Canning Mistakes... guidance requested

[DawnSuiter]

http://extension.usu.edu/utah/htm/fcs/food-preservation-canning/usda_home_canning is where I got the 65 minutes for baked beans...
The Ball book has a couple different recipes... 80 for boston baked beans... 65 for beans with pork & tomato sauce...
I followed a recipe in the Blue Ribbon Preserves book also from the library...

 

[Katy]

Ok...I see. I've never dealt with one of those kind of canners before.

I'd just make sure about getting the air bubbles out, keeping the lids hot until you put them one and making sure you wipe the top of the jar really well so the lid has a good area to seal down to.

 

[DawnSuiter]

air bubbles, hot lids, clean rims... got it


what about the time difference in cooking recipes... do I have too many books?

 

[Ridgerunner]

With pressure canning, you need a minimum water level before you start. I have a 30 quart pressure canner and usually add three or four pints more than the minimum level shown in my canner. I find this helps stabilize the temperature as well as make sure I have plenty of water for steam. More mass should equal more stable heat. With pressure canning, I don't think it matters if the jar is covered or not. I've done it both ways.

Headspace and removing the air bubbles are important. I use a plastic knife to remove the air bubbles. I tried using a plastic chopstick but it was too thick for some things, like pickles and green beans. The plastic knife works well for me.

Are you using a gauge or one of those weights set at a certain pressure? If you are using a weight, you shouldn't have this problem, but a big pressure swing, way high then low, can cause the contents to come out. My altitude adjusted recommended pressure is 11 pounds. I use a gauge and try very hard to keep the pressure between 11.5 and 12.5 pounds. Sometimes it is harder than others. I don't know why.

When the process is over, do you let the pot cool on its own? You need to keep the pressure canner closed until the pressure drops to atmospheric on its own. When time is up, I move the pressure canner off the eye and let it cool. Once it drops, I usually wait 10 more minutes to take the lid off, just to make sure. If the pressure drops too fast, the product will come out.

How tight are your rings? They need to be tight without being really tight. I crank them down fairly tight but don't overdo it. Some excess air in the jar needs to escape so it will seal, but too loose and you can lose product. Hard to explain.

I also use new lids and reuse the rings. I inspect the lids when I wash them but have never found one that was damaged. I have found brand new rings damaged, though.

Hope this helps some.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Well.. I will try all this advice over the next 2 small batches...
I fasten the rings down pretty well I'd guess, but considering I've never preheated the lids.. that might be a BIG part of my problem!

As instructed in one of these darn books...
Once cooking time is over, I move the cooker to an empty burner on the stove and wait. It takes a good couple of hours for the steam to go away

It never seems like enough water, that's for sure... it has a little line I'm supposed to fill up to and then add the jars... always seems like I should add a bit more...

 

[biddyboo]

The guide book that came with my Presto Canner suggests that liquid can escape during the canning process if jars are overloaded, packed too tightly, so you might watch that you are not doing that. Other hints given that cause liquid to be lost during canning: insufficient exhaust time/sudden lowering of temperature in the canner--do not take off or jiggle pressure regulator to quicken exhaust time; allow the air vent/cover lock to drop and pressure to be completely reduced; be sure to adjust jar lids per manufacturer's instructions. Good luck with all your future canning. It's such a pleasure to see those shelves filled with jars of food put away for the year! ~G

 

[DawnSuiter]

Quote:
How do I know how much product to fill each jar with? The only packing advice I recall is for the pickles.. pack as tightly as possible... if that is even correct.

I've read the entire canning thread.. yes every single page... it seems to me that my jars look like everyone elses... I don't know... I'll try a few jars today of potatoes.. since I can reuse them immediately if things go wrong... I'll try and packing a couple different densities along with all the other stuff I learned today and see what happens I guess.

and re read my canner's book again, thanks biddy!

 

[bonnylass79]

Are you hot packing? That can make a big difference and helps remove air bubbles. Basically, make sure your liquid is boiling when you add it to the jars. With the first batch, it sounds like the jars were over full. You want to have about an inch of head space when pressure canning. You can still pack them tight, but make sure the contents do not fill the jar above the fill line. Losing some liquid is not a big deal. You may get some discoloring if the contents extend above the liquid, but it is still good. With the second batch it sounds like they either had an air bubble or weren't processed long enough.

Make sure you keep the weight on the vent pipe until the pressure reads zero. Jars need to cool slowly or you will lose more liquid. Metal cans should be cooled quickly in order to seal.

As for water level when pressure canning, it should not cover the jars. I don't have my book in front of me, but I want to say the water should not be more than halfway up the jar. I usually only cover the bottom couple inches of the jars.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Ok... good news!
I re-read my canner book as recommended and I had something backwards!! I CAN can Quart jars... I can't hot water BATHE quarts! THAT IS SUCH GREAT NEWS!!!! Figures I would mix it all up! YAY

And.. the canner is de-pressurizing right now from 4 pints of potatoes... wish I had reread hot water bath section earlier.

I didn't pack them as tight as I would have, this time I saw bubbles moving around & coming up
I pre heated the lids in a pot on the stove
I carefully poured the water in not to create any more bubbles

time will tell

 

[jenjscott]

THE BIGGEST MISTAKE most people make is forcing the lowering of the pressure. If you release the pressure too fast, then the high pressure in the canning jar will spew all the juice out of the bottles, which is what you are describing. You need to let the pressure come down gradually.