Canning and Preserving For Dummies (25 page)

If you’re adding cooking liquid, divide the cooking liquid evenly among the jars and finish filling the jars with boiling water, if necessary. That way, if you run short of the cooking liquid, you won’t have one jar filled with only boiling water.

3. Release any air bubbles with a nonmetallic spatula or a tool to free bubbles.

If the headspace drops, add additional food and liquid to the jar.

4. Wipe the jar rims with a clean, damp cloth.

Have a few rags handy to be sure you’re using a clean one every time.

5. Place a lid on the jar (seal side down) and secure the lid in place with a screw band.

Hand-tighten the band without overtightening it.

Always work quickly, stopping for nothing. Time is of the essence! Your hot foods need to remain hot, your lids seal best if placed on the jars while hot, and your food needs to be processed as quickly as possible to preserve the most flavor and quality.

Step 4: Placing the jars in the canner

Place your filled and closed jars carefully on the rack in the pressure canner, making sure you have the recommended amount of simmering water in the bottom of the canner. Don’t crowd the jars or place more jars in the canner than is recommended for your size of pressure canner. Place them so that they’re stable, won’t tip, and don’t touch each other or the side of the canner.

If your recipe makes more jars than your canner can hold, only fill enough jars for one canner load and do the rest in the next batch. Do not fill all the jars and leave a few waiting for the next canner load.

Unlike water-bath canning (see Chapter 4), you can process a second layer of pint or half-pint jars at the same time as long as your canner accommodates the height of the two layers. To build the second layer, place a second rack on top of the first layer of jars. Stagger the second layer of jars so they aren’t directly above the bottom layer. This permits proper air circulation for achieving the proper pressure and temperature. After you have a few simple canning sessions successfully under your belt, try this technique to save a little time.

Step 5: Closing and locking the canner

For optimum performance, steam must be allowed to steadily escape from the canner for a specified period. This process is called
exhaustion.
Properly closing and locking your pressure canner ensure that exhaustion can take place. Closely follow your owner’s manual when closing and locking the pressure canner. (If not sealed properly, the canner won’t build pressure and/or hot water will spit out.)

Step 6: Processing your filled jars

Once your canner lid is locked on, you’re ready to beginning processing your filled jars. Follow these steps:

1. Allow a steady stream of steam to escape from the pressure canner for 10 minutes or the time recommended in your manual.

2. Close the vent, bringing the pressure to the amount specified in your recipe.

If you live in higher altitudes, see the section “Pressure Canning at Higher Altitudes” for information on how to adjust the pounds of pressure used during processing.

Processing time starts when your canner reaches the required pressure. The pressure must remain constant for the entire processing time. If your pressure drops at any time during processing, so will your temperature. To remedy this problem, return the pressure to the specified amount by increasing the heat. After your pressure has been regained, start your processing time from the beginning.

3. After the processing time has passed, turn the heat off and allow the pressure to return to 0.

Allowing the pressure to return to 0 may take as long as 30 minutes. Don’t disturb the canner; jars that are upset may not seal properly.

Step 7: Releasing the pressure after processing

Approximately 10 minutes after the pressure returns to 0, or at the time stated in the manual, remove the lid, opening the cover away from you and allowing the steam to flow away from you.

We can’t emphasize enough the importance of following the instructions in your owner’s manual, step by step, for releasing the pressure in the canner after your processing time is concluded. There’s no quick-release method for a pressure canner as there is for a pressure cooker. Don’t confuse the two!

Running water over your pressure canner to reduce the pressure is a definite no-no. The sudden change in temperature can cause the jars to burst.

Step 8: Removing and cooling the jars

Ten minutes after you release the pressure (Step 7), remove the jars from the pressure canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean towel, away from drafts with 1 to 2 inches of space around the jars.

The jars may take as long as 24 hours to completely cool. Don’t be tempted to play with the lids or adjust the bands.

As your jars cool, you’ll hear a popping noise coming from them, indicating a vacuum seal. You will soon learn to look forward to these tiny pings and dings. My children (Amy’s) often give a shout each time they hear one. This canning music means you have successfully saved your summer bounty.

Step 9: Testing the seal and storing your bounty

The final pressure-canning step is to test the seals on your completely cooled jars: Push on the center of the lid. If the lid feels solid and doesn’t indent, you’ve produced a successful seal. If the lid depresses when applying pressure, this jar isn’t sealed. Refrigerate any unsealed jars immediately, using the contents within two weeks or the period stated in your recipe.

To store jars, do the following:

1. Remove the screw bands of the sealed jars.

2. Remove any residue by washing the jars, lids, and bands in hot, soapy water; then dry them.

3. Label your jars with the content and date of processing.

4. Store the jars without the screw bands, in a cool, dark, dry place.

Disposing of Spoiled Products

Although you may follow all the steps and procedures for pressure canning low-acid foods (see the preceding section), you still have a chance for spoilage. Knowing the signs to look for is part of the food-preservation process.

Here are some visual signs that may indicate a spoiled product:

A bulging lid or a broken seal

A lid that shows signs of corrosion

Food that has oozed or seeped under the lid

Gassiness, indicated by tiny bubbles moving upward in the jar

Food that looks mushy, moldy, or cloudy

Food that gives off an unpleasant or disagreeable odor when the jar is opened

Spurting liquid from the jar when the seal is broken

Storing your sealed jars without the bands allows you to see any signs of food seepage that indicates a potentially spoiled product.