Posted in Putting Food By
Cooling Jars
When you remove hot jars from a canner do not retighten their lids. Retightening hot lids may cut through the gasket and cause seal failures. Cool the jars at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours undisturbed. You will notice after cooling that your raw-packed foods are much lower. Air is taken out during processing and the food of course shrinks. If a jar loses excessive liquid during processing, do not recontaminate by opening it to add more liquid. It probably will seal anyway.
Testing Jar Seals
After cooling jars for 12 to 24 hours, test seals with one of the following methods:
1. Press the middle of the lid with a finger or thumb. If the lid springs up when you release your finger, the lid is unsealed.
2. Tap the lid with the bottom of a teaspoon. If it makes a dull sound, the lid is not sealed. If food is in contact with the underside of the lid, it will also cause a dull sound.
3. Hold the jar at eye level and look across the lid. The lid should be concave (curved down slightly in the center). If the center of the lid is either flat or bulging, it may not be sealed.
If a jar fails to seal, remove the lid and check the jar-sealing surface for tiny cracks. If necessary, change the jar, add a new, properly prepared lid, and reprocess with 24 hours, using the same processing time. It will not be as good, but the food will be safe to eat. Most often my family will not mind a jar left to eat now...especially jam on home-baked bread or pickles.
Storing Canned Foods
If lids are tightly vacuum sealed on cooled jars, remove screw bands, wash the lid which is often times sticky, then rinse and dry jars. Label and date the jars and store them in a clean, cool, dark, dry place. Do not store jars above 95 degrees or near hot pipes, a range, a furnace, in direct sunlight or an annulated attic. Also, do not store where it grows too cold and would freeze your canned goods. It would not cause spoilage unless the jars became unsealed. However, freezing and thawing may soften food, lowering its quality.
Remember to completely dry your rings. After I dry mine I put them in a brown paper bag, marked on the outside. Be sure to keep all of your canning supplies in a place where all things are together. I find this works best once those first fruits of the season are ready for harvesting. Begin now to plan!
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Peggy Hostetler and her husband John, along with 6 children (ranging from young adult through four years) live along the Appalachian mountains range in Pa. Peggy enjoys home canning, is a Master Food Preserver and has been putting foods by for over 23 years.
You can find her publishing a new monthly e-zine entitled, "The Simple Woman's Gazette". You can find a FREE sample issue at http://www.homesteadblogger.com/thesimplewoman/
For more tips and encouragement for your canning endeavors, visit her "putting foods by" blog http://www.homesteadblogger.com/asimplewomanscannery/
