Canning questions

[Mattemma]

I got a book on preserving foods.Started looking online. I was reading this one page and it says you need a pressure cooker to kill a bacteria/spore for low acid foods...

http://www.canning-food-recipes.com/canning.htm

Do you really need a pressure cooker to kill off that stuff? Would a squirt of lemon and a hot water bath be enough? I will spend the money if I have too. Don't want to go killing off the loved ones with germy foods!My granny didn't have a pressure cooker,but then again I don't remember WHAT all she canned except for lecso(cooked tomato,onion,and pepper) and whole cherries.

As for the jars do you all use the store jars specifically for canning? I bought a bunch of jellies in these cute little jars with metal screw on lids. Thought I could reuse them to make dh some jams to take on the road.After reading I am not sure I can use any of the jam/pickle jars I have saved.

Thank you ahead of time for sharing your canning wisdom!

 

[moolie]

For low-acid foods what you need is a pressure canner, not just a pressure cooker. Definitely a safety issue, botulism is not something you want to play around with!

When it comes to jars, people do re-use other jars if they fit standard two-part canning lids/rings but there isn't really any way to re-use the lids the jars originally came with--no way to guarantee a proper seal. Traditional canning advice suggests that jars not sold for the specific purpose of home canning will be more likely to break during processing (and I wouldn't use them for pressure canning at all) because they are thinner and meant for one use--commercial processing is different than home canning.

What are you specifically looking to can up? So many of us can, I'm sure we are able give you specific advice on just about any other questions you have

 

[ORChick]

You need a pressure canner (not a pressure cooker) to can low acid foods (veggies , meats). Some people don't use one - *Grandma never did, and we ate her food, and none of us died* - but it is not recommended, and, personally, I wouldn't. But I only just got one this year, after 30 years or so of preserving food. There are a number of ways to preserve foods without a pressure canner. A water bath canner is fine for fruits, jams and jellies, chutneys - things with sufficient acid. Dehydrating and fermenting are also valid, and delicious methods. If you are new to the whole preservation thing I would recommend that you start with the simpler methods, and decide if you even want to preserve the things best done in a pressure canner. DH and I don't like canned veggies much, so I never felt a need to get a pressure canner to can them. Only recently have I realized that there are other things that we do eat that can be canned.

 

[valmom]

Yes, invest in the pressure canner. I have been doing jams and pickles, because I am afraid of the pressure canners! But I am going to bite the bullet this year (if I ever get any peppers and tomatoes) because I want to can my own pizza sauce. I am more afraid of botulism than I am of the canner.

 

[k15n1]

Don't fall into the trap of

I do it this way; I'm not dead yet; therefore, it's safe

The problem with this logic is that there's uncertainty involved. Enough botulinum bacteria must be introduced into the jar and other factors must all be right in order to actually get a dangerous infection.

Last I checked, there were 35 or so per year deaths due to poor canning technique. True, it's infrequent, but why take a chance?

The cost of the canner may be an issue, but it's much less than the cost of a freezer and will last forever with minor maintanence. Anyway, canning is so cheap compared to freezing, your 100-$ investment in a pressure canner will probably pay itself off in the same year.

 

[k15n1]

Is there a difference between a pressure canner and a pressure cooker?

 

[valmom]

I have been told there is- you aren't supposed to "can" in a pressure cooker (but I don't know why), but I suppose you can "cook" in a pressure canner. That's what I hope, anyway, when I buy one. I'm still looking at prices and volume and waiting for the garden to grow.

 

[moolie]

Some more info on pressure canning:

http://missvickie.com/canning/cookercanner.html
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html
http://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/viewdocument.aspx?id=195
http://www.canning-food-recipes.com/canning.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_canning

Lots of good info out there, especially from government and university sources as well as pressure canner manuals (can download the Presto manuals from their website).

 

[Mattemma]

Thanks for the posts and the clarification on the pressure canner/cooker.

I took some tools back to my eldery neighbors,and the wife was canning some strawberries she cooked,so I questioned her a bit too.

She agreed that you need the pressure canner for stuff like green beans.

I think this year if I try it will be strawberries and currant preserves for dh.And for me I want to make the lecso which is tomato/onion/pepper cooked with a wee bit of salt and oil. I love this with fresh baked bread,and sometimes I cook an egg into it.

I might pickle some stuff since I have a lot of dill.

Bummer about the jars. I bought those expensive little jams just for the jars.Maybe I can stick some roasted peppers in them,and cover with olive oil.

 

[JRmom]

I wouldn't worry about your jars for water bath canning. Definitely wouldn't use them for pressure canning, but water bath canning is a lot "gentler" compared to the action going on in a pressure canner and I would use them as long as the lids and rings fit. I have a bunch of old jam and jelly jars that I've been using and I haven't had one break yet. I love them, they have unique shapes compared to the standard Ball jars.