Almost every local eater in the Northeast is going to want to ‘preserve the harvest;’ pack away the bounty of the growing season at it’s peak of freshness and flavor, and store it against the coming winter. Even if you are lucky enough to have a convenient winter farmer’s market near you, homemade preserves break up the monotony of a winter diet and it’s also the most economical way to eat – strawberries, blueberries & tomatoes might be $2/pound in peak season, but winter berries are notoriously expensive ($6 or $7 for a pint or half-pint) and winter tomatoes are expensive and tasteless.
There are many ways to preserve the harvest: freeze, dry, ferment, root cellar, pickle and can. Here I’ll offer basic instructions for boiling water bath canning, taken directly from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (a worthwhile investment if you get serious about canning).
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Canning in a Boiling Water Bath (BWB)
FOODS
Not all foods can be safely preserved by boiling water heat processing. The safest bet is to follow trusted recipes. The basic rule of thumb is that highly acidic foods, such as fruit and pickles, are safe to can in a boiling water bath. Low acid foods, such as green beans, carrots and spinach, or neutral foods, such as peas and corn, MUST be processed in a pressure canner or you run the risk of botulism poisoning. (I do not personally own nor use a pressure canner, so I will not discuss those techniques here.) Anything with meat (chicken soup, chili) must also be canned in a pressure canner. Tomatoes fall into the middle of the “acid” category and so are always canned with extra acid (lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid) in order to ensure food safety. The best way to ensure safe home-canning is to stick with tested recipes, especially when you are starting out.
SAFE to Can in BWB: All fresh fruit, any type of pickles, salsas with sufficient vinegar, tomatoes & tomato sauces with added acid.
NOT SAFE to Can in BWB: Most vegetables, anything with meat or fish, pureed pumpkin, basil pesto, anything with added oil or butter (a slight amount of oil or butter can be used in canning fruits to reduce foaming).
EQUIPMENT
For my first canning experiment, homemade tomato sauce, I used nothing more than pint-sized Ball jars and my stockpot (with a kitchen towel in the bottom to prevent the jars from rattling). This works fine, but if you find yourself doing a lot of canning, the following equipment will really help to streamline the process. Generally you can find all of the below at any well-stocked hardware store and in larger supermarkets.
- Canner. Make sure you get one that is at least 2, preferably 3 inches higher than the largest jar you intend to use and has a rack for holding the jars away from each other. Jars must be covered by 1 inch of water, and the additional space is to allow room for a vigorous boil during processing.
- Glass canning jars. A.K.A. “Ball jars” or “Mason jars” – easy to find in your local hardware store. The gasket-and-lid type of jar is not recommended by the USDA as it is more difficult (though not impossible) to tell whether or not you have achieved a tight seal. There are also cool (and spendy) German Weck jars and Leifheit jars, Italian Fido jars and Quattro Stagioni jars and vintage jars all over eBay. These jars are all a bit more finicky to use than the standard, hardware store Ball jars, so beginners should stick with standard Mason jars with 2-piece metal lids until comfortable with the process. You can get jars, lids, rubber gaskets and other hard-to-find canning supplies at Lehman’s.
- Funnel. For filling jars.
- Jar lifter. As the name implies, for lifting jars. With the 8-oz jars, I often simply use kitchen tongs, but a jar lifter comes in handy for pint jars and is a real necessity for quart jars.
- Kitchen tongs. Indispensable in any kitchen!
- Ladle.
- Kits, with canner or without. You can also find ‘beginner’ kits that may give you a deal on a canner plus other equipment.
METHODS
- Examine jars for any nicks, cracks, uneven rim surfaces or other damage – do not use damaged jars. Wash jars, lids and screwbands in hot, soapy water. Rinse well and drain.
- Place required number of jars into canner on canner rack (if possible I always include 1 or 2 extra jars, as yields vary). Fill with filtered water (hard tap water can cause a white residue to coat your jars) or spring water to at least 1 inch over the top of the jars.If you must use unfiltered, hard water, a little vinegar (2-3 tbsp) added to the water will prevent the white film of mineral deposits from collecting on your jars. Bring to boiling on high heat, then either turn the heat to low and keep the water simmering or boil for 15 minutes to sterilize jars. A 15-minute bath in boiling water, prior to filling, will sterilize jars (I always do this step even though the Ball book says it is not necessary). Time this such that the jars will be ready upon completion of your recipe.
- Place the jar lids, but not the screw bands, into a small saucepan filled with water. Bring to a low simmer, but do not let boil. Set screw bands aside. Place funnel and ladle in the simmering water in this pan.
- Prepare recipe.
- While recipe is cooking, set up your canning area; I clear a good spot on the countertop, place a cutting board topped with a kitchen towel, and line up a wooden spoon, regular teaspoon, clean paper towel, tongs, screwbands and potholders.
- Fill jars: Working one jar at a time, remove a jar from the canner, pouring hot water back into the canner (keep the heat beneath the canner on low, so as to keep the canner water at a low simmer while filling jars). Place the jar on a cutting board or heat-proof work surface (or hold in your hand with an oven mitt or potholder). Place funnel in the top of the jar with tongs (try to minimize touching anything with your hands that will also touch the food, lest you contanimate the jars). Ladle the prepared food into the jar, leaving the amount of headspace specified in the recipe (usually 1/4 or 1/2-inch). Keep a clear plastic ruler for use in the kitchen if you are bad at judging lengths. Headspace is the space between the top of the jar and the top of the food. If possible, keep the recipe on low heat throughout the filling of the jars; if the recipe will burn, periodically re-heat the food if the canning takes a while, or if the food is no longer steaming hot.
- Tap the bottom of the jar on your work surface a few times (this is where a kitchen towel or wooden board comes in handy) to pack the food into the jar. Slide a non-metallic utensil, such as a wooden spoon handle, down between the food and the edges of the jar, moving the handle up and down as you rotate the jar. This releases any air pockets that may cause seal failure; adjust headspace if necessary.
