Conference turris::cooks

A pressure canner cooks under pressure so can reach higher temperatures
than water canning which is just a big open pot with boiling water.  Water
canning is used for jams, jellies, and most fruits, and things that have
a high enough acid content (i.e. the vinegar in pickles).  Foods that don't
have a high enough acid content such as meats require the higher temperatures
of the pressure canner for proper canning to avoid spoilage and botulism.

I don't can much besides jams and jellies, so I don't have a pressure
canner, but if you're planning on doing a lot of gardening and want to 
preserve all the produce, a pressure canner may be required.  A good book
(my bible for canning) is The Blue Book put out by Ball.  

Cathy

    I'm only planning on canning jams/jelly.  So if I understand this
    correctly I can get away with just the hot water bath?  
    
    
    

    
    Yes.  Or you can just use parrafin and forget the canner.

From what I've read, paraffin is not recommended when canning jams and jellies
made without sugar.

    
    That's probably true--I had forgetten that the basenoter was not using
    sugar.  I try to void the boiling-water bath as much as possible.  With
    an electric range it takes forever to get enough water boiling, I
    always break some jars, hot water ends up everywhere and it's generally
    not a pretty sight. 

The reason for using a pressure cooker or hot water when canning is to kill off 
bacteria and spores.   These are always present in the air and on food, and 
they will cause the canned food to spoil if they're not killed off.  In 
particular, the bacterium Clostridium botulinum (a member of a distinguished 
group of bacteria that includes those that cause tetanus and gas gangrene) 
grows in non-acidic foods in the absence of air, and releases a very potent 
toxin into the food that can last long after the bacteria are dead and gone.  
This toxin causes the food poisoning known as botulism, which can be fatal.

--PSW

    in reference to reply # 6, does that mean that sealing with paraffin
    isn't safe as it doesn't kill the bacteria.  By the time, you've
    poured the jam in the jar and got the parrafin melted on top, I'm
    sure bizillions of these creatures are already there...
    or not?

RE: .7

No, sealing with paraffin doesn't kill bacteria, but it does keep out oxygen, 
which prevents aerobic bacteria and molds from developing, and it keeps new 
bacteria and spores from getting into the canned food.  Clostridium botulinum 
is anaerobic, and in fact can't survive unless oxygen is kept out, but it also 
can't survive in acidic environments, and most fruit jams and jellies have more 
than sufficient acid to keep it from developing.

--PSW

 My experience with paraffin has not been good. The boiling water method
is far superior in my opinion.

  - Bob

    Okay, I made the jam...but it didn't set real well.  Althought I was
    pleased that the jars sealed.  Any ideas why the jam may have come out
    on the runny side.  Is there anything I can do now to correct it??
    
    
    	Robin

    Just a thought, but when I made strawberry jam last year, the day after
    I made it, I opened the jar to check out my work.  Well, my jam was
    runny too and I couldn't understand it.  All the seals took so I
    thought I was all set.  Then some time later (not sure how long maybe
    a couple of weeks or a month), I opened another jar and the jam was like 
    jam - not runny at all.  I guess it just needed time to set.
    
    I am not an experienced jam maker but I thought I'd share what I found
    out.
    
    
    Diane

Jam can be runny if you didn't measure accurately and used more fruit than
the recipe calls for.  It can also be runny if the fruit wasn't quite ripe
or was too ripe and didn't have enough pectin in it.  Or it can be runny
because you mashed the fruit too much and ended up with juicy fruit instead
of mashed fruit. These are the things that I do that makes my jam runny 
sometimes.  You can open all the jars and recook the jam with about a teaspoon
of pectin added (I read this in a canning book somewhere - maybe the Ball
book?) and then reseal the jars with new lids in the water bath canner.
I've done this once where the  jam was really runny and I was planning on
giving it away. Other times I've just used it as is.  It tastes the same.

It can help to mix up the jam in a copper bowl.  Copper acts as a catalyst for 
the chemical reaction that causes pectin to set.

--PSW

    I make my jam with the Sure-Jel and it never comes out runny.  But I
    have never tried to make strawberry jam either.  My first attempt was
    peach and it came out just fine.  I am planning on make some strawberry
    this year before they go out of season and it specify's on the
    directions on the sure-jel box to make sure that you measure everything
    correctly or it won't set right.  I never use the parrifin wax to seal
    my jam.
    
    Liz

    RE: paraffin.  A VERY long time ago, the Middlesex County Extension
    Service (here in Mass.) advised against using the paraffin method. (I
    know it seldom worked right for me.)  Their reasoning was that it is
    very difficult to get the layer of paraffin the proper thickness.
    Parrafin expands and contracts with the temperature changes during
    storage.  If you don't put in enough, it may shrink enough to let 
    air in. If you make it too thick, it this can happen too.
    
