Pressure canning DISASTER

[GardenWeasel]

OK I am still a novice of 1 year pressure canning so I confidently go about setting up my tomato quarts. Now I did successfully can 16 quarts last year so I am not freaking or anything. Well at the end of the 15 minutes for crushed tomato canning I shut her down and wait for the pressure doohicky to drop. As I am running in and out cleaning chicken waterers and such I notice it is taking a looong time to drop and then I hear a sonic boom. Well the pressure is still not down so I am not going to open it- another sonic boom and as the pressure button drops what I swear is the tinkling of breaking glass. Now I am a bit freaked and it is still really hot so my manual says I can let them cool right in the cannerand I do cause it is so hot in the house and flip on the air and go to bed. Morning comes and I open the canner sure at least a few jars broke. No broken jars! The lids blew off of 3 and tomato all over everything. The only thing I can think I did wrong was have watery tomatoes or after I stole boiling water for the canning lids I may have added more water back into the canner than I should have. Any body with ideas? My tomatoes are like gold here and it is so sad to strain out all that greatness for chicken food. Help me so I don't waste more food.

 

[Wifezilla]

Jars too full?

 

[Marianne]

Bummer!!

 

[TanksHill]

Not sure why they blew. But why don't you just water bath your tomatoes?

G

 

[freemotion]

No broken jars? No shrapnel wounds? Not a disaster......just a major annoyance. It happens to all of us!! And will probably remain a mystery. Maybe the lids were bad, maybe the jars too full....maybe the pressure spiked, maybe it was cooling too fast (doubt it), you may never know. But they were not too watery....I can plain broth all the time, and that is ALL water, basically.

I have hard water and I put white vinegar in the water in the canner so I can't even salvage anything for the critters...but usually my annoyances are broken jars, or unsealed and spitting jars, never had a lid blow like that.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

Not sure why they blew. But why don't you just water bath your tomatoes?

G

technically its faster in the pressure canner... but i'm on the fence about it. by the time you vent it for 10 mins then let the pressure build up... i dunno its about the same i think.

sorry for the loss, GW.
:-(


did you soften the lids in water before screwing them on with the rings?? or too full... thats all i can think of.

 

[GardenWeasel]

Maybe the jars were too full or the canner had too much water? I would water bath can but don't have a pan deep enough to do quarts, only pints and I am out of those. Nobody got hurt, my jars didn't break now to clean up the mess. I have mourned long enough. One more- my precious heirloom tomatoes, woe is me.

 

[GardenWeasel]

OK this is really sad. Has any body fermented thier tomatoes overnight? I didn't salt but did put in 2 Tbsp of lemon juice. They smell OK. Or am I grasping at straws?

 

[Marianne]

I'd use 'em, but that's just my opinion.

 

[k15n1]

I'm not a master canner yet, but I think you screwed the lids on to tight. Normally, the air in the headspace heats up and expands, pushing out around the seals. If you screw down the bands too tightly, the pressure will just build up and up and up.

Everywhere I read "finger tight", whatever that means. I just don't tighten mine down much at all. I spin the ring on until it stops then another 1/8 or 1/4 turn. I've only had 4 lids fail this year, out of over 100 jars.

Sorry about your tomatoes!