- Dip the edge of a paper towel or clean kitchen towel into the simmering lid water; wipe the jar rim and threads. Any food remaining on the jar rim will interfere with achieving a tight seal.
- Using tongs (or a magnetic lid lifter), lift a lid out of the simmering water and place on the jar. Seat the lid on the jar top but try not to handle with your hands.
- Place the screwband on the jar and tighten until it is just fingertip tight (if it is too tight, pressure built up inside the jar from the boiling food will not be able to release).
- Using tongs or a jar lifter, return the jar to the canner pot. Repeat the process until the food is gone, or until the food remaining will not completely fill a jar. Do not process jars that are not completely full (with recommended headspace); store this food in the fridge and use within a few weeks.
- Once all jars are full and loaded into the canner, replace the canner lid and turn the heat up to high to bring the water back to a full boil. Once boiling, start your kitchen timer and process at a rolling boil for the time specified in the recipe (often 10 or 15 minutes for jams, chutneys and salsas, longer for tomatoes and tomato sauces.)
- When the timer goes off and the jars have processed for the prescribed time, turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and let the jars rest in the canner water for 5 more minutes. Then, using tongs or a jar lifter, remove the jars from the hot water, being careful not to tilt the jars excessively (at this point you do not want any food to touch the jar lid, as it may interfere with the jar producing a tight seal). Try to pull the jars out of the canner straight up, and place on a kitchen-towel-lined cutting board or work surface. You should start hearing the “ping” that signals a jar lid sealing within minutes, but for different recipes, it takes different amounts of time. Allow the jars to rest undisturbed for 24 hours; if at this time the jars did not produce a tight seal (evidence by the jar lid pressed downward, into the jar – you cannot move it by pressing on the lid), then either put that jar into the fridge and use within a week or two, or re-process (in a clear jar, with new lids, etc).
- After the 24 hour rest, label your jars with the contents and the date and store in a cool, dark place. (Light will tend to discolor the food over time; a standard kitchen cabinet is perfect storage.)
If this all seems like far too much work and far too many details to remember, it’s simply because I’ve written down very complete, step-by-step instructions. In reality, once you get used to it, the process is more like: Heat jars. Make food. Fill jars. Process. The first few times I canned anything, it took forever, I got several burns and it seemed like a ridiculous expenditure of energy for a few jars of tomato sauce. But, surprisingly quickly, I got used to the whole process, and now it is simple, almost automatic. I recommend starting with an easy recipe – tomato sauce or salsa is a good place to start, and don’t worry if it takes a long time or you make mistakes. Even in my first canning attempt, the jars sealed, the sauce lasted and I was ridiculously proud to open a jar of that sauce in the dead of winter. That feeling alone is worth the effort of learning to can, and once you do, the “process” is nearly effortless.
The above is exactly the process I use, every time I can. I’ve never had a jar that did not seal, never had food mold or otherwise spoil and certainly never had any issues with botulism, salmonella, or other dangerous food-bourne illness. I’m pretty anal about cleanliness and preventing contanimation and some people would likely say that all of the above steps are not necessary – but given the potential consequences, the least of which is wasting the time, money and hard work of preserving the harvest in the first place – I think it’s worth it.
TIPS & TRICKS
A few things learned in my 4+ years of canning.
- As noted above, a little white vinegar in the canner water will prevent a white, filmy residue (hard water mineral deposits) from collecting on & in your jars. Filling the canner with water and letting it sit overnight is also effective.
- The standard, 2-piece lid Ball jars are a cinch to use: they seal easily, are a cinch to move in & out of the canner, are designed to work with US equipment. I love using a variety of jar types: but some of them can be tricky.
- Weck jars seal beautifully; I’ve never had a problem. But the larger ones can be a bit unwieldy to lift in & out of the canner, and they don’t fit the canner rack dimensions very well.
- I’ve had trouble getting a good seal with Quattro Stagioni jars; the instructions are a bit convoluted (translation issues, I assume) but they instruct you to fill room temperature jars with room temperature food, then process, then let the jar sit until the water cools. I usually fit hot, sterilized jars with hot food, then let the jar sit in the water bath until cool. The last few times the jars have sealed. I typically only use 1 or 2 of this type of jar per batch, however, in case the seals fail.
- When using a Ball, Fido or Leifheit jar with a rubber gasket, move the little rubber tab away from the sealing clamp in the bail, such that you can see it easily (the rubber tab should point slightly down if you’ve achieved a good seal) and so that it is easier to open the jars when it comes time to enjoy your preserves (pull lightly on the tab, away from the jar, and the rubber gasket will release, releasing the lid).
- While a seal generally happens within minutes (or seconds) of removal from the canner, jars can take up to 24 hours to seal. Try not to disturb jars, especially those of jams or jellies that need to ‘set’ for about a day. If a jar does not seal, you can stick it in the fridge and use within a month, or re-heat the preserve to boiling and process again in clean, sterilized jar.
- Do taste your preserves prior to canning; I often forget this part and then wish I had added a pinch of salt, a bit of cayenne pepper, or a splash of lemon. Taste as you go, remembering that as preserves age, certain flavors mellow & blend, while others will come to the forefront. It’s always interesting to me to see how a preserve changes over time; I’m always learning.
- Once you’ve established a good seal, do protect your preserves from light while in storage. Light will leach the color out of many bright jams, salsas & chutneys which leaves them looking surprisingly unappetizing.
- Always, always label & date, even if it is just a scrawl on masking tape. I often find myself making a small batch, 1 jar maybe, and sticking it in the fridge, only to come across it (some unspecified amount of time later) and have no idea what it is or when I made it.
