Friday, March 1, 2013

Ask Granny... Upside Down Jars, Pounds in a Bushel, BBQ, Canning Old Recipes





Q. Is this a safe practice or not to turn jars upside down?

A. Turning jars upside down after putting the lids on was once an accepted method, especially for jams and jellies… the heat from the jelly supposedly heated the lid, ensuring a good seal. The current school of thought is that this is no longer a safe method for sealing jars as it can cause food to be trapped underneath the lid causing possible seal breakage… it’s now recommended to process in a boiling water bath instead.


Q. How many pounds of green beans are in a bushel?

A. 30 pounds


Q. I want to can pulled pork barbecue but I’m afraid of it burning inside the jar. What can I do?

A. Water down your barbecue sauce (half sauce, half water) and you will lessen the chances of it burning.

Q. I have some old recipe and canning books, can I still use the recipes for canning?

A. As long as all the ingredients in the recipe are cannable (some ingredients aren't!)…
Use the ingredient in a recipe (even in outdated books) that takes the longest processing time (according to recent standards) and follow those instructions.

10 comments:

  1. I canned some taco meat and sloppy joe sauce...it has a burnt taste. Blek!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Can you can lemon juice or the sections safely? I can't find a reference on it in the normal places I would look (i.e. Ball, National Canning). I can't imagine it would be much different than canning grapefruit/orange slices. What do you think?

    Sally in Seattle, but for the time being in Sunny Arizona (with lots of fresh citrus outside my door!)

    ReplyDelete
  3. How about pickles processed this way?

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  4. You are promoting so many unsafe methods and recipes. Please, educate yourself in current, safe methods and recipes. There has been scientific research behind the changing of many guidelines. Do you realize that putting things like this on your website could result in lawsuits if someone follows them and gets sick or a family member dies from your information ??
    PLEASE, everyone, educate yourself in food preservation safety. These are NOT reliable instructions for some of the foods. Your local county extension office can help you. The University of Georgia website is excellent to use. They even have a free online course you can take. The Univ. of Georgia is known as the leading authority on safe home food preservation. Also, a current copy of the Ball Blue Book is another good resource.
    I know you are well meaning, but it is evident you have no training in food preservation safety.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I canned quart jars of Dill pickles. I use vinegar salt dill seed. garlic. and Alum. I heated jars in boiling water. Lids in boiling water. and washed and cut pickles to spears. I room temp. the pickles in hot jars poured hot borne over them leaving the neck clear, wiped rim and sealed. All sealed with in 1-2 hours. 2months later the jars have a bubbling gas in them.and Lids have bulged up. Why?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sorry it should read Brine not borne.

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    2. Sometimes you only get a "false seal" using that method, sometimes they actually seal. Best thing to have done would be to give them a short boiling water bath (5-10 minutes) to ensure the seal stays. ~~Granny

      Delete
  6. Hi there,I'm pickling pickles but I'm having a hard time remembering my nannies recipe and she always turned her jars upside down but I can't remember where in this process she did that..i.e. like in the beginning or the middle or end process, I used cold water salt dill garlic and cucumbers out of my garden..thats all the ingredients my nanny used but she made hers the old fashion way..no hot bath or nothing like that, and after she sealed up her jars about 4 to 6 weeks later we had pickles but somewhere in the process she turned her jars upside down...do you know anything to help me

    ReplyDelete
  7. A friend of mine is talking about canning her salsa recipe. Although its very good and she uses fresh veggies, she also uses canned items like rotel,black beans etc. I'm concerned if it's safe to can already canned items like that?

    ReplyDelete

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