OK...I've got the jars and lids...I found a jar lifter at a Salvation Army...but this whole issue of the "boiling water bath" has me stumped. Do I have to buy a "canner?" Can't I just use my big old soup pot? How do the jars seal? Do they seal themselves? Am I a fool for not wanting to use wax? Everybody says it's so messy. Also, what exactly has to be pressure canned? I know jellies/jams don't, but what about tomatoes? Thanks for your patience & help.....

-- Betsy (sassyweitzel@yahoo.com), July 11, 2000

Answers

Hi Betsy! Yes you can use a big ol' soup pot - but you'll need a rack in it to hold the jars up off the bottom of the pot. I strongly reccommend buying the Ball Blue Book on food preservation - or taking out any of the many reference books available at the library. Canning is lots of fun and very satisfying; however, it is an exact science and having the proper and latest info will help prevent food poisoning. Some still use wax, for jams and jellies. It does not provide the best seal, and most use the lids instead. High acid foods, such as most fruits (tomatoes included) and foods processed with vinegar (pickles -n- such) are canned using the boiling water bath method. Low-acid foods (nearly everything else - meats, veggies,combination foods) MUST BE PROCESSED IN A PRESSURE CANNER. For the sake of your family and loves ones, invest in the time to research the exact methods and times to process your jars properly. It will be worth every minute.

One final thought - the first time you hear the *pop* of the lids sealing, and you see the "fruits of your labors" lined up on the counter, with the afternoon sun glinting off the shining jars, you will see why we go through the effort. And, when in the winter you open a jar of jam and taste the summer all over again, well, there aren't words to describe the glee. Good Luck, and email me if you have any questions. Judi

-- Judi in CT (ddecaro@snet.net), July 11, 2000.

Betsy, first thing, buy something like the Ball Blue Book. It will have the most recent information on canning. There are some canning sites on the internet and hopefully someone has the urls and will post them.

Do a dry run with your soup pot. If it will hold the jars and still have room for the water to circulate around and over them, and a good lid, use it. Just put a trivet in the bottom so water can get underneath the jars too. Some people use a folded dishtowel. I don't know how well that works, I'd rather use a wire trivet. Ideally the jars will seal themselves at some point after you're done canning. You can see and hear the "pop". (And you'll hover over your jars until you hear that wonderful sound.) As long as the lids were good, the jar rims clean and undamaged, and you processed correctly, you should have few failures.

Wax is still used, but not recommended anymore. Make your own choice. Vegetables, all meats and anything that isn't acidic have to be pressure canned. Tomatoes are generally water bathed, BUT you should add store-bought lemon juice to each jar to make sure the acidity is consistently high. Many modern tomatoes have had the acid breed out of them, plus heirlooms might not be acid enough due to growing conditions. Even if you have your own lemon trees, use the store bought since it is consitent, same for using store bought vinegar instead of home made vinegar for pickles.

The Ball Blue Book can be found often at stores that sell canning supplies, or look at your lid boxes for mail order information. The library will have lots of books on canning, the basic information on inspecting jars,preparing the food, getting the air out of the jars before canning, etc is perfectly valid. Just be careful of recipes for mixtures, processing times, plus a few other small things. Go with the latest and hopefully best information which you'll find in a new canning book, or on the USDA or a canning companies website.

It can be nerve wracking at first, especially with a pressure canner. But it gets easier, and canning is a source of pride. I know a lot of people who do some scary things with their canning, and their families are still alive. Not worth the risk to me. Good luck Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), July 11, 2000.

I guess the thing I got at Sal's is the wire trivet you're talking about...so I've got that covered. Thanks for all your advice...I'll keep you posted...

-- Betsy (sassyweitzel@yahoo.com), July 11, 2000.

Gerbil's suggestion about the lemon juice is good to raise the acidity of tomato product. However, lemons are pretty expensive in my area and I've done well with citric acid powder. There is usually some in the canning section of your grocery sold for just that purpose. It has a longer shelf life than lemons as well as being cheaper. The package I have suggests 1/2 teaspoon for pints and 1 teaspoon for quarts.

Good luck but do your "homework" on canning first as you can make your diners very sick if you don't follow approved techniques and recipes.

-- marilyn (rainbow@ktis.net), July 11, 2000.

If you check around flea markets and consignment shops you can find used pressure cookers. In fact, I have one in a consignment shop now. However, until you know what you are doing I would recommend going with a new one. One place they are available is Cumberland General Store (800-334-4640) - catalog $4.00. Prices run from $141.95 for one to hold seven point or four quart jars to $178.50 for one which will hold 19 pint or 7 quart jars. See the forum topic on the economics of canning on how equipment cost is spread out over use. If your husband grumbles about the cost just remind him how much fresh fish cost per pound when all of the equipment expense is considered.