STORE
As mentioned, a cool dark place is the best for storing your canned jars. Try to use home-canned food within one year (hence dating the labels is key). While I do have some jars on my shelf that are older than a year, I definitely do not keep them 2 years; home-canned foods are not heated to the high temps of industrial foods (250 degrees F) and are not intended to last forever. Remember, you are preserving the harvest against the coming winter, not stocking up for nuclear winter.
SEASON
You can can (ha!) year-round, but most canning happens between June-October, following the harvest as berries, peaches & plums, tomatoes, cucumbers, apples and other goodies ripen and mature.
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I’ve canned strawberry jam (for the first time), using certo. I did not put the jars back in the canner. I just filled the sterilized jars, put the sealing lids and rings on and waited for the pop or ping when the jar sealed.
A friend told me to do it this way; she says she’s been doing it like this for several years and no one has got sick yet.
What do you think?
Thanks,
Laurea
Well, that’s the way the used to do it ‘in the old days.’ There are various arguments out there as to how “my Grandmother canned this way for 87 years and no one died.” Strawberries, like most fruit, are pretty acidic, ranging from 3.0 – 3.9 pH. The safe canning limit is a pH of 4.6 or under, so presumably, botulism should not be growing in strawberry jam, regardless of a boiling water bath. However…
I am probably conservative in this regard, but I always process my jam, for the following reasons:
1) The USDA has scientists that test these things. Being a scientist myself, I have faith in data. While I’m sure the USDA leans toward the conservative side of safety, who doesn’t want to be extra safe when it comes to botulism?
2) The pH of foods fluctuates with seasons, growing conditions, variety, etc. The pH of tomatoes has increased over the years, especially with newer varieties, which is why your grandmother could safely can tomatoes without added lemon juice, but we cannot.
3) I give a lot of my jam and other canned goods away as gifts, and to a lot of families with small children. I can’t imagine how horrible I would feel if one of them got sick, or even died, because of a badly canned jar of my food. It definitely makes me a bit more careful than if I were simply preparing it for myself.
4) It’s just a good habit. I sterilize my jars in the canner; the water is already hot – it doesn’t take much effort to pop the jars back into the canner for 10 minutes. The jam has already cooked for a while, so it’s not like I’m compromising freshness of the food (I can understand this argument with pickles). On the off chance that I do not manage to use up my jam within a year, I have the extra security of knowing that the jars were processed and that nothing should be growing. I guess in the end, it is just a risk-benefit scenario; the potential risl of contracting botulism is fairly low, but it exists. The cost of in effort of processing the jam for 10 minutes is low – and worth it to me, for the added security.
For your current batch of jam – it’s probably fine. I would definitely try to keep it in a cool spot and use it within a year. Last year I canned some tomatoes and forgot to add lemon juice; I thought they were probably fine, because I use old, heirloom varieties; but I ended up storing them in the fridge anyway, just in case. Again – why take chances with botulism?
I make a lot of homemade soups, and I want to can some of them. If I make a large pot of chicken corn soup–how do I can it in canning jars? And the same with homemade veg. soup. I would like to have some of this on my shelves this winter. I will be waiting for your quick reply.
Hi Janice,
Unfortunately almost all soups must be canned in a pressure canner. The vegetables, stock, etc. in most soup recipes are low-acid foods and require pressurization to be heated up to 240 degrees F in order to kill all potentially harmful bacteria.
Presumably you could make a soup base that was mainly tomatoes, with acidification (lemon juice, vinegar) etc., and a small amount of low-acid veggies (onions, peppers, etc) and safely can that in a boiling water bath; this could then be added to stock for ‘instant’ soup. However, I do not have a recipe for such a soup base and it is very important to either 1) follow an established safe recipe for home boiling-water bath canning, or 2) be able to accurately measure the pH of your final product – a pH of 4.6 or below is considered safe for home canning in a BWB.
If you do want to explore pressure-canning, the National Center for Home Food Preservation has some good tips:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/using_press_canners.html
And Doris & Jilly http://dorisandjillycook.com/ have a lot more experience than I in this particular area.
Good luck!
localkitchen..
Hi and thanks for your reply. I JUST saw it. I thought I’d be notified by email when and if you replied. (obviously I didn’t check the ‘notify me’ box) Anyway, I searched the internet for answers and came up with the same advise you gave me. I’ve made several batches of jam since and all have been processed for the reasons you suggest.
Thanks again!
Laurea
Hi…the canning bug has bit me. I bought a water bath canner which came with a rack. I bought ingredients for a simple apple/cinnamon jam. I bought 8oz jars for this adventure. I washed the jars and the lids. Right when I got to the point of starting I realized the bath canner rack was for bigger jars. Is there an alternative? Is there a rack I need to buy to use solely for smaller jars?
I am a 34 yo male..and have no idea what the heck I am doing. lol I appreciate any response.
Hi Sean,
If you bought a standard canner & rack (mine is a speckled blue with a metal, 6-space rack with one additional spot for a jar in the middle), then no, that is the rack whether you are using 4-oz, 8-oz, 16-oz or quart jars. Since it is designed to fit up to a quart jar, a smaller jar will not fit snugly, and may tilt a bit in the water. Once the jar is full (of jam, salsa, whatever) usually it will stay upright. The purpose of the rack is mostly to keep the jars off the bottom of the canner, such that they do not rattle against the bottom while the water is boiling, which can break the jars. If you’re canning a small amount, this can also be accomplished without any rack at all; the first time I canned anything (tomato sauce) I used a soup pot and a kitchen towel in the bottom of the pan, under the boiling water, to prevent breakage. Don’t worry if the spaces for the smaller jars seem too big; try to tilt the jars slightly up against the wall of the canner if it seems like they willtip over.
Good luck! And feel free to post any more questions you may have. Happy canning!
