# Canning Advice



## Texasgirl44 (May 18, 2012)

Going to try and can for the very first time this weekend. We have LOTS of baggies of frozen tomatoes so we are going to try to make and can salsa. 

I am looking for ANY and ALL advice on techniques or secrets to canning, things we will need, etc. . .

Thanks, 2coolers!

p.s. Thanks to txdougman for the heads up on the canning jars sale at HEB!


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## txdougman (Jul 12, 2005)

Here is a great site for your reference.

http://pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm:clover:

Most of my recipes are not by the book, but I'll see if I can scratch something on paper.

Salsa is easy.

Spag sauce is all about the right sice.

Chime in WR...I know you've got the bible of pasta sauces...Ha!


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## Texasgirl44 (May 18, 2012)

Thanks for the website ~ They have great info on alot of stuff!


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

allow 1/2" of head-space w food in jar, heat the rings seals in hot water or boil briefly.

fill the jars , wipe the rims clean , assemble the lid and then the ring and only soft tighten to seat the seal.

fill pot w water and boil , add the jars and bring to boil again for 10 mins. to as much as 15 mins. , water should be up to the outer neck of the jar, not over the top .

this is the sterilization step and very imp................

carefully lift out the jars and tighten fully

as they cool your will hear them pop. that means you got a good seal.

those that do not seal are not lost, just let cool and store in frig. and eat first.

same procedure for all hot canning, not well explained in print.....................


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## Texasgirl44 (May 18, 2012)

Thanks CO ~ Need all the help I can get.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

txdougman said:


> Chime in WR...I know you've got the bible of pasta sauces...Ha!


I don't do frozen tomatoes... EVER... I have Sicilian standards that need to be upheld, LOL!!!

She can do a search on "roasted tomatoes" & there a few recipes will appear... Kind of surprised you didn't have them bookmarked. :slimer:



CoastalOutfitters said:


> fill pot w water and boil , add the jars and bring to boil again for 10 mins. to as much as 15 mins. , water should be up to the outer neck of the jar, not over the top .


Incorrect. Water should cover the lids 1/2 to 1".



CoastalOutfitters said:


> carefully lift out the jars and tighten fully


Incorrect. Don't touch them for at least 24 hours. Once you have a good vacuum seal you are done. There is nothing to be gained by further tightening the rings. All you do is increase the risk violating the seal. He77, some people even remove the rings prior to storage.

Other than that, you are correct...


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

If you soft seat the lids, like I said, don't cover them in water, just my method and you won't bust jars in the boil. They will deff. be sterile in the boil. I just don't want boiling outside water in my jars.

Agree with WR on the rings, later, you can take them off..........dunno why , but you most deff. can.


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## Texasgirl44 (May 18, 2012)

Thanks for the info ~ appreciate it.


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## SwampRat (Jul 30, 2004)

Please note.... If you allow your 15 y/o son to tighten the rings too much prior to processing (i.e boiling), the trapped air will not have an escape route during heating and may cause the jar to break or lid to deform outward until it will self relieve....or this could both happen at the same time in seperate jars.

....Ugh. :headknock


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

CoastalOutfitters said:


> If you soft seat the lids, like I said, don't cover them in water, just my method and you won't bust jars in the boil. They will deff. be sterile in the boil. I just don't want boiling outside water in my jars.


OK, if you say so... Makes me wonder why I've never once had water in my jars during all these seasons... :wink:


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

*Fill the canner at least halfway with water.* *A little practice will help you to know how much water you will need to start out with to ensure the jars will be covered by at least 1 inch of water.*
*Preheat water that is added to the jars (when called for)* to very warm but not boiling (around 140 degrees F) for raw-packed foods (the lower temperature helps to reduce jar breakage) and to boiling for hot-packed foods.
*Put the filled jars, with lids and rings on, onto the canner rack and use the handles to lower the rack into the water. *Or you may fill the canner, one jar at a time, with a jar lifter. Obviously, you'd need to be quick, or the first jar could be in the bath for substantially longer than the last jar you add. If you don't use a jar rack, then a flat rack on the bottom helps to reduce break. One of these comes with each canner.
*Always add more boiling water, if needed*, *so the water level is at least one inch above the tops of the jars.*
*Turn heat to its highest position until the water boils vigorously,* and then set a timer for the minutes required for processing the food.
*Cover the canner and if necessary, lower the heat setting to maintain a full* but gentle boil throughout the processing time.
*If one burner doesn't produce enough heat* to keep the water boiling, you can usually straddle two burners with the canner.
*When the jars have been boiled for the recommended time*, turn the heat off and use a jar lifter to remove the jars and place them on a towel in an area that is not drafty, leaving at least one inch between the jars during cooling.
*Do not retighten the jar lids - it may break the seal.*
*Do not leave the jars in the boiling water* after processing time is done, because the food will become overcooked.
*Check the jar seals* 12-24 hours after processing for leaks and broken seals. Just press down on the lid. If it seals, it will be sucked down tight. If it did not seal, it will flex and make a popping sound each tip.
*To store, remove the screw bands and wipe the jars clean. Otherwise, the rings may rust tight to the jar!*
*Any jar that fails to seal *can be reprocessed in a clean jar with a new lid. Reprocess within 24 hours. Generally, it is better to refrigerate the jar and use it within several days. The jar may also be stored in the freezer if the headspace is adjusted to 1-1/2 inches to allow for the expansion of the product.


