Canning Questions and Answers

Q. Why is there less liquid in my jars of canned tomatoes after they come out of the canner?

A. There are several potential reasons why you are losing liquid during processing.

• Lowering pressure in canner suddenly, after processing period. Do not force pressure down by placing canner in a draft, opening the vent too soon, running cold water over the canner, etc. Allow pressure to drop to zero naturally; wait 10 minutes before opening after weight is removed from canner lid.

• Fluctuating pressure during processing in pressure canner. Maintain a constant temperature throughout processing time.

• Failure to work out air bubbles from jars before processing. Remove by running a plastic spatula or knife between food and jar before applying lids.

• Imperfect seal. Use new flat lids for each jar and make sure there are no flaws. Pre-treat the lids per manufacturer’s directions. Use ring bands in good condition – no rust, no dents, no bends. Wipe sealing surface of jar clean after filling, before applying lid.

• Ring bands not tight enough. Apply fingertip-tight over flat lid, but do not over tighten.

• Jars not covered with water in boiling water canner. Jars should be covered with 1 to 2 inches of water throughout processing period.

• Food packed too tightly in jars causes boil over during processing. Leave the appropriate headspace.

Q. Why does fruit sometimes float in the jars after processing?

A. Use firm, ripe fruit and a light to medium syrup instead of heavy syrup. Hot packing will help to eliminate floating fruit. Heat the fruit in water, fruit juice or sugar syrup before packing into jars. Pack fruit as closely as possible without crushing it. Release trapped air bubbles and readjust liquid level before applying lids. Make sure liquid covers food pieces completely.

Q. Why should I not make additions/deletions of my own to the canning recipe? I want the canned food to taste exactly like one of my own recipes.

A. We all would like the convenience of great-tasting “one jar meals”. But, any additions or deletions made to an approved canning recipe would need a new process time calculated for it. It is not safe to change the recipe and use the same process time.

One-dish meals often include thickening ingredients or are cooked down to a thicker consistency than expected for the process time for an individual ingredient. These situations are likely to result in hazardous foods. You may add your special ingredients after you open up the jar, when reheating or assembling the dish. Also keep in mind that after canning and storage, your special recipe may no longer taste exactly the same as when it is made fresh. Sometimes special recipes are best enjoyed as freshly made dishes.

Q. What should I do if I desire to preserve one of my own recipes that does not have a matching canning process?

A. Choose the closest approved procedures for canning and follow them instead. After canning, when you are ready to consume/reheat the food, add your special ingredients to adjust the recipe to your taste. Alternately, you may make up & freeze your recipe with all the fixings.

Keep in mind that several products that we desire to have ‘home-canned’ are not available commercially, either. The commercial food manufacturing industry puts a lot of time and expense into research for their own safely canned products (they do not have a ‘blanket processing’ method or formula for adjustments, without collecting heat penetration data, either).

Also, just because a canned food is made commercially and found on a store shelf does not mean a home canning process is available for the same or similar item. The heating characteristics under home preparation methods and canning procedures would have to be studied to come up with a home-canning process.

The commercial canning industry also has more resources and methods at its disposal for controlling the consistency and maturity of raw ingredients going into a canned food. There will be more variability to take into account when researching a home-canning process to cover all the potential variables.
 

Other June 2006 Articles:
Green Beans Have No Strings Attached
Proper Storage Keeps Quality High
Blue Ribbon Entries
Canning Questions and Answers
Come to the Fair