Kaela
Hi
I canned some pears 3 days ago in thyme, sugar, pear juice and dry sherry. It was my first solo canning venture (I watched my mother can some peach/brandy jam 2 days earlier). I realized yesterday with horror, that I forgot to sterilize the jars! Do I need to throw out my pears?
jayne
Hi Jayne,
How long did you process the pears for? The sterilization step is not ‘officially’ required by the Ball Book process, since the processing time should kill any bacteria remaining in the jars; therefore, if you had sufficient processing time, you should be OK. Also, how much thyme did you use per jar? Since thyme is non-acidic, any more than a small amount of fresh thyme (one sprig I would guess) could be too much for safe canning.
If in doubt, you can always store them in the refrigerator and use sooner rather than later.
Kaela
Hi,
I just realized I didn’t process my grape jelly after I filled my jars yesterday. Can I still do it, even tho’ they are all at room temperature, or will it ruin my jelly or not work? I used Certo light.
Thanks for any input,
Natalie
Hi Natalie,
Honestly, I’m not really sure. You can certainly re-process jams & jellies that have not set by opening all the jars, heating up again to boiling in a stockpot, and re-canning in sterilized jars. I don’t know about just processing jars of jelly that has already set; you might destroy the set and not get it back again. Did the jelly set? (ie, form a solid?J If not, it would be best to open the jars, pour the liquid jelly back into a stockpot, bring to a boil, add more Certo, and then re-can, with a 10-minute boiling water process.
Did the jars seal? If the jars were sterilized, and they sealed, you are likely in good shape. I would still store in the refrigerator to be absolutely safe, but grape jelly should be acidic enough to prevent bacterial growth.
If the jelly did set, I would store it in the refrigerator and use it within 6 months. I can’t find any good advice for reprocessing jelly that has set.
I came across a recipe for Banana Nut Bread Spread- and then found this step by step guide…Thank You for making my first attempt at canning a success! It was satisfying to hear the “pings”- one after the other…knowing I did it right. Thank you again.-’Chelle
Hi Chelle, and welcome!
I’m so glad that you found the canning instructions useful. I could not in good conscience including canning recipes on the site without a detailed explanation of the process (although it was a bit of a pain!). So I’m glad you’ve gotten some use of it.
I would caution you, however, to make sure that your Banana Nut Bread Spread recipe is from a reputable source if it suggested home canning. I only mention it because I rarely hear of home-canned bananas (probably because they do not grow in this country), and bananas are, like tomatoes, right on the edge of “safe” pH in terms of boiling water bath canning, with a reported pH of 4.5 – 4.7 (safe is 4.6). The USDA is usually my go-to source for these types of questions, but they do not have any information on canning bananas. Remember that, even if the jars sealed, if you canned a low-acid food by boiling water bath it is NOT safe, and could potentially develop botulism. Some acidification in your recipe (lemon juice, vinegar, etc) could ensure that the recipe was safe to can at home.
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Fantastically helpful post!
Some follow-ups:
1) The question of whether or not to “process” your jams/jellies is more about the seal than botulism. If you’re looking at a jar of fruit and sugar, it’s not going to get botulism–but the question is whether you’ll get a good enough seal just using hot jars and hot food w/o a hot water bath. If you don’t have a seal, other bacteria (not necessarily botulism) can get in. I used to skip this step, but found that, fairly regularly, only about half of my jars sealed. Now I suck it up, do a 10 minute water bath, and everything seals, and I don’t have to worry about finding an unsealed jar in my basement four months later.
2) The Ball web site says don’t both sterilizing if you’re processing more than 15 minutes. Makes sense to me.
3) Ah, pressure cooking. Really, it’s not so scary once you get used to it, assuming you have the proper equipment. I’ve got step-by-step instructions, with pictures, here:
http://dorisandjillycook.com/2009/02/18/canning-chicken-stock/
Happy canning!
This is great! I was wondering if you would take in a student, and now I can just read your thoughts here
Great post!
Kel – I’d be happy to teach you in person, but you’ll have to wait ’till July.
I tried to can pickles tonight and I believe I messed them completely up. My jars cooled off while I waited for my water to boil. When I put them in the boiling water, it cooled my water off. I took them out after about 8 minutes (it called for 5 minutes) but the water still wasn’t boiling.
I took the temp of the water and it was around 210.
I heard one seal ping shut, but none of the others. Some of them seem to have a seal, but most of them are too hot to really check.
If they seal, are they okay?
If I have to reprocess, do I bring the cucumbers and liquid to a boil or do I drain the juice, boil it and pour it back over the cucumbers (new jars of course)?
Thank you!
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Once the green beans have been processed, used hot water bath method, the thing is I thought I only processed them for 25 minutes last year. Found out later, 24 hours later that I processed them for 2 hours. Can I change lids with new ones then re-process them for the 2 hours ?
Hi Curious,
Green beans are a low-acid food, so unless you are pickling them in vinegar, they are not safe for water-bath canning. Two hours sounds like a REALLY long processing time (never heard of one that long for water-bath, actually) so you may be using an out-moded recipe.
If they’ve only been at room temperature for 24 hours, they are probably still viable; you could remove them all from the jars, rinse off well, and then pickle them (try this three-bean pickle recipe from Ball) or you could pressure-can them. Check out Doris & Jilly’s blog for pressure canning info:http://dorisandjillycook.com/ .
Hi Kaye,
Sorry I missed your comment while I was in the wilds of South Africa.
I’ll try to answer your questions:
-Sometimes if you place cold-packed jars into the water bath canner, it can take quite a while (15 – 30 minutes) to bring the water back to a full boil. This is why most recipes tell you to start the ‘clock’ of your processing time once the canner has returned to a full boil; THEN start counting your 5 minutes.
-Alternatively, since pickles are basically swimming in a bath of vinegar, there is no real danger of botulsim; the processing is done to effect a good seal. I sometime do not process pickles at all, but simply pour boiling brine over room temp pickles packed into a hot, sterilized jar.
If your jars sealed, they are fine.
