Canning Questions-HELP!! Can I do this?

[Darlene7]

I put 7 pints of chicken (raw chicken) in the pressure cooker, waited the 10 minutes for the venting and put the vent weight on and got it to the 10 I needed to cook at and it cooked about 15 minutes – and then without thinking I took the weight off thinking I had done it wrong and waited for the pressure to go to zero (even took it off the stove). When it got to zero I began the whole process over again with the venting for 10 minutes and then the weight on and cooked for the desired length of time. I don’t know if the jars have exploded or whatever, but I remember now that taking the weight off to soon does something to the pressure in the jars you are cooking. Is there any chance (if the jars and lids have not blown off when I open the cooker) that the chicken is useful or safe for anything? Added this just now, finished cooking and cooling, took the lid off and all 7 pints lids popped, but don’t really know if the meat is safe from my cooking mistake?

• This topic was modified 10 months, 2 weeks ago by ReadyMom.

[ShinigamiGurl]

Sooo… canned fruit I hate the syrup they seem to insist on including and I don’t know how to get the juice when home canning. Canned vegetables I hate the salt.

I’m getting ready to attempt my first batches of canning because my mother broke her ankle and can’t do her share of the shopping. So I’m freezing some of the veggies and fruit I get and canning the rest. I don’t have pickling spices and I don’t have pectin on hand. I don’t intend on creating either jams or pickles. I just want to preserve some of what I buy for later in as close to the condition I bought it in as possible.

Question: Is it possible to use plain water and possibly seasonings in the jar when bath canning?
Question: How do you sterilize jars that used to hold store bought products such as sauces, peanut butter and coconut oil for canning?
Question: How do you make a seal on the old canning jars that close with a wire clasp?

Planning to can today…
Lime juice (including pulp and seeds)
roast peppers
Strawberries

Planning to can saturday…
peaches
zucchini

Planning to can sunday…
Yellow Squash
Spinach

[zazzu]

I was just viewing some canning videos and was appalled at the lack of cleanliness during some of the canning demonstrations.
Some cross contaminated by using the bubble wand for both cooked and uncooked meats without cleaning it or even using a second clean one.
More than a few used what looked like a dirty wet rag that had been laying on the counter for wiping the tops of the jars and some were even carelessly letting the rag touch the contents inside the jars.
One did not even bother to clean the cutting mats after cutting raw meats. They just went ahead and filled the jars setting them right on the mats with grease and raw meat bits still on the mat.
One was even canning right next to a sink full of dirty dishes and another had a lit cigarette in the background.
Maybe I am just overly cautious in not wanting to do anything that will make DH and I sick but I was taught to start with everything absolutely clean, (hands, counters, towels, jars, all utensils etc) and clean as you go.
Only you know how clean you are during your canning sessions.
Now for the what would you do.
Knowing that some people are as I described above and some may even be worse, would you accept and eat a jar of home canned foods? From family? From friends? From acquaintances? From someone you barely know?
How would you know if it was processed correctly or for the correct amount of time? How would you know if they used clean/sterilized jars or practiced safe canning guidelines? How would you know that what they were canning was properly prepared for canning?

I use to think I would but after seeing those videos I probably would not unless I was right there when they were canned. Yes, the high canning temperatures probably kill anything that could possibly make you sick but why would you take the chance?

[xtron]

everyone should have this problem 😀
i just took 6 pints of fresh canned tomato sauce to the basement and found….i have run out of shelf space!! 😯
guess i have to construct a third set of shelves…soon…like tomorrow….
i really thought the first set would be enough…a double decker with room for 135 jars on each deck..
nope…the second was a triple deck with room for 55 jars on each deck….full house…
the problem is not building the shelves, it’s where tyo put them…it is beginning to be a little crowded down there…..and no…digging an expansion is out of the question….
guess i will have to “re-purpose” the study…hope the missus dosen’t object too loudly…. :'(

[ShinigamiGurl]

I tried to can some applesauce in a bath process. but only 3 of the five jars today wanted to form the seal. the last two it took three hours to get them to seal right. One of my jars broke, another the lid floated off when i jiggled the canning rack a little to hurry the air coming out. I’m just lucky the jar didn’t break completely until after i’d poured the contents into a new jar and gone to rinse the jar out and put it in the recycling. The crack it had was around the bottom of the jar and when it broke the bottom just slid off with a little bit of water pressure from the faucet.

The jar lid that had floated off in the canner, i thought i’d poured off all the extra water to give it head space, but when i pulled off the lid the contents had expanded so far there was no headspace left.

Anyway, i added no sugar to the recipe, so there wasn’t much of an opportunity or foothold for bacteria to get in. But I’d like to know what made the jar break so that I don’t go through that hassel again.

Oh the other problem i had was getting the air out of the mix. A knife didn’t do the trick. I had to take the covered jar and rattle it gently back and forth on the table to get the air to get to the top.

In the end, everything came out alright, its just the jar breaking and air bubble mystery i want to solve. Why wouldn’t the bubbles come out with a knife? and why did the jar break? and why did it break where it did?

[Ghoti]

I came across a interesting article while research something else. I thought it summarized potential problems we may face in canning well.

http://www.ibiblio.org/london/rural-skills/food/food-preserving/canning/spoilage.txt

Here’s the text from above link

HOME CANNED FOOD SPOILAGE–WHAT WENT WRONG??

1. Fresh food was decayed, unwashed, unpeeled or untrimmed.
This results in a high microbial load. A larger than normal
number of microorganisms can take a longer processing time for
complete sterilization than is usually recommended.

2. Food packed too tightly in jars. Temperature in the
geometric center of the jar was not high enough long enough to
result in complete sterilization of the food. Pack food loosely,
prepare according to USDA Guidelines (1/2 inch slices, halves,
etc.) then use the recommended time, pressure, temperature.

