Note: If you are unsure of the PH value of the foods you want to cook, we strongly recommend using the pressure canning method. Instructions for boiling water bath method:
Fill the pot about halfway with hot water. Turn on the burner and heat the water. Have the water in the canner hot but not boiling to prevent breakage of the jars when they’re placed in the canner. Follow the same steps detailed in the pressure cooker method for filling jars.
When the water in the pot reaches a rolling boil, begin counting the correct processing time. Boil gently and steadily for the recommended time, adjusting the heat and adding more boiling water as necessary. Use a jar lifter to carefully remove the jars as soon as the processing time is up. Place the hot jars right side up on a rack, dry towels, boards or newspapers to prevent the jars from breaking on contact with a cold surface. Leave at least 1 inch of space between jars.
Do not tighten the lids. Allow the jars to cool untouched for 12 to 14 hours. Selecting the Correct Processing time to destroy microorganisms in low acid foods processed with a pressure cooker, you must:
•Process the jars for the correct number of minutes at suggested setting (low or high pressure)
•Allow cooker to cool at room temperature until it is completely depressurized. To destroy
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microorganisms in high-acid foods processed in a boiling- water bath, you must:
•Process jars for the correct number of minutes in boiling water.
•Cool the jars at room temperature.
The food may spoil if you fail to use the proper processing times, fail to vent steam from pressure cooker properly, process at lower pressure than specified, process for fewer minutes than specified, or cool the pressure cooker with water.
4.Finishing Touches:
Testing the Lid for a Proper Seal: Most two-piece lids will seal with a “pop” sound while they’re cooling. When it is completely cool, test the lid. It should be curved downward and should not move when pressed with a finger. If a jar is not sealed, refrigerate it and use the unspoiled food within two to three days or freeze it. If liquid has been lost from sealed jars do not open them to replace it, simply plan to use these first. The food may discolor, but if sealed, the food is safe to consume.
Unsealed Jars: What to Do If a lid fails to seal, you must reprocess within 24 hours. Remove the lid, and check the jar-sealing surface for tiny nicks. If necessary, change the jar. Always use a new, properly prepared lid, and reprocess using the same processing time. The quality of reprocessed food is poor. Instead of reprocessing,
unsealed jars of food also can be frozen. Transfer food to a freezer- safe container and freeze. Single, unsealed jars can be refrigerated and used within several days.
Always Inspect Canned Food Before
Consuming: Just as you would avoid a foul smelling, leaking or opened jar of food at the supermarket, don’t taste or use home canned food that shows any sign of spoilage. Examine all jars before opening them. A bulging lid or leaking jar is almost always a sure sign of spoilage. When you open the jar, look for other signs such
as spurting liquid, unusual odor or mold. Sterilization of empty jars Use sterile jars for all boiling water bath recipes. To sterilize empty jars, put them right side up on the rack in a boiling-water bath. Fill the bath and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes. Remove and drain hot sterilized jars one at a time. Save the hot water for processing filled jars. Fill jars with food, add lids, and tighten screw bands. Empty jars used for vegetables, meats, and fruits to be processed in a pressure cooker need not be sterilized beforehand. It is also unnecessary to sterilize jars for fruits, tomatoes, and pickled or fermented foods that will be processed 10 minutes or longer in a boiling-water canner.
Label and Store Jars: The screw bands should be removed from the sealed jars to prevent them from rusting on. The screw bands
should then be washed, dried and stored for later use. Store in a clean, cool, dark, dry place. The best temperature is between 50 and 70 °F. Avoid storing canned foods in a warm place near hot pipes, a range or a furnace, or in direct sunlight. They lose quality in a few weeks or months, depending on the temperature and may even spoil. Keep canned goods dry. Dampness may corrode metal lids and cause leakage so food will spoil. For best quality, use canned foods within one year.
Important Home
Canning Safeguards
All of the Home Canning Recipes provided in this cookbook have been tested for quality and proper timing to meet food safety standards.
As long as the instructions are carefully followed the end result will be a wholesome and shelf stable product. However, when using or adapting your own recipes, please be sure that you process the recipes with enough time. If foods are not canned properly, consuming them may be harmful or fatal. Never attempt to make rough calculations on your own recipes. If you have specific questions relating to proper methods of canning foods or timing charts- please refer to the US Department of Agriculture Website. www.fsis.usda.gov . Another useful source of information about home canning is The National Center for Home Food Preservation: www. uga.edu/nchfp/index.html.
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