Filling Your Canning Jars Properly Recipe
Yield: 1 ServingsRecipe by luhu.jp
Ingredients:
PACKING METHODS
Directions:
There are two ways to pack food into jars; the cold pack method and
the hot pack method.
COLD PACK METHOD The cold (or raw) pack is just what the name
implies. You pare and cut the vegetables, pack them into jars
uncooked, and then cover them with boiling liquid, usually water.
Since uncooked foods shrink slightly after processing, and some foods
may float to the top of the jar during processing, you must pack them
firmly. The cold pack method is for foods like whole tomatoes, which
might not hold their shape if cooked before being packed into jars.
HOT PACK METHOD The hot pack method is generally preferred for foods
that are relatively firm and easy to handle even after processing.
With this method, you pare and cut the vegetables and then precook
them briefly in boiling water before putting them into jars and
covering them with boiling liquid. Foods prepared this way or more
pliable, so theyre easier to pack in jars. They dont shrink as much
as cold packed foods do.
Processing times in a steam pressure canner are the same for hot
packed and cold packed foods. In a boiling water bath canner, hot
packed foods require less processing time than foods that are cold
packed.
Jars of cold packed foods shouldnt go directly into boiling water in
either the boiling water bath or steam pressure canner. Because the
food and the jars are much lower in temperature, the jars could
break. Put cold packed jars in the canner, add hot water, and then
heat to boiling.
HEAD SPACE Youll note that most recipes direct you to pack food and
liquid into the jars to within 1, 1/2 or 1/4 inch of the tops of the
jars. This room is called head space, and is necessary for expansion
of the food during processing.
If you leave too little room at the top of the jar, the food may
expand and bubble when air is being forced out from the lid during
processing. The bubbling food may leave a deposit on the rim of the
jar or the lid seal and keep the jar from sealing properly. If you
leave too much room at the top, the surface of the food may discolor,
or the jar may not seal properly because there wont be enough
processing time to drive a sufficient amount of air out of the jar.
Each recipe gives you the proper head space. As a general rule, leave
1 inch of head space for beets, corn, peas, and other low acid foods;
1/2 inch of head space for acid vegetables; and 1/4 inch of head
space for pickles and relishes.
HIGH ALTITUDE CANNING Higher altitudes and thinner air mean boiling
points and pressure are affected, so you must make adjustments in
timing and pressure. The times given in the majority of recipes are
for altitudes of less than 1,000 feet above sea level for boiling
water bath, 2,000 feet for steam pressure. If you live at a higher
altitude than that, youll need to increase times or pressures. Check
the altitude charts of the region you live to find what adjustments
are necessary at your altitude. If your steam pressure canner has a
weighted gauge, use 15 pound pressure instead of 10 when foods are
processed at any altitude above 2,000 feet.
Source: Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia Typos by Dorothy Flatman 1995
Source from luhu.jp
the hot pack method.
COLD PACK METHOD The cold (or raw) pack is just what the name
implies. You pare and cut the vegetables, pack them into jars
uncooked, and then cover them with boiling liquid, usually water.
Since uncooked foods shrink slightly after processing, and some foods
may float to the top of the jar during processing, you must pack them
firmly. The cold pack method is for foods like whole tomatoes, which
might not hold their shape if cooked before being packed into jars.
HOT PACK METHOD The hot pack method is generally preferred for foods
that are relatively firm and easy to handle even after processing.
With this method, you pare and cut the vegetables and then precook
them briefly in boiling water before putting them into jars and
covering them with boiling liquid. Foods prepared this way or more
pliable, so theyre easier to pack in jars. They dont shrink as much
as cold packed foods do.
Processing times in a steam pressure canner are the same for hot
packed and cold packed foods. In a boiling water bath canner, hot
packed foods require less processing time than foods that are cold
packed.
Jars of cold packed foods shouldnt go directly into boiling water in
either the boiling water bath or steam pressure canner. Because the
food and the jars are much lower in temperature, the jars could
break. Put cold packed jars in the canner, add hot water, and then
heat to boiling.
HEAD SPACE Youll note that most recipes direct you to pack food and
liquid into the jars to within 1, 1/2 or 1/4 inch of the tops of the
jars. This room is called head space, and is necessary for expansion
of the food during processing.
If you leave too little room at the top of the jar, the food may
expand and bubble when air is being forced out from the lid during
processing. The bubbling food may leave a deposit on the rim of the
jar or the lid seal and keep the jar from sealing properly. If you
leave too much room at the top, the surface of the food may discolor,
or the jar may not seal properly because there wont be enough
processing time to drive a sufficient amount of air out of the jar.
Each recipe gives you the proper head space. As a general rule, leave
1 inch of head space for beets, corn, peas, and other low acid foods;
1/2 inch of head space for acid vegetables; and 1/4 inch of head
space for pickles and relishes.
HIGH ALTITUDE CANNING Higher altitudes and thinner air mean boiling
points and pressure are affected, so you must make adjustments in
timing and pressure. The times given in the majority of recipes are
for altitudes of less than 1,000 feet above sea level for boiling
water bath, 2,000 feet for steam pressure. If you live at a higher
altitude than that, youll need to increase times or pressures. Check
the altitude charts of the region you live to find what adjustments
are necessary at your altitude. If your steam pressure canner has a
weighted gauge, use 15 pound pressure instead of 10 when foods are
processed at any altitude above 2,000 feet.
Source: Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia Typos by Dorothy Flatman 1995
Source from luhu.jp