    Plus - the inside of the jar where the paraffin will meet it must be
    very clean or again - the seal will be compromised. 

    I would like to can some of the 100's of tomato's in my garden for
    tomato sauce.  Could someone explain the process, like what kind of
    jars, how to prepare the jars, how to fill them, how to prepare the 
    tomato's, ect.
    
    Thanks
    

    I canned tomatoes last year and had a great experience. The canned
    tomatoes still taste great.  Anyway the process goes something like
    the following.  There is fairly common paper back book that describes this
    "blue something or another".  My instructions are approximate:
    	- purchase a 20 quart canning pot (about $20)
        - purchase (or find) a bunch of quart size canning jars and lids.
        I think I made about 15 jars from just over a bushel.
        - sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water.  I think 15 minutes 
    	will do.
        - In another large pot boil water for peeling tomatoes.
        - drop a bunch of tomatoes in for about a 30-60 seconds. 
        - place the tomatoes in cold water 
    	- peel and stuff as many tomatoes into a jar as you can.  I just 
    	  broke the tomatoes into pieces with my hand while doing this.
          You want to drain a lot of tomatoe juice from the jars while
          doing this. You can save the juice if you like.  You should have
    	  about an inch of air space when your done stuffing.
        - place a teaspoon of salt in each jar 
    	- put the lid on the jars
    	- boil for about 45 minutes (I think this is it ... need to check
    	  the time).  The jars should be completely covered with water when
          boiling.
    	- the remaining juice will settle.  Just shake it up before
    	  storing.
    
    Hope I did not miss anything.  But thats the basic process.
    Good Luck,
    Larry

    	The "boiling for 45 mins." sounds like a long time. I'll try to
    remember to ask my wife, but from memory, she left out the salt part, 
    and I believe she brought the tomatoes themselves to a boil. 
    
    	She uses a wide mouth funnel to put the tomatoes in the jar, and
    wipes the rim off with a clean damp rag prior to putting the seal/cover
    on. After setting (cooling) for a bit, you can hear the covers pop as
    they suck the dimple in on the seal.
    
    	Ray

    I'll see if I can find "the book" as well.
    Adding the salt is probably optional but was recommended to me and I
    can't argue with the results.
    -Larry

    >                       -< 45 mins. sounds long >-
    
     That's the right amount of time to process tomatoes in a hot water
    bath.

    And I thought my memory was completely shot.  I checked precedure in
    the "bible" of canning: "Ball Blue Book".  I got everything right
    including the salt.  I highly recommend the book if you think your
    going to be doing more of this.
    -Larry

I use Kosher, non-iodized salt for this. We've been canning tomato sauce
for a few years, and we think it's *excellent* for all cooking purposes.

Seems like one of the books we have strongly recommended that you use
non-iodized salt, don't recall why. Could it be color retention of the
food you're canning? My jars of tomato sauce keep their bright red color,
and we've had jars for as long as three years.

I add my own fresh basil that I grow. The flavor is nice, but the bits of
basil leaves turn black after a year or so.

Art

re: .22

>Seems like one of the books we have strongly recommended that you use
>non-iodized salt, don't recall why. Could it be color retention of the
>food you're canning? My jars of tomato sauce keep their bright red color,
>and we've had jars for as long as three years.

I think the idea is to get pure salt with no additives.  In fact, you can
buy something labelled "pickling salt" which I believe is just salt with
nothing extra in it.

-Hal

    
    I saw a UNH 800 number in the Nashua Telegraph a
    few weeks back for questions about canning.  The
    article cautioned readers about "older" recipes
    and methods that may not safe.
    
    I'll try to remember to bring in the number.
    
    Dolores

    Kosher or pickling salt has no added iodine and no additives to keep is
    flowing smoothly.  Both iodine and the other additives can cause
    discoloration of food.  
    
    Always water bath tomatoes, do not use the open kettle method of a good
    boil and adding the hot liquid to sterile jars, unless you really enjoy
    trips to the ER, and less pleasant places.  
    
    The Ball Blue Book is a great reference, as is "Putting Food By", a
    paperback I have.  I don't have it handy or I would put the author in
    as well.  This book covers all kinds of canning, drying, corning,
    pickling and storage.  
    
    meg

    Well my father inlaw's crop of tomatoes came in.  I canned 33 quarts
    last weekend!  That should get through till at least January :-)
    -Larry

    Does anybody know if there any sources of canning jar material 
    (specifically I need a set of jar tongs) in Northern Mass/Southern N.H. 
    area?  I checked Agway in Salem, NH but they don't have any yet.  
    
    Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!
    
    --Becca (SALEM::MUNROER)

   .27  Kitchen Etc., in Nashua, carries them.

    So does Wal-mart.
    

    so does Aubuchon's Hardware.