Pea soup for canning

[ORChick]

Well, I'm kind of disappointed. Out of the 7 quarts of pea soup that went in the canner only 4 of them sealed :/. I guess thats probably OK for a newbie like me, but it is still disappointing. I know I did all the correct steps - leaving headspace, getting the air bubbles out, wiping the jar lips - just beginner's (bad) luck I guess. Well, in the past the soup has always gone in the freezer; looks like 3/7 of this batch will too. On a positive note, all of the jars of pinto beans appear to have sealed.

 

[HEChicken]

Ummmm...from another newbie: How can you tell if they didn't seal?

 

[ORChick]

If using a two piece lid (flat lids with sealant around the rim, and a ring that screws it down) you will notice after the jar comes out of the canner, and a little time has passed, that the slightly raised center of the flat lid will have been pulled down (into the jar). If this doesn't happen - if you can see that there is still an upward bulge on the lid, or if, when you press down with your finger, the lid goes down and then pops back up - then it is not sealed. If still in doubt, wait till the jar is completely cool, and then unscrew the band. Holding the jar with your fingers just holding the edges of the flat lid, lift the jar just a little bit; if sealed you can do this, if not sealed the lid will come away in your hand.
Don't do any of these things too soon; let the jars cool down, as the sealing takes place over the cool down period. Its best really to just put the jars in a draft free spot, and leave them alone till the next day ... says she, who checked the seal on the peasoup after about 3 hours

 

[freemotion]

Some things to think about: Did you fiddle with the jars at all? Did they cool down slowly, in a draft-free place? If possible, leave 'em right in the canner for the first few hours. Some take longer to seal and a sudden chill can interrupt that, or a bump that hits the jar just right. Handle them gently and as little as possible for the first 24 hours. But sometimes they just don't seal. Oh, and check the rims carefully with a bare finger for any tiny nicks that your eye might miss, before filling them.

HE, the lid dents inward when the jar seals (it creates a vacuum and "sucks" the lid inward) and if you press on the center of each lid the unsealed ones will make a popping noise. You can also lift each jar by the edges of the lid to see if it is on tightly. Just wait 24 hours to do that.

 

[ORChick]

Some things to think about: Did you fiddle with the jars at all? Did they cool down slowly, in a draft-free place? If possible, leave 'em right in the canner for the first few hours. Some take longer to seal and a sudden chill can interrupt that, or a bump that hits the jar just right. Handle them gently and as little as possible for the first 24 hours. But sometimes they just don't seal. Oh, and check the rims carefully with a bare finger for any tiny nicks that your eye might miss, before filling them.

HE, the lid dents inward when the jar seals (it creates a vacuum and "sucks" the lid inward) and if you press on the center of each lid the unsealed ones will make a popping noise. You can also lift each jar by the edges of the lid to see if it is on tightly. Just wait 24 hours to do that.

Looks like we posted at the same time. It is possible that I didn't lift the first couple of jars straight out, but tilted them a bit. I was more careful with the rest of them. And I am leaving them overnight to cool down; I did poke the lids (which I know I shouldn't do) but other than that I have left them alone. We'll see how it goes; the worst that can happen is that the unsealed jars go in the freezer, so I'm not worried.

 

[moolie]

Glad to hear most of them worked out!

Be careful with freezing mason jars, if they are not wide-mouth you need to leave tons of head space for the soup to expand as it freezes--it's often better to freeze in ziplocs or plastic containers to avoid breakage.

 

[MsPony]

Well here's another stupid noobie question, if the seal is that good, how do you open them?

 

[Kim_NC]

I use a small bottle cap opener, shaped like these:

edit: image

 

[ORChick]

Well, I just checked the unsealed jars, and, for the other newbies, here is what I found. The first one, also the first out of the canner, had pea soup under the edge of the lid - this was also the one that I know I tilted a bit while lifting it out of the canner. The second had a ring that I questioned even yesterday, but overlooked my concern as I didn't want to run downstairs. It is a bit rusty/corroded, though it screwed down just fine, wasn't out of shape (and is now in the recycling bin). But I should have followed my first instinct, because it didn't seal (and it isn't as though I don't have dozens of other rings in better condition! I may be new to pressure canning, but I've been water bath canning for 30 years). And the third one? I don't know. It looked fine, but just didn't seal.
Thanks for the warning Moolie. I increased the headspace in the jars before freezing, and DH ate the difference for lunch

 

[Kim_NC]

Good job on the investigating.