Home 'canning'

Seakay

Jars with pop top lids are very good for preserving; my sister has had pasta sauce in them last for well over a year, and I have kept stewed apple for nearly as long.
Make sure that you sterilise with boiling water and drying in a low oven, fill the jars when they when they are hot and put the lids on firmly but not really wrenched shut. The tops should pop as the jar cools. If any don't, use them first.

ChocClare

This is a very helpful site which I've used before. I do have proper preserving jars but as long as you can test the seal and as long as you remember that the mixture needs to be slightly acid - don't leave out the lemon juice, as this is what preserves it if you haven't got a pressure canner (which you probably haven't, as they don't sell them in the UK) - you should be fine.

zippychick

Hi Rogue:hello:

I've added your thread ao an existing one which discusses home canning. There are also some other threads which may help

Home 'canning'

Kilner type jars

Kilner Jars

Kilner Jar Gaskets?

Thanks:)
Zip

Patchwork_Quilt

roguelawyer wrote: »

Hi I was wondering if you guys could help.
I have a wealth of pre-used jars following a clear out of the kitchen cupboards. I'm thinking about making pasta sauce (tomato, chorizo etc) in bulk and trying to preserve, only the freezer's pretty full.

I've had a look how you go about preserving in jars but most of the websites I've come across refer to canning machines that seem to cost the earth :eek:
Does anyone know how I can use my clean jam jars in order to preserve sauce? And if so, how would you recommend the sauce be stored afterwards and for how long?

Thank

The US Dept of Agriculture book really is what you need (see earlier post). I use my pressure cooker to a pressure of 15lb and according to their timings. They recommend that all bottled produce is used within a year.

seraphina

Also, I would have no problem canning acidic foods (like tomatoes) using a home pressure cooker as champys describes, and fruit is perfectly fine in a hot water canner.

However, even with tomatoes you need to add citric acid to keep the pH long enough and to prevent botulism spores; with other foods you really need to know what you're doing to ensure food saftey.

Will definitely give tomatoes a go this year!

Adam_Kadmon

SanFran, could you please tell me how long you processed the beans you canned for? I would love to do the same. I presume you used a pressure cooker?

pumpkinlife

I think this would be the right thread to post this, apologies if not.

I would like to try canning this year. I have made jam before, and just used old jam jars. However, for making large batch preserves - eg pickles, sauerkraut, fruit, tomatoes etc, which are the best jars to use? I have rubber seal Le Parfait jars I use for pantry storage (which are pretty). But would old style kilner jars (with the 'disk and ring' metal lids) or Mason Bell jars be more practical. I assume you can't use Le parfait style jars in a pressure cooker? And which are more robust, the Mason Bell or the Kilner? Are there other alternatives to these?

Primrose

Power shopper - I'm intrigued by your mention of preserving fruit in the microwave and am wondering whether I could try bottling my surplus tomatoes by a microwave method. I'm a bit terrified of the risk of full jars exploding in it, so if you could provide chapter and verse on how it's done I'm sure I (and others) would be very interested.

canspendnomore

Primrose wrote: »

Power shopper - I'm intrigued by your mention of preserving fruit in the microwave and am wondering whether I could try bottling my surplus tomatoes by a microwave method. I'm a bit terrified of the risk of full jars exploding in it, so if you could provide chapter and verse on how it's done I'm sure I (and others) would be very interested.

Ooo, me too. I would love to do my canning in the microwave, but would worry that the food would get overcooked in the middle!!

D&DD

Well I've ordered a book from Ebay yesterday for the All American Canner http://www.allamericancanner.com/ (I was ordering some other bits anyhow and they just happened to have this too)will let you know if its got anything useful in it

I'm fortunate as my cousin married an american and when I told her the trouble I'd had trying to get proper widemouth canning jars here she just bunged a load in her suitcase and brought them over for me :j
This xmas she's bringing me a canner double :j:j
She couldn't believe how much our jars are she got a dozen for $5 :mad:
I have the posh kerr jelly jars and wanted an 8oz size in the widemouth so they have no 'neck' I must admit they are so much better than the necked ones for packing and getting the bubbles out.

I was a bit worried about getting the pressure checked on this over here but have since found they do spare dials etc so if it needs replacing I'll just get another from Ebay

Primrose I have found a huge LDS centre near where I live but not sure how best to approach them as to wether they do canning on site..I'm going to try the local W.I too