Modifying a recipe to make it safe for canning

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Que

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jul 24, 2020
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9
Location
near chicago
So I have this recipe for this pepper jelly I make. I think it's ok to can but wanted to check with everyone here and see what you think?


2 cups red and green sweet pepper
1/2 cup spicy banana pepper
1/2 cup rhubarb
1 cup apple cider vinegar

3 cups sugar
5 tablespoons pectin



It's a twist I made on an old one I had. I love rhubarb and it worked really well. I usually make it around christmas and inflict it upon my cousins. I want to try canning it though. Any modifications anyone would make for canning or do you guys think its good?



I know you should stick with tried and true recipes but I'm not really reinventing the wheel with this one?
 
So I have this recipe for this pepper jelly I make. I think it's ok to can but wanted to check with everyone here and see what you think?

...

I know you should stick with tried and true recipes but I'm not really reinventing the wheel with this one?
Yeah, you really should use current approved recipes. Recommendations change through the years when new information becomes available. That's the nature of science [emoji2]

Comparing it with this one from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, it doesn't look like there's enough acid in it to be safe. Be sure to read the notes.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/golden_pepper_jelly.html
 
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Que, no offense please, but I'm beginning to wonder at some of your questions. You seem to be asking us if it's OK for you to throw something into your canning recipes and, in particular, with this last one, you have not mentioned which parts you are changing exactly. How can we judge?

Canning for safety is very specific. The balance of acids and preservatives is important. If you add extra fruit/juice/any ingredient that is going to put it out of balance you are endangering your attempts.

GG has been trying to guide you to sites that can help.

Before you start coming up with new and amazing recipes, try getting a little experience under your belt with tried and true recipes. Somewhere along the line you will have disappointments and failures and this will help you learn what you can and cannot do. Hopefully you will also realize just why it was a disappointment and/or a failure.

We are all mostly home cooks here and not capable of judging rights or wrongs.
Again, please don't take this wrong. I only mean to help and offer this advice with the best of intentions.
 
Here is a book on small batch preserving with 300 recipes that will keep you busy for a long time - it has for me! I just love it and recommend it to all my canning friends.

Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard
ISBN 1-55209-489-8

It was around $20 when I bought it many moons ago - hopefully it has not gone uip in price too much.
 
......iv been canning for all of two weeks. Sorry for wanting to ask questions.



Occationly we wonder of something is ok. Or if something works a certain way. Why spend hours pouring over recipe books and articles when you can just Ask?



I know your not all experts. But you probably know more then me. I'm trying to figure out how much wiggle room there IS with recipes for canning.



What parts can you modify without messing it up? What parts have to be point perfect?


I'm trying to learn something here.



The only stupid question is the one you dont ask.



And to answer the question about the recipe itself? Half a cup less sweet pepper added half a cup rhubarb
 
......iv been canning for all of two weeks. Sorry for wanting to ask questions.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking questions

Occationly we wonder of something is ok. Or if something works a certain way. Why spend hours pouring over recipe books and articles when you can just Ask?
I also agree here, I sometimes just ask :rolleyes: knowing I could have also looked it up. Except when it comes to safety. You can ask for guidance, true, but sometimes it is necessary to check with experts.

I know your not all experts. But you probably know more then me. I'm trying to figure out how much wiggle room there IS with recipes for canning.
And this is what we are I am trying to suggest to you - there really is not much wiggle room! :LOL:


What parts can you modify without messing it up? What parts have to be point perfect?


I'm trying to learn something here. and hopefully we are guiding you in the right direction



The only stupid question is the one you dont ask. I agree with this also. A professor once told us --there is no such thing as a stupid question... and I agree



And to answer the question about the recipe itself? Half a cup less sweet pepper added half a cup rhubarb

less sweet pepper and the half cup rhubarb - one is bland, the other acidic - how to judge?

Que, I'm truly sorry if I've offended you. :flowers:
 
I agree with everything dragn said. We are happy to help you, but you need to do some of the learning yourself. Reading a few pages experts have written in a careful, organized way is better than relying on us to tell you the basics without forgetting anything.

This is a book by the author of the www.foodinjars.com website I mentioned. You can read the first 20 or so pages for free online, which includes sections about cookware, acidity, safety and more. This one is all about preserving in small batches and, since it's fairly new, the techniques used are up to date. You can get it used on Amazon or other sites, or your library may have it.

https://books.google.com/books/abou...BAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button
 
yes, you can just ask.
here's everything you need to know to be safe:

botulism requires a pH > 4.6, oxygen free environment, a smidge of water, and a (very wide) temperature range.
to kill the spores, they have to be heated past 240'F.


now, how do you know you've met the requirements?
absolutely no one here can second guess stuff like that and pronounce you safe.
and I'm guessing you don't have access to a chem lab and various equipment to verify that stuff in your own kitchen.



those pesky "tried and validated" recipes include specific acid volumes, and specific processing times at specific pressures, for specific size containers i.e. pints and quarts, for specific types of vegetables and in cases mixtures. the geeks do the testing and validation and publish their recommended methods.


so, you have to know the basics and how to extrapolate from there - and you must be aware of the little things that, if changed, can drastically affect the product.
 
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