Canning & Preserving For Dummies. Amelia Jeanroy

Chapter 2, create a vacuum seal after the water-bath processing period, preserving the contents of the jar for use at a later time. This seal protects your food from the reentry of microorganisms. The older-style rubber rings are no longer recommended. Although they are sometimes still available secondhand, the seal is no longer dependable enough to result in a safe product. You can find these rubber rings in some specialty canning stores; however, due to their scarcity, they are very expensive and sold in small quantities. Reserve this type of canning jar and kitschy design for your fun food gifts, not canning for a family’s pantry.

      

In addition to the must-have items listed here, you may also want the following items. These aren’t critical to the outcome of your product, but you’ll discover a more streamlined, efficient level of work if you use them (you can find out more about these and other helpful-but-not-necessary tools in Chapter 2):

       A teakettle or saucepan filled with boiling water to use as a reserve.

       A ladle and wide-mouth funnel to make transferring food into your jars easier. The funnel also keeps the rims of the jars clean, for a better seal.

       A lid wand so that you can transfer your lids from the hot water to the jars without touching them.

       A jar lifter so that you can safely and easily lift canning jars in and out of your canning kettle.

       A thin plastic or wooden spatula to use for releasing air bubbles in the jar.

The Road to Your Finished Product

      Every aspect of the canning procedure is important, so don’t skip anything, no matter how trivial it seems. When your food and canning techniques are in perfect harmony and balance, you’ll have a safely processed product for use at a later time.

      The following sections guide you through the step-by-step process for creating delicious, high-quality, homemade treats for your family and friends.

      

Always practice proper kitchen sanitation and cleanliness, carefully handle your food, and follow your recipe to the letter. Don’t alter your recipe or skip any processing step.

      Step 1: Getting your equipment ready

      The first thing you do when canning is to inspect your equipment and get everything ready so that when you’re done preparing the food (Step 2 in the canning process), you can fill your jars immediately.

      Inspect your jars, lids, and screw bands

      Always review the manufacturer’s instructions for readying your jars, lids, and screw bands. Then inspect your jars, lids, and screw bands for any defects as follows.

       Jars: Check the jar edges for any nicks, chips, or cracks in the glass, discarding any jars with these defects. If you’re reusing jars, clean any stains or food residue from them and then recheck them for any defects.

       Screw bands: Make sure the bands aren’t warped, corroded, or rusted. Test the roundness of the band by screwing it onto a jar. If it tightens down smoothly without resistance, it’s useable. Discard any bands that are defective or out of round (bent or not completely round). You can reuse screw bands over and over, as long as they’re in good condition. And because you remove them after your jars have cooled, you don’t need as many bands as jars. A good rule of thumb is to have as many bands as you will need to run your canner, full, in a day. Keep in mind that your finished jars will need time to cool before removing the bands to be reused. I prefer keeping at least three canner loads of bands so that I always have enough extra.

       Lids: All lids must be checked before using each year. Single-use lids aren’t reusable. Check the sealant on the underside of each lid for evenness. Don’t use scratched or dented lids. Defective lids won’t produce a vacuum seal. Don’t buy old lids from secondhand stores. Older lids will not seal properly. Reusable lids must be checked for nicks and cracks. The rubber gaskets should be inspected for decay or breakage.

      Wash your jars, lids, and screw bands

      After examining the jars for nicks or chips, the screw bands for proper fit and corrosion, and the new lids for imperfections and scratches, wash everything in warm, soapy water, rinsing the items well and removing any soap residue. Discard any damaged or imperfect items.

      Get the kettle water warming

      Fill your canning kettle one-half to two-thirds full of water and begin heating the water to simmering. Remember that the water level will rise considerably as you add the filled jars. Be sure to not overfill at this point.

      

Heat extra water in a teakettle or saucepan as a reserve. You want to make sure that the jars are covered with at least 1 to 2 inches of water. By adding preheated water, you don’t have to wait for the entire canner to reheat before continuing.

      Keeping your equipment and jars hot while you wait to fill them

      While you’re waiting to fill your jars, submerge the jars and lids in hot, not boiling, water, and keep your screw bands clean and handy as follows.

       Jars: Submerge them in hot water in your kettle for a minimum of 10 minutes. Keep them there until you’re ready to fill them.

       Lids: Wash single-use lids in hot, soapy water, then dry and set aside until needed. Sterilize reusable lids and gaskets in simmering water until you’re ready to use them.

       Screw bands: These don’t need to be kept hot, but they do need to be clean. Place them where you’ll be filling your jars.

      Step 2: Readying your food

      Always use food of the highest quality when you’re canning. If you settle for less than the best, your final product won’t have the quality you’re looking for. Carefully sort through your food, discarding any bruised pieces or pieces you wouldn’t eat in their raw state.

      Follow the instructions in your recipe for preparing your food, like removing the skin or peel or cutting it into pieces.

      Similarly, prepare your food exactly as instructed in your recipe. Don’t make any adjustments in ingredients or quantities of ingredients. Any alteration may change the acidity of the product, requiring pressure canning (see Chapter 9) instead of water-bath canning to kill microorganisms.

      

If your recipe states something specifically, it’s there for a reason. If you don’t follow the recipe instructions to the letter, your final results won’t be what the recipe intended.

      Step 3: Filling your jars

      Add your prepared food (cooked or raw) and hot liquid to your prepared jars as soon as they’re ready. Follow these steps:

      1 Transfer your prepared food into the hot jars, adding hot liquid or syrup if your recipe calls for it, and being sure to leave the proper headspace.Use a wide-mouth funnel and a ladle to quickly fill your jars. You’ll eliminate a lot of spilling and have less to clean from your jar rims. It also helps cleanup and prevents slipping if you place your jars