If you want to reprocess (although, by now I assume the point is moot!), you can replace the lids and reprocess the room temp jars in a water bath, making sure you start the clock once the bath comes to a full boil (which can take a LONG time), or you can drain out all of the brine, bring it to a boil, then pour back over the cucumbers, affix new lids, then either water bath process or simply allow to seal at room temp.
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hello! i’m glad to have found this thread as I have a question.
i made two batches of jam last night (apricot and plum) and, in haste, forgot to process the jars after i put the lids and rings on. i had sterilized the jars in boiling water for at least 15 minutes beforehand, and put boiling hot jam in each jar.
all the jars “popped’ last night and this morning i pressed all the lids to see if they had sealed and they did.
from reading a few posts in this thread, it seems that because the lids all sealed and i poured the hot jam into hot-and-ready boiled jars with lids that i might be okay not re-processing them. thoughts?
also, i used a low-sugar pectin so the sugar level in the jams is less than what a typical recipe calls for.
any advice?
thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Nia
Hi Nia,
Since you packed hot jam into sterilized jars, as long as you got a good seal, I think you are fine. Certainly there is no danger of botulism with an acidic fruit jam; your shelf life may not be as long as it could be, especially with reduced sugar, so if you wanted to be doubly sure of a long shelf-life (>1 year) you could re-process to be on the safe side.
USDA would tell you that “flip-and-seal” (essentially what you did – packing hot jam into clean jars and allowing to seal without a water bath) is unsafe, but there is very little risk of spoilage using sterilized jars & boiling jam, and the only risk is mold, not botulism.
Hope that helps!
Kaela
Hi! Thanks for all the info! I have never canned anything before and want to make some tomato-based chutney for family members for Christmas. I am having a lot of trouble finding information about using twist-off jar lids, like the ones on a lot of commercial products. (Like this: http://www.jamjarshop.com/shop/product.asp?catid=7&pid=8). How do you seal these properly and can I do it with a water bath if I am making this recipe? http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1158/mary-berrys-christmas-chutney Thanks so much in advance, I don’t want to poison my relatives but also don’t want to have to buy expensive equipment just starting out!
Hi Samantha,
Welcome! Glad you’ve found the post useful. As for your twist-off jar question: unfortunately your jamshop link defaults to the front page of their site, but I assume you mean something like this: http://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=16
The problem with these types of lids is that it is not always easy to tell if they are suitable for water-bath canning. I can understand if you want something prettier than your average hardware Ball jar for your Christmas presents, but, especially as you are a begginer canner, to ensure a good, tight seal, I would really recommend going with a 2-piece band & lid jar, the Jarden brand that you can find at most hardware stores. These are quite economical, usually about $8 – $10/dozen. If you really want to use a screw off lid, Quattro Stagioni makes some that are safe for a water-bath:http://www.amazon.com/Bormioli-Rocco-Quattro-Stagioni-Canning/dp/B000V9ZRG2 (although I have had difficulty in achieving a good seal with these).
As for the chutney recipe: on first glance, I would worry about the level of acidity. There is a high proportion of low-acid ingredients (onions, peppers, etc.) to tomatoes & vinegar. But it seems that many people in the comments have made this chutney and it has stored well. Make sure that you do not reduce the amount of tomatoes or vinegar in the recipe (or increase the amount of onions or peppers). For safety’s sake, I might consider upping the vinegar to 350 mL.
Happy canning!
Hi there. A friend and I made b&b pickles tonight and after we had gotten all of the ingredients cut and ready we realized that another friend has our water bather. We brought brine and cucumbers just to a boil (there was also onion and green and yellow bell pepper) then packed into sterilized jars, wiped rims and put on sterilized lids. We have them on the counter and are hearing them pop. Is this properly sealed or will we need to store them in the refrigerator? Thanks for your help!
Hi Firsttimer,
The water bath for acidic foods likes pickles and jams is essentially designed to *ensure* a good, long-lasting seal (in case the contents when loaded into the jar are not hot enough to drive out all of the air in the headspace and create a good vaccuum). I will admit that sometimes I skip this step, especially for pickles, if I want them to remain super-crisp; your jars are perfectly safe as long as you have a good seal. (I should point out that the USDA does not recommend this type of seal, but it is done safely in many other countries around the world).
Although I have not yet had this happen to my jars, I’ve heard that jars sealed without a water bath have a higher fail rate, so be sure to store the jars without the screwbands on them; then if the seal fails it will be easy to notice because the lids will pop off your jars.
Hope that helps,
Kaela
What a helpful post! I tried canning for the first time last month, and it seemed to be a success. However, when I removed the jars from the water bath, there was still a pool of water on the lid; do I just leave that there until they seal or is there a way to remove the water without disturbing the integrity of the sealing process? I haven’t been able to find this addressed anywhere so any insight you can provide would be appreciated.
Thank you!
Hi Cfox,
Yes, the little pool of water is pretty standard. In fact, it shows you did a great job in getting your jars out of the canner without too much tilting! Sometimes, I will sort of jog the jar back & forth over the top of the canner, without tilting (and being careful not to disturb the contents) to get some of that excess water off, but there is really no need. It will usually evaporate overnight as the jars cool & seal. However, if it bugs you, you can always gently lay a kitchen towel over the tops of the jars; allow the water to soak in without pressing down on the lids (although once the lid has pinged you can press *gently* without fear of disturbing the seal).
Happy canning!
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Can someone please tell me how long I leave spinach in the hot bath canner after steaming and filling jars ?
Hi Frances,
Spinach cannot be safely canned in a hot water bath, unless you are making pickled spinach (adding enough vinegar for safe acidity).
Spinach can be safely canned in a pressure canner, but I don’t have one so I’m not familiar with those procedures.
Hope that helps,
Kaela
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I read instructions incorrectly and did not totally immerse the jars in water during processing. The water was to the rimm of the jars. I processed for the time called for in the directions and they all sealed. Is this OK? I did this for both peach jelly and peach butter.
