[Sca-cooks] OT: Quick question about canning

[Huette von Ahrens]

Serena, 

I understand where you and the USDA are coming
from.  When someone doesn't understand the
process, things can go wrong.  But at the same
time, I have seen people can food wrong also. 
Home canning is something that requires skill 
and knowledge to do right.  When it isn't done
correctly it can be more deadly than using 
parafin on jams.

When I make jams and butters, I sterilize the jar
thoroughly.  Until recently, I would boil the
jars in my canner.  Lately, I have been running
them through the hottest cycle in my dishwasher. 
When the jam is ready, I immediately take it off
the fire and start ladling it into a still hot
jar.
When that jar is full, I take the parafin off the
fire and pour it into the top of the jam.  The
wax must be a minimum of 3/8" thick.  The liquid
parafin creates an airtight seal on the surface
of the still hot jam. Only then is the jam
allowed to cool.  I then start the next jar. I
also cover the jars with a lid or with seranwrap
and a metal jar ring, to keep dust, etc. off the
wax.

The wax usually remains tight for one year. 
Beyond that it will start to unseal, which is
probably the why of the warning.  However, a
couple of years ago, I found a jar of jam that
was about 5 years old, that had been pushed to
the back of the pantry.  When I took off the lid,
the wax had shrunk so much that I could easily
remove the wax.  The lid had protected the jam. 
There was no mold to be seen.  I still discarded
it because the sugar had crystalized.  

I have seen mold on some home canned fruit that
had been given to me by a friend.  The jar had
been sealed, but obviously not properly. 

I have also seen mold on home cooked frozen
fruit.
This was in another friend's freezer.  Mold
happens.  It can happen anywhere.  It is
disgusting, but a fact of life. I usually make a
disgusted face and throw the food out.

Huette
  
--- Barbara Benson <vox8 at mindspring.com> wrote:
> Greetings,
> 
> I have just begun to get into canning and such,
> and it was never at thing
> that my family did so I do not have the fortune
> to have the years of
> experience to draw on from my Mom, Grandma
> ect... So I had to rely on
> "technical" information to figure out what to
> do. I am not saying that the
> people who have been doing this the traditional
> way that their families have
> been doing it are wrong. But I have found that
> the USDA has extensive
> guidelines to help people interested in
> preserving foods at home. Many of
> their recommendations go against what has been
> common practice for
> generations.
> 
> The National Center for Home Preservation can
> be found at:
> http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_home.html
> 
> >From this site comes the following statement:
> "Because of possible mold contamination,
> paraffin or wax seals are no longer
> recommended for any sweet spread, including
> jellies. To prevent growth of
> molds and loss of good flavor or color, fill
> products hot into sterile Mason
> jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace, seal with
> self-sealing lids, and process 5
> minutes in a boiling-water canner. Correct
> process time at higher elevations
> by adding 1 additional minute per 1,000 ft
> above sea level. If unsterile
> jars are used, the filled jars should be
> processed 10 minutes. Use of
> sterile jars is preferred, especially when
> fruits are low in pectin, since
> the added 5-minute process time may cause weak
> gels."
> 
> The Complete USDA guidelines can be found at:
> http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/canningguide.html
> Specifically the USDA Recipe for Apple Butter
> can be found at:
>
http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/usda/2SelectingPreparing&CanningFruit&FruitProducts/AppleButter.pdf
> 
> I hope that this might be helpful. Again I am
> not contradicting the good
> gentles who use different techniques out of
> malicious intent or with the
> belief that I am Right and they are Wrong. It
> is just what I have found on
> my own.
> 
> Glad Tidings,
> Serena da Riva
> 
> > I would like to try my hand at making some
> apple butter and canning it.
> >
> > I was wondering if I actually need to go out
> and buy a canner, or if I can
> just use one of the pots I already have? I know
> that the rack would make it
> easier to remove the jars, but I also dont have
> much disposable cash at the
> moment, and if I can just use what I have that
> would be great.
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Ilia
> >
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=====
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they 
shall never cease to be amused.

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