-- Ken Scharabok (scharabo@aol.com), July 11, 2000.

Don't let this scare you away from doing it - because it is SO satisfying, but if you mess up too badly you won't just make someone sick - you'll kill them with botulism - it's odorless, tasteless, and a tiny taste (fingertip) can kill. Get recent info (90's). Both high-acid and high-sugar foods inhibit botulism growth so they're fine in a "water bath" (212 degrees). Everything else needs 240 degress (hence a pressure cooker or canner). Ken's prices are too high. I got mine for $80 (19 pints or 7 quarts) INCLUDING SHIPPING http://www.appliances.com/presto01780.html). So get a book (the canner comes with a booklet that covers the basics) and follow the rules - and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

-- Deborah (ActuaryMom@hotmail.com), July 11, 2000.

Deborah:

You are right. Checked my Lehman's catalog and they are about half the cost of Cumberland, but still a bit higher than what you paid via Internet purchase.

-- Ken Scharabok (scharabo@aol.com), July 11, 2000.

You can try www.homecanning.com for information and questions you might have. Its the Ball/Kerr website. Good luck, its easy to get addicted to home canning.

Judy

-- Judy (jlanning0@ourhouse.net), July 11, 2000.

Your soup pot should be fine for water bath canning as long as it's deep enough to cover the jars with another inch of water. You can use it for Jellies and jams, pickles, and tomatoes with lemon juice added, but I pressure can tomato sauce because of the other vegetables included. Do get recipes though, and be aware that water boils at a lower temperature the higher you are in altitude, so you might have to add additional time depending on where you are. Time starts when the water returns to a boil, and if you have to add more water to keep the jars covered, use water that is already boiling so you don't lower the temperature (and be careful not to pour it right onto a jar - kinda dribble it in between them, or on the edge)

-- Sadge (firesignfarm@hotmail.com), July 11, 2000.

You can get a pressure canner and canning book at Wal-mart. Canner about $82 and don't know about the book.

My wife just made her first batch of jellies last week. She was excited because it was so easy. She has been canning veggies for about 14 years and loves that "ping" everytime. Note: if it doesn't ping/seal put it in the refrig. when cool and eat it soon.

-- Vaughn (vdcjm5@juno.com), July 11, 2000.

I process everything in my pressure canner - but for jams & jellies I just leave the lid off! Saves storage room! Pressure canning is easy for everything else & uses less water. I find that it takes less time to pressure can & is safer anyway. BTW, my MIL bought me my canner at a garage sale, it was barely used, for twenty dollars. I had never canned before, but now I'm hooked. I love the satisfaction of seeing those lovely jars on the shelf and having a full pantry. Get someone who cans to help you look for one at garage sales etc. Good luck!

-- Jean (schiszik@tbcnet.com), July 11, 2000.

Just a few additional, disjointed comments to add to the great ones you've already gotten: Canning can be messy the first time you try it. Like anything else, the more you do it, the easier it gets and the more organized you become at doing it.I got my 7-quart pressure canner from Sears about 25 years ago and it's still going strong, so the expense will be spread out over many years. I like a blue-enameled water bath canner (in addition to the pressure canner) that has a rack inside. Makes lifting the jars out much easier and these are not very expensive. The "pop" of the jars sealing that everyone mentions is caused by the temperature differential after you take the HOT jars out of the canner. The cooling down process causes a vacuum inside the jar and forces the jar to seal tightly. I cover my hot jars with a towel so they cool down at a slower rate. That is supposed to cut down on the possiblilty of jars breaking from too quick a cool-down. And last, contact your county extension office. They have lots of good information on canning safely, recipes, can tell you about your altitude which can increase your canning time, and they can test your equipment each year to make sure it's in top notch condition. Canning is so satisfying! ENJOY.

-- Peg (NW WI) (wildwoodfarms@hushmail.com), July 12, 2000.

I got my FIRST pressure canner last year from Wal-Mart. Put it on lay away and paid it off just as all the garden stuff came in. They have the ball canning books for about $4 and I also got the canning book from our home extension office. I use a water bath canner ONLY for jellies and jams and pickles...everything else is pressure canned! It's really not hard if you just follow the directions!!! Jackie Clay at the BACKWOODS HOME web site has given lots of canning advice through the years also and I can almost here her advice in my mind as I go step by step in canning.

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), July 15, 2000.