3. Jars became unsterile soon after being filled. If lids are
not placed on jars and processing is not started immediately
after jars are filled, microorganisms may start to grow and reach
very high levels prior to processing.

4. Inaccurate heat-processing time was used; this may occur if
old recommendations are used (food is underprocessed) or if the
timing was interrupted (power failure, pressure fluctuation,
etc.)

5. Food was not processed at the correct temperature:
A. Pressure Canner (240 F,115 C).
1. Failed to test dial gauge yearly.
2. Failed to exhaust canner 10 min with full steam flow.
3. Failed to make an adjustment for elevation (11 PSIG
versus 10 PSIG in Illinois due to average 1000 above sea
level altitude)
4. Failed to keep pressure accurate (high enough).

B. Boiling Water Bath Canner
1. Water was not covering jar tops by 1″ or more.
2. Water was not maintained at a rolling boil.
3. Processing time was too short.
4. Failed to make an adjustment for altitude (addition of 2
minutes for every 1000 ft above sea level).

6. Use of Open Kettle Canning, Microwave Canning, or Oven
Canning Methods. These methods do not get the canned food hot
enough long enough to destroy microorganisms so the food may
spoil, may contain dangerous microorganisms and their toxins, or
both.

7. Improper cooling of jars after processing:

A. Failure to remove jars from canner at the end of
processing time or when gauge reads “0”. As jars cool, they may
suck water (containing microbes or spores) back into the food.

B. Failure to properly cool jars. Very slow or very rapid
cooling may interfere with formation of a seal.

8. Use of paraffin to seal jelly jars. Paraffin is no longer
recommended for sealing jams, jellies or preserves. Mold, which
is the most common spoilerof sweet spreads, can send “roots” down
along the edge of the paraffin and produce toxic substances into
the spread.

9. Improper storage of home-canned foods:

A. Home canned foods which are exposed to temperatures in
excess of 95 degrees F may spoil. Sterilization recommendations
used for home canning do not necessarily kill some of the
“thermophiles” or heat loving microorganisms. These organisms
tolerate high temperatures and will grow at high temperatures.
If they are still present, they may grow and spoil the food, or
alter the food so that other microorganisms can grow.

B. Home canned foods which are stored in the sunlight may
get very hot inside–the light goes in, changes to heat as it is
absorbed by the food, allows the air in the headspace to expand
breaking open the seal allowing microorganisms to come in.

C. Keeping very acid foods (pickled or fermented products,
some juices) for a long period of time may give the food acid
time to eat away at and deteriorate the lid resulting in pinholes
which allow microorganisms to get into the jar. Discard any home
canned food with damaged or flaking metal on the lid.

D. Lids on home canned foods stored in a damp place may
rust through allowing microbes to get into the food.

Prepared by Susan Brewer
Foods and Nutrition Specialist
Revised,1992
EHE-669

[NJMike]

I’m canning chicken tonight and this stimulated a question I’ve had on the lids that ship with cases of new jars. I’ve generally found most of these new lids to have a partial or full seal on the jars when I’m taking them off to clean/sterilize. There are slight indents or grooves in the seals. I’ve been concerned that would compromise a good seal when I go to use them.

Now I’ve read and follow the practice of not re-using jar lids (of course that’s assuming I have access to new lids forever…) What I have done in my canning is not use these new lids that come with the new jars and instead have been buying separate lids with perfect unblemished sealing rings. The lids with creased seals that came with the new jars I’ve reserved for future use.

Am I being overly paranoid by replacing the new jar lids? Has anyone else encountered new jars with sealed lids and what do you do?

Thanks, Mike

[Darlene7]

I just got my All American 915 pressure canner (15-1/2) – my problem is I don’t understand exactly what I should see before I put my pressure gauge on the vent. I have had the pressure cooker on high for about 1 hour and 10 minutes and I have heard the hissing sound and feel steam on my hand when I put it over the vent, but I do not see any visible steam. Am I suppose to see visible steam for the 7 minutes before I put the pressure weight on the vent – I still see no steam coming from the vent at this point and unsure what to do? Please help me!!! Darlene

[Darlene7]

My husband made chili verde awhile back and we put it in the freezer – it was already cooked. My question is – can you pressure can (cook) thawed, already cooked chili verde – concerned about the fact that it was frozen.

[infinite apocalypse]

Hi, yesterday we canned about ten half pints of blueberry preserves. They had minimal sugar in the preserves, as we like to use as little sugar as possible. They were canned using the water bath method and in canning jars and lids. After they were processed they were forgotten for about an hour and left in the cooling canning water. When we took them out we heard a few pops as they sealed , but I was wondering do you think these are safe to store away?

Or should we reprocess them? And if so would you recommend reopening the jars and cooking everything again and using fresh lids or just reheating the jars? I’m thinking the later method isn’t safe but I’d like some opinions or even better if you’ve had this situation happen to you and have done something similar to rectify it I’d be happy if you would share.

Thanks

[FussyOldHen]

I’m quite new to canning, so there are still things I’m not sure about.

When you’re pressure canning, you really have to keep an eye on the gauge, esp on an electric stove because the thermostat makes the heat go up and down.

When the pressure drops — say from 11 to 8 pounds, as an example — do you guesstimate how long it was below 11, and then add those minutes to the required time? Sweet potatoes, advised time is 65 minutes at 11 pounds pressure. Do I add 10 minutes (or whatever, for a total of 75 minutes) for the time the pressure was below 11?

Yes, I DO come up with some of the darndest questions…. so what’s your point? 😀 :rolleyes:

[Author]

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