There has been a major change in the procedure for canning in Mason jars. I’ve been pondering hard on why I’m having too many jars not seal when canning lately. I’m very careful with my process, so I’ve been very upset to have jars not seal. As it turns out, there was a change in process that wasn’t widely publicized.
I’ve always trusted my grandmother as the expert on all things canning. I’ve followed her recipes and advice to the letter. The same thing goes for my mom. These ladies have me on experience by decades. I’d be a fool not to listen. This new change has taken us all by surprise. I guess we learn to adapt and overcome!
This change involves the lids we use on our jars. For 100 years, the process has included simmering the lids in a saucepan of hot water on the stove. We do this to sterilize the lids, and until recently, to soften the rubber so the lid would seal. This is now WRONG! 100 years of tradition is gone now. If you simmer new lids, there is a decent chance they will not seal. I’ve experienced this a lot lately. I’ve had a ton of jars not seal while following the process I grew up with.
After all the failures, and researching online to get the new information, we’ve just been washing the lids with warm water and putting them on jars. We’ve processed a couple dozen jars this weekend and have had no seal failures. This is a big change, since we’ve had a lot of failures to seal this summer. I was really getting concerned about my abilities to can. I’m happy to report, it wasn’t anything I was doing wrong, just a change I wasn’t aware of.
I wish the lid manufacturers would have made a better attempt to inform us of the change, but at least I know now and can pass the information along. If you are having issues with lids not sealing, stop simmering. We have, and it has made all the difference.
It is rare that I post two articles in the same day, but I thought this was worth sharing immediately. If I can spare one of my readers the hassle I’ve been experiencing with canning and having failures, then I will feel a lot better.
http://survivingmodernlife.com/2014/09/major-change-in-canning-procedure/
This change involves the lids we use on our jars. For 100 years, the process has included simmering the lids in a saucepan of hot water on the stove. We do this to sterilize the lids, and until recently, to soften the rubber so the lid would seal. This is now WRONG! 100 years of tradition is gone now. If you simmer new lids, there is a decent chance they will not seal. I’ve experienced this a lot lately. I’ve had a ton of jars not seal while following the process I grew up with.
After all the failures, and researching online to get the new information, we’ve just been washing the lids with warm water and putting them on jars. We’ve processed a couple dozen jars this weekend and have had no seal failures. This is a big change, since we’ve had a lot of failures to seal this summer. I was really getting concerned about my abilities to can. I’m happy to report, it wasn’t anything I was doing wrong, just a change I wasn’t aware of.
I wish the lid manufacturers would have made a better attempt to inform us of the change, but at least I know now and can pass the information along. If you are having issues with lids not sealing, stop simmering. We have, and it has made all the difference.
It is rare that I post two articles in the same day, but I thought this was worth sharing immediately. If I can spare one of my readers the hassle I’ve been experiencing with canning and having failures, then I will feel a lot better.
http://survivingmodernlife.com/2014/09/major-change-in-canning-procedure/
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