Canning question

[kbarrett]

I made some dill pickles on Saturday. I had mostly quart jars available and since I don't have a pot large enough to water bath I planned on just refrigerating them. I have pulled out 2 jars so far that had a great seal- just from adding the boiling juice to my packed jars. If I do the lid test and find no play do you think they're ok to pull out of the fridge and store in the pantry without the water bath?
I do need to invest in a good canning pot and rack!

 

[jomoncon]

In a word - NO. The jars may have sealed from the heat of the boiling juice, but the contents were not sterilized. The boiling water bath not only seals the lids, but also kills any bacteria present.

On the other hand, our mothers & grandmothers processed pickles like you did for generations.

 

[kbarrett]

Thank you! I have left them in the fridge. Maybe I'll get out to pick up a canning pot for the next batch. I love the idea of canning my garden veggies to save room in my freezer, I just haven't been brave enough to try it

 

[wyoDreamer]

Canning is time consuming, but easy peazy. Follow the directions, keep everything clean and you will be good to go.

 

[donrae]

Agree I wouldn't do it, and I'm fairly loose with food safety at times. Just keep them in the fridge and eat them.

Big canning pots abound at the thrift/junk stores around me. You might look around there and pick one up for a couple of dollars.

 

[kbarrett]

I do want to try, I'm not sure why I've been so intimidated- maybe I've been worried about wasting a crop by messing it up? As far as the time consuming part, everything I put up from the garden to the freezer is lots of work but sooooo worth it! There's nothing like pulling out beans or peas or strawberry jam in the middle of winter

 

[kbarrett]

That's a great idea about the thrift shops, I'll have to check them out!

 

[jomoncon]

You're so right about freezing is almost as much time as canning. Last year, I grew field peas for the first time and froze all of them in gallon bags. During the year, I'd pull a gallon bag out of the freezer, and then have to cook them, and then maybe freeze the leftover, since it's just DH & me. This year, I was brave enough to can them. Now, I can just open a jar, heat & eat!. I was like you, thought I might ruin the crop if the canning didn't come out right. So I did just a small load at first, and they were delicious!

You do realize that beans & peas need a pressure canner? Most veggies are low-acid so they need to be processed under pressure. Unless they have additional acid (vinegar) added, like in pickles or salsa. For years, I canned only jams & jellies. 2 years ago, I finally got over my fears & got a pressure canner, and a whole new world opened up for me & my canner!!

And any pot that's big enough can be used for a boiling water bath canning pot. So don't limit yourself to only those pots labeled as canning pots. Just put a rack of some sort at the bottom & you're good to go.

I do want to try, I'm not sure why I've been so intimidated- maybe I've been worried about wasting a crop by messing it up? As far as the time consuming part, everything I put up from the garden to the freezer is lots of work but sooooo worth it! There's nothing like pulling out beans or peas or strawberry jam in the middle of winter

 

[wyoDreamer]

Last year I used my large saucepan as a boiling water bath on some 4 oz. jars of a recipe I was trying for the first time. I halved the recipe and then made sample jars for us and family to see if we liked it. I like those little jars - will need to buy a bunch more. Sometimes, all you need is a little bit of something, like the plum sauce that I make. A 4 oz jar will baste a pork roast, be used as a dipping sauce for grilled chicken or be just enough for stir-fry for 2.

 

[donrae]

I use quarts for most things, cause we're big eaters. But I like having the little jars on hand for ends and pieces, so to speak. You know, that last little bit of salsa or whatever that won't fill a big jar. I used to just put that in the fridge, but I've started using the small cute jars and then they're easy for single meals or gifts.