Ease my first time canning fears?

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Indigo_Swale

Assistant Cook
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Messages
21
I'd really like to begin canning fruit jellies & other lovely condiments to give as gifts, but I don't want to kill any of the people I love. :(

How hard is it, really, to do this safely in a boiling-water canner? How hard is it to detect spoilage by life-threatening microorganisms?

Has anyone here overcome a Fear of Canning?

Thanks! :)
 
You need to follow the directions exactly, BUT it is very easy to do. Go for it. There is nothing to be scared of as long as you don't stray from the instructions. You will have a blast.
 
I would encourage you to do so. As GB said, follow the recipe and directions carefully when you are learning. We currently have blackcurrent jam, greengage jam, bottled greengages and I have just made a bach of spiced pears.

Mind you we mostly keep these to ourselves - great idea to share them around or give as gifts.
 
It's not hard - but it does take time, figure on a couple of hours.

I can not stress the importance of what GB said ... You need to follow the directions exactly - don't stray from the instructions!!! And, that includes the recipe, too!
 
It would be nice if you have a friend that cans, you could watch and gaine alot of their
experience, and would be able to lose some fear that you have and you would be alot
more comfortable.
 
Exactly as GB and Michael said. Follow the instructions to the "T" and make sure to set aside plenty of time. Canning is not something that can be rushed, but the rewards are well worth the time and effort.

You might want to get a copy of the "Ball Blue Book," which is a great book on canning. My copy is so stained and tattered it's pathetic, but it's been a great help.

In the words of my maternal grandfather, "Take it easy, make it nice."

You'll be fine.
 
The bad things you hear about canning is because people skipped steps, didnt sterilize, didnt water process properly or add vinager/wine/lemon juice to low acid foods.

It is very safe and better then storebought. i can tomatoes, tomatoe sauce, a chilli sauce to die for, garlic in white wine,jams jellies,fruits, carrots, pickles,beans, you name it i can it!

boil your jars before you start. follow your recipe carefully (when you buy jars most have instructions inside...certo jam also has good instructions! for low acid foods like tomatoes add lemon juice or vinager.

meats should always be pressure not water processed.
 
This should ease your fears:

The FDA and USDA agree that harmful bacteria are killed on contact at 180 agrees F. Meat processing plants are required to hose down their facilities with water in excess of 180 degrees.

Below that 180 you have to hold the temperature for a given amount of time. 30 seconds at 170, a few minutes at 160. 154 degrees F is about the lowest you can go, and is the final temperature of most cooked sausages.

When I make jams, the temperature of the jam going in to the jar is over 190 degrees. You boil up some jam and it's over 200 degrees. All that sugar will hold temperature for a good long while.

So, if you have product in a clean glass jar that is holding above 180 for 5-10 minutes you are way in excess of the FDA guidelines.

To be perfectly honest, the whole notion of "sterilizing" jars is a misnomer. Once you put that jar on the counter and its temperature falls below 140 degrees it's no longer sterile, unless you have some kind of clean-room environment.

Any biologist will tell you that the initial "sterilization" step really just needs to be a cleaning. Obviously a clean jar is a good thing for the sake of the product. The hot product alone will kill pathogens, if present. Boiling the jars for 20 minutes after that is like killing them again, in case dead wasn't dead enough.

So, as everyone else said, if you follow the directions you'll be fine. Personally I start with a good cleaning because I don't believe that it is possible or even necessary to "sterilize" a glass jar before filling with hot-as-heck jam.

I didn't even mention that jams are generally osmotically inhospitable to bacteria, anyway. Sugar, just like salt, draws water out so a little microbe would be in a world of hurt if it lands in that high a concentration. Notice how that jar of Smuckers has an expiration date 2 years in the future? It would be fine for plenty more in terms of bacteria, but other factors creep in like oxidation and the packaging. The acidity, too, is bad news of bacteria. A pH of 4.9 or less is generally considered "safe."

Now, for low-acid and low-sugar canning I would certainly do the post-boil. That makes sense since the other prophylactic factors aren't present.

-Stooxie
 
:)I also have a fear of canning.I would love to have someone who does it all the time to teach me.From what I know right now tomatoes are the easiest to can because of their acidity.
 
:)I also have a fear of canning.I would love to have someone who does it all the time to teach me.From what I know right now tomatoes are the easiest to can because of their acidity.

Fruit jams and preserves are a safe bet due to their high sugar content.

-Stooxie
 
I tried that one year and if you going to do it start early. What a headache trying to do that along with all the other festivities.

I like to do the gifts in a jar. Like the soup mixtures, coco mixture to put in with the cookies, or cookies mix in a jar.

you can find alot of different recipes for them by type gift in a jar in google.
 
I agree with all of the comments above, however, in addition to all of that, it is best to be prepared. Gather all of your canning items, jars etc. and all of your recipe ingredients, get everything ready for your finished product BEFORE you start cooking. This way, you don't have to take time to get something you forgot.

I hadn't canned in 30+ years, we moved to AZ and I couldn't get the salsa verde that I used to buy in CA, so I made my own. I froze it first, and that was fine, but I don't have a large separate freezer so I decided to can it. I is better than the store bought, I can give it as gifts or just have the pleasure of walking into my pantry and taking a jar off of the shelf. I also can my spagetti sauce and chicken tortilla soup, it is really nice to have it so available. I just make extra when I make a batch and can the extra. The other thing is to date your items. That way you don't have to guess, but most of us will never let that much time pass before we use the product.

Take the plunge and just have fun!!! I teach Healthy Cooking and that is the one thing I always stress, it should be fun, play with yiur food (experiment), put unusual ingredients together, savory with sweet or vice versa. It is fun and I am sure once you do it, you will love it. ENJOY!!!!
 
Easiest to Can?

Tomatoes are simple to can, but the acidity depends on where they have been grown. Most California-grown tomatoes require that you add acid for safety.

The easiest thing I've ever canned is wine jelly--not even any fruit to wash & gift recipients love it. My mother used to skip the biscuits & just eat it w/a spoon right out of the jar.

Sailor
 
Canning is not hard, just time consuming. I think its very rewarding as well! I mostly do tomatoes and green beans, as that is what my garden produces the most of. I also use a pressure canner, not hot water bath just to be safe. The neat thing is, once you get a few pints of tomatoes and get the hang of it, you can experiment. Put a TBS or two of chili powder in each can in one batch. Make salsa out of another batch (Mrs. Wages has a mix that is great!!) Then you can add them when making chili or soup in the winter time.
 
I felt the same way the first time I canned. That was in 1990 now we can everything we can. We look forward to it every year. I agree about getting a "Ball Blue Book" on canning. Also following instructions to the T. You will be fine.. And oh the rewards well they just speak for themselves..Good Luck
 
I bought the Ball book at least 5 years ago and haven't tried canning YET! I always mean to, just afraid I guess to screw up.
Once I get the hang of it, can you can any homemade spaghetti sauce or does it have to have / not have certain things in it? I LOVE my spaghetti sauce (toots own horn).
I wouldn't be canning a meat sauce.
 
To be safe, you would have to have a nutritionist evaluate your sauce. Extension can do that for you. Type your county name, your state, and extension into google, and you will get your local office.

There probably will be no charge for this service--we don't charge anyone for it in this office, anyhow.

If you have trouble, pm me your recipe, and I will send it off to our nutritionist.
 
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