is COPYRIGHTED, and it may not be USED in any form or shared without my written permission. If you are interested in this article or any of Simply Living Simply articles, please contact Kat Yorba; Author and owner of Simply Living Simply directly for republishing information.
Affiliate:
Many of my blog posts contain affiliate links. Purchasing through an affiliate link does NOT increase the price you pay but allows me to keep blogging and sharing what I learn with you. It's a bit like leaving a tip for a service and I very much appreciate it!
Medical Disclaimer:
Nothing in this post is to be construed as medical advice, simply a sharing of things that have worked for me & my family. If you have any symptoms of serious illness, taking medication, pregnant or nursing, or have never worked with herbal materials or essential oils before, please consider consulting a medical professional before use. I am unable to offer advise for your particular medical situation; please ask your Doctor, Nurse Practitioner or Naturopath for further guidance. The statements made here have not been approved by the Food & Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.
About Simply Living Simply
I love to hear your thoughts, please share....