Hi Jo,
It’s not ideal, but as long as the jars sealed, you should be fine. The seal might not be the strongest, so you might want to move those to the front of the pantry and use them sooner rather than later, but as long as the seals holds they will be fine for room temp storage.
Cheers,
Kaela
I am so happy to have found this page. Seeing some of the posts makes me feel not so uncanned. I have been canning Jams and Jellies for a few years and have used liquid pectin. This year I have had a batch of strawberry rhubarb not set and found this way to fix. It is not the same as the one I keep finding on all sites I have visited today ( it worked). I have 6 batches of concord grape jelly that has not set ugghhhh. What am I doing wrong? The only difference from years past is the grapes were harvested before the first frost. Thanks for any info.
HI Margo,
The natural amounts of pectin in fruit can fluctuate according to differences in the growing season: amount of sun, rain, etc. Usually underripe fruit has more pectin; overrripe fruit less. It sound like you harvested your grapes earlier than usual, but did they seem quite soft and/or overripe to you? That could be part of the reason. I don’t use a lot of commercial pectin, but I’m a big fan of using a thermometer (the set point is 8 degrees above the temperature of boiling water, or 220 degrees on an accurate thermometer at sea level), or other methods to test the set, like the frozen plate test or frozen spoon test. You can also try letting those Concord grape jars sit still for a week or two; sometimes the set can take quite a while to form: they may surprise you and set up eventually.
Hope that helps,
Kaela
Kaela,
thanks for getting back to me. The grapes were fine except for an earlier harvest than usual. They tasted so yummy. I am going to let it sit and see what happens they are sealed so I can try to thicken at a later time if it doesnt set. Just so disappointed I never have had this problem until this year. The kitchen is like a science class never exact.
thanks again
Margo
Kaela,
To my surprise the grape jelly has finally set. It is a very soft set but still the same. Ater it has been in the refrig it jells right up nice. Thanks for telling me to wait it out.
Margo
i boiled jars befor pickling and a day or two after i noticed a thin milky white film on the bottom inside the jars.what is this,is it harmful and should i throw out the pickles?
Hi April,
No worries, it’s perfectly safe: that white film is hard water deposits, caused by minerals in your water supply precipitating our of the water upon boiling. You can eliminate this by adding a tablespoon or two of white vinegar to your canner water whenever you heat jars or can.
Kaela
Help! I’m officially freaking out. I had a large batch of ping pong ball sized glden tomatoes (our garden went kind of berzerk (sp?) this year) as well as a nice big butternut squash that needed to be used up, as it was hogging my counter space. So I whipped up a yellow tomato sauce, incorporating both the butternut squash and onions, celery, seasonings etc. I added some white wine as well, and canned the batch using a hot water bath as per the instructions in the Ball cookbook. Yes, I added two tablespoons of store-bought lemon juice, sterilized the lids etc. Now I’m reading on some web sites that it’s unsafe to can anything other than plain tomato sauce, and other sites have me concerned about canning squash without using a pressure canner. What to do? My sauce tasted great and I put an awful lot of work int it. Please advise. I’ve just started canning the past couple of years with a heavy emphasis on tomatoes, and now I’m completely scared! Laura
Oops, a clarification: That would be two tablespoons of lemon juice per quart-sized jars, as per the Ball Book directions, processed for 40 minutes once the water got back to a boil. Sorry about the typos to.
Hi Laura,
Sorry to say that your sauce is likely unsafe for water-bath canning. If you know the amount of low-acid ingredients (squash, celery, onions, etc.) as compared to the amount of tomatoes, you could compare to a tested recipe to determine if your sauce is safely acidic. Here is a recipe to look at: http://localkitchenblog.com/2010/08/25/garden-vegetable-tomato-sauce/
However: according to the USDA, there is NO safe method for water bath canning of winter squash. The only approved method is pressure canning of chunks. This is a density issue: winter squash is dense and heat takes a long time to penetrate either cubes or puree. Since the squash is low acid and too dense for heat to penetrate in a water bath, it would be considered unsafe by most standard canning practises.
If your butternut squash is cubed, and did not break down into a puree during the cooking of the sauce, you could likely can the tomato sauce safely in a pressure canner if you have one.
If the jars have been at room temp storage for only a day or two, my recommendation would be to pop all the jars, bring the sauce to a full boil and boil for 15 minutes or so (this should kill any botulinum toxin that may have developed in that time, although it will not destory the spores themselves); then re-package and store frozen.
If the jars have been at room temp for a week or longer: sorry to say but I would dispose of the sauce.
Do not put in compost and make sure to dispose where animals cannot get at it.
Hope that helps. Please let me know if you have further questions.
Kaela
I have got to tell to you all I love this page. I haave learned some things and just dont feel so alone in canning (which is a lost art). While reading a couple things today I am now wondering have I been playing with fire? I have been canning 5/6 years do mainly jellies but have done seasoned stewed tomatoes (tweaked this a bit) and I hot boil pumpkin puree, and sour krout, there are other things but these are a winter staple in our house. I even make pumpkin bread in canning jars. I did not realize there was a ratio of acid to low acid. I usually follow recipes from the ball book or The New York Times Cook Book from 1961, and a few others. But the canned pumpkin is from a collection of recipes from the Lancaster County Amish Recipes its not an acual book. We are still alive and have never gotten sick. Should I post the recipes? If anyone is interested. Margo
Hi Margo,
Canning safety recommendations change over the years, as we learn more about the types of bacteria that can make us sick, and as industrialization of farms has changed the nature of the produce we put-up. For instance, one of the main reasons that it is now recommended to add extra acid (lemon juice) to tomatoes or tomato sauce is that the types of tomatoes mainly grown & sold today are less acidic than heirloom varieties grown 40 or more years ago.
