What did you do in the garden today?

[Ascholten]

I did applesauce for the first time this fall. I think they leaked a bit after I go them out of the canner, I think, i noticed the outside of the jars a bit sticky the next day... But the seal seems great. I left an inch of clearance, but now the applesauce is touching the lid and there is an inch or so of liquid at the bottom of the jar.
I hope they are ok.

Press down on the lid see if it pops. If it does then there is a problem.
Id say some liquid on the bottom might be normal as it will naturally settle out a bit but if it's expanding to take the space up and pressing ont he lid, that sounds like some sort of fermentation going on, or anerobic bacterial oogey boogey you don't want.

Keeping that sealing area clean is the most critical part. That would be the top of the lip of the jar and the little rubber ring?? it touches on the bottom of the lid. Anything in there is just inviting issues later on. If you vaccuum seal bags, it's the same thing, if you got food dust or particles in that area where it's going to heat seal it, it has a very good chance of leaking and letting air in with whatever else is in the air.

Aaron

 

[Badchickenpun]

Press down on the lid see if it pops. If it does then there is a problem.
Id say some liquid on the bottom might be normal as it will naturally settle out a bit but if it's expanding to take the space up and pressing ont he lid, that sounds like some sort of fermentation going on, or anerobic bacterial oogey boogey you don't want.

Keeping that sealing area clean is the most critical part. That would be the top of the lip of the jar and the little rubber ring?? it touches on the bottom of the lid. Anything in there is just inviting issues later on. If you vaccuum seal bags, it's the same thing, if you got food dust or particles in that area where it's going to heat seal it, it has a very good chance of leaking and letting air in with whatever else is in the air.

Aaron

I'll check again, but did not feel any popping from the lid, they seem to be keeping a seal.
I just wasn't sure why it "expanded" during the canning processes. As soon as I took them out, the head space seemed to have disappeared.
I will keep a weekly eye on them for sure.

 

[Ascholten]

the space disappearing after removing them, yah that does seem odd. IF anything you'd expect it to grow as things cooled / shrank back down.

I remember my grandmother canning and using canning wax, it seemed more for fruits like berries, and such and having to dig it off the top of the jar of preserves or jam before being able toeat them.

Aaron

 

[Badchickenpun]

the space disappearing after removing them, yah that does seem odd. IF anything you'd expect it to grow as things cooled / shrank back down.

I remember my grandmother canning and using canning wax, it seemed more for fruits like berries, and such and having to dig it off the top of the jar of preserves or jam before being able toeat them.

Aaron

I'll just need to watch them...

 

[LaurenRitz]

I got woodchips yesterday!

 

[Badchickenpun]

I got woodchips yesterday!

 

[jerryse]

Nice sunny day and 55 . The honeybees are out . Been working on the hall floor . Prep is so time consuming . Removing carpet and pad . Staples and trim had to be removed . Taking a break .

 

[WthrLady]

I did applesauce for the first time this fall. I think they leaked a bit after I go them out of the canner, I think, i noticed the outside of the jars a bit sticky the next day... But the seal seems great. I left an inch of clearance, but now the applesauce is touching the lid and there is an inch or so of liquid at the bottom of the jar.
I hope they are ok.

They're fine, open stir and eat.

 

[Sueby]

Interesting. It was still in the canner, I let the pressure release naturally (maybe 30-45 mins), opened the lid & let them sit 10 minutes & that's when it was popping. It was taken out of the canner after the popping was done. I did not leave a bigger headspace, it was probably a bit smaller than the recommended 1 inch for broth. Knowing what you just taught me, I'd have reprocessed this one. But I'm still alive so that's good.

When water boils, it will expand 1580 times it's size. at a very minimum With those jars closed, it has to go somewhere, so it pops and fills the little void with the steam, hence you hear the lid popping up from the bit of pressure it created under them. If you look closely every time the lid pops up you seen a bubble run up to the surface immediately before that event. That steam then cools back down to water, immediately contracts, creating a vaccuum under the lid, and it sucks back down. Given the jar is right @t the boiling point, small amounts will flash in and out as residual heat enters from the pot it's in, and leaves due to the lid being off and natural cooling.

The thing here, every time it sucks in, it has a chance of sucking air in from the outside too, air that can have mold spores and everything else in it, hence giving it a perfect night cozy, place to grow. Leaving them in the pot, with the lid on, does not have to be sealed tight, but on, keeps the entire area surrounding it, hot, YES it takes longer to cool down but the entire surrounding is sterile now, because it's close to boiling temp, so any air that did manage to suck in, has nothing living in it. Eventually the lid sits on the jar, it sucks in, cools, so it sucks a little harder, and seals, then you tighten the screw cap and it's sealed for good now. You do NOT want to leave too big of an air gap on the top because too big of a gap, means when it cools back down to water, there was so much more to condense, so .. so much more room to fill with... something...so itsucks a lot harder. That 'seal' is only good for 5 or 6 inches of vaccuum. If you go pulling say 13 inches because of the excess gap, it WILL suck air in from outside. If this air was in a hot pot, no big deal, if this air was from your countertop area because the jar was taken out, and its cool air, it could be an issue.

Aaron

I have a spatchcocked 20 lb turkey in the oven, it smells so good.

 

[igorsMistress]

Good afternoon gardeners. Nothing outside today, work and such. I did order a few lavender Ameracauna chicks though, should be here the beginning of February. No broody mamas next year, I think 4 or 5 of the 6 chicks Stella hatched are cockerels I caught a cat in the backyard yesterday afternoon and shot it in the behind with a pellet, I know I hit the target because it jumped and almost fell off the wall. If I could trust the dogs not to chase the chickens I’d let them out there, but that’s definitely not a good idea. They could care less about the ducks and cats at the park, but home is something else altogether. Anyway, need to get dinner going, have a great night!