Disclaimer: I feel silly for having to write this, but I still feel I have to. I am not a professional. All information below is gathered from online sources, learned from influential persons in my life, and personal hands on experience. If you choose to follow my information, it may be at your own risk. This blog is written in hopes to inspire others to try these things out. These methods are my personal experiences written out for your enjoyment.
Canning is a method of making shelf stable preserved foods that do not require energy to maintain their preservation. Recommended shelf life of home canned goods is usually up to one year. I personally will use home canned goods for as long as my common sense says is appropriate. If the goods are visibly spoiled, or the seal is broken I will not even test it. If the jars have been exposed to extreme temperature variance or direct sunlight, it can also compromise the safety of the food. If they are not visibly spoiled, the seal is intact, and I know the environment it was kept in, I will smell and taste to determine if the food is still good. This is my personal choice, and is probably frowned upon by health organizations. Please do what is safe for you and your family.
Commercial canners primarily use tin cans and single use glass jars with a single piece lid. Everything has gone through the same processes we do at home, but in larger quantity and with slightly different packaging. In the home, we use reuseable glass jars with a two part closure - snap lid (or tattler lid with rubber gasket) and screw band.
A note about sterilizing jars. Sterilizing jars will be mentioned in my later canning posts. Often recipes / videos online will tell you to sterilize or triple sterilize your jars and equipment. There are few scenarios that will require that extra work. To be sure, you need to ensure a sanitary work space and tools, but do not make extra work for yourself either. I personally have never had my canned goods spoil on me. On the day I do my canning, I make sure all my jars are washed, in hot soapy water, and then rinsed very well. Just prior to filling, I give them another quick rinse under the hottest tap water I have available. This works for me. Use common sense, and if you are uncomfortable or unsure, do what is more safe. I am comfortable with my methods. Here is a link on how to sterilize jars.
Equipment:
Jars:
Canning jars differ from store bought processed food jars. Canning jars are heat treated so they may be processed over and over again. You may buy pickles in a glass jar with a sealed lid, but the jar has been designed for a single processing only. It is not recommended to reuse these jars for canning. There are many non-canning re-uses for glass jars.
Jars have specific anatomy that is helpful to know. The mouth is the opening at the top. There are regular and wide mouth jars. As described by Ball manufacturer:
Regular Mouth works best with pourable foods such as jams, jellies, salsas, sauces, pie fillings and vegetables. Wide Mouth works best with whole fruits and vegetables, allowing for easy filling.Lids:
There are only 2 current options I know of for lids. Both are secured during processing by a screw band.
Snap Lids are a single use metal lid with adhering thin rubber seal. I have reused them in the past, but after reading a lot of comments, I have stopped doing so. I was lucky that my seals held. And when it comes to preserving, you don't want a slow leak that eventually spoils your food. Snap Lids are very affordable.
Tattler Lids are reusable plastic lids that are used in combination with a reusable rubber gaskets. They are a little more expensive, but don't get thrown out.
In the past, people also used paraffin wax to seal their jars. This isn't done any more. (That I'm aware of anyway.)
Labels:
You can use any type of label you like, but I LOVE the Bernadin Dissovable Labels. They make cleaning the jars so much easier.
Tools:
You will need a canner with racks (I'll go into detail in each section on those), a funnel, jar lifter tongs, plastic or wooden de-bubbler and a magnetic lid wand (if using metal snap lids).
The funnel is fantastic for easily getting your food into the jars without making a huge mess.
The jar lifter tongs are critical for getting the hot packed jars into the canner, and the scalding hot jars out of the canner after processing.
The de-bubbler is essential to scrape down the insides of the filled jars and release any air pockets that may be there.
The magnetic wand is great for getting hot lids onto the jars without burning your hands.
It's always good to keep paper towels, clean dishcloths and oven mitts handy.
And there you have it friends.
Fondly,
Mrs B
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