As for the pumpkin and pumpkin bread: the USDA takes a hard stance on pumpkin and winter squash, and considers no pumpkin safe for canning in a water bath (other than pumpkin pickles, with added vinegar brine) and no pumpkin puree safe for canning at home, even in a pressure canner. The reason for this is that pumpkin puree is both low acid (with a pH of about 6.0, while safe pH for water bath canning is below 4.6) and too dense for the heat of a water bath or pressure canner to penetrate all the way to the center of the jar. Other countries do not take such a stance on pumpkin, but you generally see it combined with lemon juice or other acidic ingredients in order to make it safe for canning in a water bath.
I really do suggest that you check out a more recent book on canning and take a look at the recommendations. It may be that your recipes are perfectly safe: perhaps you already add lemon to your pumpkin puree, and leave it thin enough for adequate heat distribution; but it may also be that you’ve been lucky so far. We all want to preserve the thing that we want, the way we want them, and I’ll be the first to admit that at times I think the USDA’s recommendations are overly conservative: but no one wants botulism. I think the key is to educate ourselves and learn how to can the food we want deliciously and safely.
Kaela
Kaela,
thank you so much for your info. Fire is not a good thing to play with. I think it might be time to invest in some good containers for the freezer. A trip to a book store might not be a bad idea either.
The pumpkin does not get vinegar. It is just puree and you boil in jars for 3 hours. So fire or freeze? I think its 3 hours less work and piece of mind.
thanks so much for all you helpful info.
Margo
I canned salsa using a boiling bath method. I just realized that I don’t remember adding the vinegar. THe jars have been sealed and at room temperature for 5 days. Is it safe to eat or is there anything that I can do to salvage it?
Hi Vanessa,
Definitely not safe to eat as it is. The conservative approach is to assume the salsa has been impacted, that botulism may be present, and to discard accordingly: do not throw in compost, but double-bag then put in your trash where animals cannot access. However, I will admit, that I would probably, after only 5 days, do the following: pop alll jars, dump salsa into one large pot, add vinegar, bring to a boiil and boil at least 15 minutes (this should destroy any botulinum toxin that may have been produced, then can as per recipe instructions. Please understand that this would not be considered ‘safe’ by USDA standards, but is based upon the assumption that relatively little botulism, if any, should be produced in 5 days, and any that would be produced should be destroyed by a 15-minute boil.
Hope that helps,
Kaela
And I should have added, if you are not *sure* that you added vinegar, but you might have done so, you could purchase a pH meter, puree one jar of salsa, and check the pH. A safe pH will be below 4.6 (I would feel comfortable with about 4.2 or so, to account for variability); anything higher than that needs to be tossed or boiled, acidified and re-processed.
Great, I will add the vinegar and reprocess today. I just hate to lose it all and I would feel safe doing that. Thanks!
Hello I am new to this canning stuff. I want to make sure my home made bbq sauce is ok for a boiling bath method. It calls for ketchup, worcestershire sause, brown sugar, mustard, and pepper. I guess i would like to know if it would be a hight enough acid. What do you think? Please help, Pam
Hi Pam,
Pepper as in black peppercorn, or pepper as in fresh bell peppers? If it is black pepper, your recipe should be fine, but just to be on the safe side, I might add in a bit of cider vinegar to be absolutely sure it is acidic enough. The amount would depend upon how much BBQ sauce you are making.
Hope that helps,
Kaela
Thanks for the quick reply. My recipe makes three 16oz mason jars so how much cider vinegar would you suggest? And do you think it will change the flavor of the sauce very much? Pam
Most BBQ sauce recipes include vinegar, because you need to safely acidify the tomatoes. Ketchup generally has vinegar as well, but if it is commercial ketchup, it was likely pressure canned at very high temperatures, so we can’t be sure that the acidity is high enough for safe water-bath canning. My homemade ketchup recipe makes about 7 cups and calls for 1 and 1/2 cups of cider vinegar. That would be my recommendation for your BBQ sauce recipe. The vinegar will make the sauce more tart, so you may want to taste and increase the amount of sugar to your liking.
Kaela
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I made your lemon-lavender marmalade recipe and immediately after closing the lids on the jars, I realized I had forgotten to bang the jars to get rid of air bubbles. I opened them, did the banging, and re-closed them using new, sterilized lids. I then put the jars in the processing, boiling bath for 15 minutes. I did not change the jars — only the lids. Will the marmalade keep? The jars did their little “ping” but now I’m worried my jars may not have been sterile enough for long-term storage. (Thanks a lot!)
Hi Andree,
Your marmalade will be fine. Marmalade is so very acidic that even if you had not bothered to bang the jars to remove air bubbles, you would be fine: there is no way botulism or mold is going to grow in a marmalade. I’m not sure if when you opened the jars, they had already sealed? If not, there was no reason to use new lids, FYI. You only need new lids once they have been processed in a water bath, or self-sealed from the heat of the jar, since the red rubber ring on the inside of the lids is only designed to form a seal once. At any rate, your marmalade is perfectly safe.
Kaela
Thank you so much for your prompt (and informative!) reply. Be well.
hi my question is can I just cut up rhubarb and pour a sugar syrup over it then process in a water bath
Gail,
There is a recipe for canning rhubarb in sugar syrup here: http://localkitchenblog.com/2010/04/29/preserving-rhubarb/
Hi, do you, or anyone else know of a good, safe, cream corn recipe that can be used for canning? Thank for your help!
Wow, a helpful post as well as comment section! How kind of you to help so many and to keep answering questions through the years!
I just did my first hot water bath canning of apricot jam. I am going to use your tip of vinegar in the water next time, as the jars are covered inside and out with hard water residue.
I also have plenty of bubbles at the bottom of the jar, even though I did poke a bubble popper inside each jar.
And last, I burnt my jam. But, despite a few black flecks, it still tastes delish. I canned it anyway, this should be fine, yes?
Thanks so much! I’ve only recently found your blog and have enjoyed it thoroughly.
