Canning Jar Question

[bullet-slinger]

Canning Jar Question

H, if you have a canner that holds 7 quarts, or x amount of pint jars if you have less than enough to completely fill the canner full, can you put less than the maximum amount of jars in the canner and process anyway?

Thanks,

Ken

 

[Linda123]

Yes, but will need to add enough water to cover the lids completely. Also, there is a risk that the jars will fall over during the canning process (if they are free-standing on a rack).

 

[bullet-slinger]

Yes, but will need to add enough water to cover the lids completely. Also, there is a risk that the jars will fall over during the canning process (if they are free-standing on a rack).

Thanks Linda.

I’m nearly 60 years old and have never canned anything in my life, so please excuse my ignorance.

• What is the importance of having the water over the lids?

• Are you talking water bath canner, pressure canner, or both?

• Would it hurt to put empty jars, or jars with water only in the canner to take up the empty spaces while canning.

Thank you,

Ken

 

[Linda123]

I use the waterbath canner but I only can pickles. you could put jars full of water in the bath to keep the others from falling over - if you put empty jars in the canner, they will float.

I've forgotten "why" we need to cover the jars...but the waterbath method is only okay for high-acid foods - tomatoes, pickles and jellies/jams.

Try googling "water bath canning" for more information. Here is one site I found: Boiling Water Bath Canning - Virginia Cooperative Extension

Good luck.

 

[bullet-slinger]

I use the waterbath canner but I only can pickles. you could put jars full of water in the bath to keep the others from falling over - if you put empty jars in the canner, they will float.

I've forgotten "why" we need to cover the jars...but the waterbath method is only okay for high-acid foods - tomatoes, pickles and jellies/jams.

Try googling "water bath canning" for more information. Here is one site I found: Boiling Water Bath Canning - Virginia Cooperative Extension

Good luck.

Thank you Linda. I appreciate the info.

Ken

 

[BreezyCooking]

Ken - if you've never canned anything in your life & this is your first time, I hope you're closely following a recipe from a current canning "bible". I only ask this because of your query re: making sure the lids are covered with water, a topic that definitely would be thoroughly covered in a good canning book. Wouldn't want your first canning experience to be your last - for more than one unpleasant reason - lol!!

 

[bullet-slinger]

Ken - if you've never canned anything in your life & this is your first time, I hope you're closely following a recipe from a current canning "bible". I only ask this because of your query re: making sure the lids are covered with water, a topic that definitely would be thoroughly covered in a good canning book. Wouldn't want your first canning experience to be your last - for more than one unpleasant reason - lol!!

Breezy, thanks for your reply and concern. Actually the first thing I'm going to attempt to can will be peas. I will follow the instructions and recipe closely. Actually I’m kinda nervous about the whole process. Hopefully this time next year I’ll feel like an old pro. Currently I just feel old period, LOL.

I haven’t found any info in my canning books concerning the question about processing when the canner isn’t completely full, and that’s why I ask. I will probably can everything that I can with a pressure canner. That is why I wanted to clarify the statement about filling the canner above the lids.

I’m sure I’ll be asking lots of questions that may seem juvenile to all the long time canners. Please bare with the newbie (me).

Thanks friend,

Ken

 

[BreezyCooking]

Goodness - I'm no canner outside of a few pickles, so peas are something I'd consider an advanced project - lol!

If you've done your research, I'm sure you know that peas are something that MUST be pressure-canned, & that instructions have to be followed to the dead-letter.

I probably shouldn't even log in on this thread since canning scares me to death due to nearly dying (seriously) from an improperly processed pickled jalapeno pepper gift from a close relative. Doctor told me that if I had eaten more than the one single pepper I did, that they wouldn't have been able to save me no matter how quickly I'd gotten to the hospital.

 

[bullet-slinger]

Goodness - I'm no canner outside of a few pickles, so peas are something I'd consider an advanced project - lol!

If you've done your research, I'm sure you know that peas are something that MUST be pressure-canned, & that instructions have to be followed to the dead-letter.

I probably shouldn't even log in on this thread since canning scares me to death due to nearly dying (seriously) from an improperly processed pickled jalapeno pepper gift from a close relative. Doctor told me that if I had eaten more than the one single pepper I did, that they wouldn't have been able to save me no matter how quickly I'd gotten to the hospital.

Breezy, as little experience and knowledge you feel you have, you’ve already proved to me you have more of both than me. Actually canning pickled jalapenos is one of the items on my list this year. I love them. Now you’ve gone and scared the pickling salt right outa me.

Thanks friend,

Ken

 

[BreezyCooking]

Oh goodness - I really didn't mean to do that!!! I just wanted to scare into you the importance of precisely following the CURRENT instructions for whatever canning projects you undertake.

In my unfortunate situation, my gifter "pickled" his peppers including a large amount of olive oil in the liquid, & also used old-fashioned metal-clasp jars which, while attractive, aren't considered safe in many/most applications.

Regardless, I lived - but I wouldn't wish what I went through on my worst enemy.

Peas, being a low-acid food, have to be canned by VERY stringent standards. Please make sure you follow them!

 

[velochic]

You don't need to fill you canner to capacity.

If you are waterbath canning, the reason you need the water about 2" above the tops is because as the boiling water moves around, that ensures that your jars are completely submerged in the 212*F water the entire processing time. Otherwise, parts of the jars may be exposed to the air for a portion of the processing, which is not 212*F.

If you are pressure canning, the water needs to come up only a couple of inches on the sides of the jars. The steam created in a pressure canner brings the inside environment of the canner to much higher than 212*F... depending on the pounds of pressure, about 240*F or more. These temperatures are required to kill the botulism spores present in less acidic foods (those with a pH above 4.6) than more acidic foods.

 

[mcnerd]

Filling a canning pot "to capacity" is only for energy efficiency since the usual routine in years past was multiple loads. The more you could get into a canner the faster you were done. It is okay today to process just one jar if that is all you have or need.

For Water Bath Processing, many people will use a much smaller stock pot when doing just 2-4 pints or less. Unfortunately Pressure Canning is not as flexible since most people don't keep multiple size PC's and you cannot substitute something else.

 

[bullet-slinger]

Actually, I just presure canned my first 4 pints of peas. The canner holds 7 pint jars, so I put 3 empty jars in with the 4 full jars and added a cpouple inches of hot water in the empty jars. I'm still not sure if the empty jars are needed or not. I haven't found a canning book that tells.

I really appreciate everyone's input.

Ken