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## CoastalOutfitters (Aug 20, 2004)

WR , I agree w your methods, my jars boil sitting on the bottom of the canning pot, I broke several over the years, prob. due to the extra direct heat.

My method solved this, is all I'm saying, I use just a jar lifter, not the rack, because I don't have one, I use my S.S. beer making pot.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

I was not jack'in with you for sport CO, so please don't take this as personal in any way/shape/form as some others here have in the past... 

Texasgirl is just starting to learn about canning, it is certainly in everyone's best interest to at least give her the correct/'best practices' in which to proceed. I sure that neither one of us want her to fail or have unneeded challenges because of faulty information, nor do we want to see her family possibly get sick because one of us passed on a 'questionable shortcut'...

Having said that, I will now bow out of this thread... I only posted because I was called out by name...


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## txdougman (Jul 12, 2005)

1. Head space most important!
2. Most definately use a rack!
3. Water always over the ring.
4. Boil time varies depending on what your canning.

IE qts vs pints, pickles vs tomatoes, etc.
Green beans much longer than all others. With that said follow the recipes.


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## daddyhoney (Dec 4, 2006)

I have only been canning a couple of years and had a great time. It does build patience as you wait around for the cooking time to pass. I am still in the mode where I am very watchful of the pressure gauge.

Buy yourself a copy of Ball's canning book. Cheap and lots of good info. By the way you may can high acid foods like tomatoes and salsa with the water bath method and skip the pressure cooker. Have fun, Gary


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## Texasgirl44 (May 18, 2012)

Thanks for all the suggestions. I really do appreciate them. We didn't get a chance to do any salsa making or canning this past weekend so hopefully we can do it this weekend. I'm really excited about it and know it will definitely be a learning experience! Will let y'all know how it went afterwards!


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## mark9199 (Nov 16, 2007)

I've only canned a few times, every time is a learning experience. Maybe this has already been mentioned but when using a rack, fill it, even if some jars only have water in them. The boiling will bounce your jars around and a full rack minimizes that and keeps any from tipping over.


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## kyle2601 (Oct 23, 2008)

Always keep in mind when pressure canning, more psi on the gauge = more heat in the pot. Not a bad thing and does not kill the whole process. Product just cooks faster. It is not the end of the world. WR is exactly right on water bath. 1-2" over the lids. and put the lids on loose. If pressure canning " do not remove the jars until the canner has cooled down". If you turn off the burner and let the canner sit until the gauge reads zero, then remove the weight, and open the pot away from you. 
If you turn off the burner and immediately remove the weight to relieve pressure you will get water in your jars and ruin the whole process. Trust me, I ruined about 30 jars of squash doing that until I learned. It was a trial and error run and I figured out what cause it. 
When sterilizing your jars put them in a big pot with white vinegar and bring to a boil and when ready to fill jars take them out and fill them and put them in the preheated pot on the rack. Don't let them sit for long to cool. Things like squash need to be cooked down in a pot of water first to eliminate some of the water in the veggies and to make packing easier. You can use youtube and google for different tips and ideas on what to can. I made some vegetable beef stew and canned it, I wasn't supposed to use flour to brown the meat prior to mixing it but I did. I still have a couple of jars in the pantry and they are fine. You will know if you get a bad canning batch. Green beans smell awful when the blow up in the pantry after about 4-5 days of sitting. 

Also try apple cider vinegar in your salsa, just a couple of table spoons. It really helps the flavors combine and make a great salsa. I always blend my salsa and then throw it in a pot and cook for about 30 minutes and it comes out better I think.


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