Hi Paige,
I’ve burned many a jam over the years (in fact, there is a recipe for “caramelized” pear jam on the site, because I ended up loving the way it came out!), so yes, yours will be fine. Also, small bubbles are normal and fine – it’s not always possible to get them all out. Sometimes they’ll settle over time, sometimes not: as long as the jars are sealed correctly, your jam is perfectly safe.
Enjoy your canning!
Kaela
Unfortunately, I made Bread & Butter pickles w/o boiling my jars. I had washed them thoroughly & filled them while they were very hot from the faucet. They are then stored in the refrigerator & will be eaten soon. OR, should I throw that batch out ??!! Help – new to canning…..
Chris,
You made what is known as “fridge pickles.” They will last for months refrigerated; most pickle brine is so acidic that nothing (mold, botulism, etc.) can grow within, especially at refrigeration temperatures. So – enjoy your fridge pickles – they are perfectly safe.
Hi there, thanks for your site! I just canned my first batch of tomato juice last night. At the end of the processing time, during which I had an inch and a half of water over the jars and the water was at a rolling boil the whole time, I re-read the recipe which said, “Remove the lid on the canner and…”, which is when I realized that I hadn’t put the lid the pot on for the processing time. Does this mean that the correct temperature might not have been reached reprocessing is required? The lids have all popped and things otherwise look as I expected. Thanks for your help.
Hi Georgie,
The lid on the canner is there primarily to keep the water at a full boil throughout the processing time (although, of course, it also helps to prevent water evaporation). As long as the water maintained a full boil, and the jars were still covered with water at the end of the processing time, your jars are fine.
Whew, thank you! When you’re new at something, you don’t know what’s essential, and what just keeps your stove top from getting splashed on. I’ll put the lid on next time though!
Canned qt. jars of tomatoes in water bath canner, but used an older canning book and only canned them for 15 min after water boiled….are they safe to use?
Hello Carolee,
I’m afraid that 15 minutes is not enough time for processing regardless of how you treated your tomatoes; according to the NCFHP, the minimum time for quarts of crushed tomatoes is 45 minutes in a water bath. Whole tomatoes packed in their own juice should be processed for 85 minutes. The current recommendations (which may not be in your older canning book) also call for acidification of tomato products: you can safely acidify quart jars by adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice per quart. http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE%203%20Home%20Can.pdf
If your jars have not been sitting too long (ie a few days) I would pop them open, add them all to a large kettle, bring to a boil and boil briskly for at least 15 minutes, in order to destroy any botulism toxin that may have potentially formed. Then you can re-can (using fresh lids) and process for the appropriate length of time.
Hope that helps,
Kaela
Thank you so much for getting back to me…however the news is not what I had hoped for….They were canned in september..so I will toss them and learn from this lesson! Thank you, Carolee
It is my first time canning, I was wondering, since I had to slow boil once all the strawberry jam was in the jars with lids on etc, will the jam still be good to eat? The pot I used was just a tid bit too small and had the water up to the brim with the jars just barely submerged. If i would have rapid boiled, water would have gone over the rim. I think I let it boil for like 15 min or so. Jars seemed sealed, they dont pop up when I press down. So I got that at least! Help!
If it’s a plain strawberry jam (no herbs, or anything else low-acid added) you should be fine; for a high-acid jam, the waterbath is really just to ensure a good seal on your lids and to prevent mold. Prevention of botulism is ensured by the acidity of your jam. So if your jars sealed, you are all set, but in future, I’d try to use a taller pot so you can get the water to a good rolling boil, else you run the risk of heat not penetrating all the way to the center of your jars.
I am pickling beets by canning them in pint jars. One of the jars tipped over at the end of the water bath processing because the canning rack handle fell on it and knocked it over. Some of the liquid from inside the jar seeped out into the water. I tightened the lid a bit on this one jar and reprocessed it for another 30 minutes. Do you think this will be okay? Also, when something happens like this and you catch it right away, do you have to process it for the full time again? In other words, could I have processed it this second time for just 10 minutes? I also did not remove the lid, wipe it, add liquid, and put the lid on again. I simply unscrewed the screw band and then re-tightened it (not much liquid seeped out). If the jar doesn’t seal in 24 hours, then I will reprocess it again. Is there harm in doing this 3 times or should I just put the jar in the fridge instead? The directions I was following said to store it in a dry/dark place for 3 weeks before opening and putting in the fridge. If this doesn’t seal properly, will they still do their pickling thing if I store the jar in the fridge for 3 weeks? Thanks for your expertise!
Hi Erica,
I’ve never pickled beets, but let me try to tackle your questions one at a time: 1) I’m sure your jar will be OK, safety-wise. If it does not seal, I would put it in the fridge. At this point, following a water-bath, the 3 week waiting time is simply to allow brine and vegetables to infuse each other and for the vinegar ‘bite’ to mellow a bit. In other words, it’s for flavor (not fermenting or anything to do with safety) so you can easily eat them before the 3 weeks is up: just taste one and see if it tastes good & pickly to you. 2) If I had caught it right away, as in within about a minute, I would have just stood the jar up again without doing anything else, and let it finish the processing time: no need to add another 10 minutes as siphoning (when interior liquid seeps out) is common and not a great cause for concern. As long as the vegetables are still mainly covered by brine (there’s almost always a little bit of floating), and the jar seals, the beets will be fine. The concern is that small particles of food may have seeped out with the brine and will prevent a seal: however, if this happens, as I said, I’d just stick the beets in the fridge. The reason I would not recommend a re-process for 30 minutes is that the texture will suffer (ie get mushy). That said, there’s no harm, safety-wise, in re-processing with fresh lids if you are determined. 3) If you had opened the jar and added fresh brine, *then* you would need to re-process for the full 30 minutes again (as you’ve potentially introduced new bacteria by opening the jar).
I hope all that helps. Let me know if you still have questions or if there was anything I missed.