Making Canning Work for You - University of Wyoming Extension

MP-119-12
Issue Twelve
Making Canning Work for You
Patti Griffith, Nutrition and Food Safety Educator, University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service
Be sure to check your equipment and supplies before starting any canning
project to avoid stopping in the middle and running to the store. The trick
to summer canning is staying “cool” while spending the day in the kitchen.
Experienced canners follow simple guidelines:
* Share the labor and the rewards with family and friends. Additional
hands make the job more enjoyable and completion quicker.
* Begin canning early in the day when the kitchen is cool and you are
fresh.
* Plan ahead by grouping fruits, vegetables, and meats according to the
way they are canned and the types of equipment used.
* Schedule jams, fruit butters, and conserves in one group and pickled
vegetables and relishes in another since they require similar ingredients
and types of processing.
Fruits and vegetables are
plentiful in the summer and
fall months, making this is a
good time to preserve extra
produce for enjoyment in the
winter.
* Don’t go overboard trying to do everything at once. Estimate carefully
the time needed to prepare, process, and cool.
* Set out the equipment the day before. Check jars for nicks; make sure
screw bands are clean and unbent and lids have a complete ring of
sealant.
* Be sure there are enough new caps and lids for the amount being
canned.
Old Pressure Canners: Garage Sale Bargains
or Flower Planters?
* Is the metal-to-metal seal smooth around the lid and
bottom with the minute manufactured grooves visible?
Old canning equipment often turns up at garage sales and
auctions. Though canners may appear to be in good shape,
many need replacement parts before they can be safely
used. In some cases, old brands of canners are no longer
manufactured, which makes finding replacement parts
virtually impossible.
For some models of Kook Kwik, Maid of Honor, and
Magic Seal canners, replacement parts are carried by Presto®.
Contact the Consumer Service Department at National
Presto Industries Inc. at www.gopresto.com or (800) 8770441.
Given the value of your time to investigate the potential
utility of a used canner, it may be less expensive in the long
run to purchase a new one. If, however, you decide to buy
a used canner, here are helpful questions and tips from a
Colorado State University Extension Web site on evaluating
used pressure canners available at www.coopext.colostate.
edu/TRA/cfs/food/pressure.html:
* Is the canner round? When looking directly into the
canner, does it appear to be exactly round and not
oblong or bulged in one place? If it is not round, do not
use it for canning – it might be a flowerpot!
* Is the gauge attached or with the canner? (Weights and
dials can be replaced)
* Is the petcock safety valve complete? (Replacement parts
are available)
* Are the threads of the opening undamaged? (Opening
cannot be rethreaded)
* Does the canner lid require a rubber gasket? (Most sizes
are available)
* Is the bottom of the canner flat and level? A canner with
a recessed or rounded bottom should not be used for
canning. Flowerpot!
* On wing screw-type canners, make sure each screw and
corresponding space on the lid is in good condition.
Many replacement parts can be found at hardware
stores, appliance repair shops, and companies that make
canners. In some cases, replacement parts may not look
exactly like the old parts but will serve the same function.
Hole diameters and thread sizes are standard on all makes
of canners, so replacements will fit on old canners. Many
old handles and knobs that have either cracked or fallen off
can usually be replaced. A good cleaning may also help to
determine whether it is a bargain – or a flowerpot! Use hot,
soapy water. If you need more scrubbing power, use baking
soda, which is less abrasive than commercial scouring
powders and pastes.
When considering the purchase of a new canner, you
will choose between models with either a dial gauge or
weighted gauge. A gauge is essential to control pressure and
to let you know how much pressure is built up inside the
canner.
Dial gauges are visual, indicating the amount of
pressure inside the canner with a pointer that moves around
the dial face. The benefit of canners with dial gauges is also
their drawback: You can more closely control their pressure,
but dial gauges should be checked every year as well as
after any mishap, such as being dropped, or after potential
mishandling, such as after a household move.
Weighted gauges will rock gently or frequently make
a “jiggling” noise, indicating maintenance of the correct
pressure. Follow manufacturer’s instructions to know how a
specific weighted gauge should rock or jiggle.
When pressure is released too frequently or constantly,
liquid is pulled from the jars inside. This is a common
problem in jars canned in a weighted-gauge canner.
If the jars stay sealed after they are cooled, the
product inside is safe to use even though the
liquid is down. Pulled liquid may keep some
jars from sealing because the residue on the jar
rim will prevent a complete seal.
Dial pressure gauges can be checked at
local University of Wyoming Cooperative
Extension Service (UW CES) offices. Contact
information is in your local phone directory and
on-line at http://ces.uwyo.edu/Counties.asp.
An accurate gauge will help you avoid having to throw out
jars of improperly processed food or exposing your family
and friends to serious – and potentially fatal – food-borne
illnesses.
Green and Wax Beans – Snap and Italian
Approximately 14 pounds of beans are needed per canner
load of seven quarts while approximately nine pounds are
needed per canner load of nine pints. A bushel weighs 30
pounds and yields 12 to 20 quarts – an average of two
pounds per quart. Select filled but tender, crisp bean pods.
Remove and discard diseased and rusty pods.
Wash beans and trim ends. Leave the beans whole, cut
them, or snap into 1-inch pieces. If using the hot-pack
method, cover with boiling water, and boil 5 minutes. Fill
the jars loosely, leaving 1-inch headspace.
For the raw-pack method, fill the jars tightly with raw
beans, carefully working the beans to eliminate as much air
space as possible. The tops of the beans should be at least 1
inch below the top of the jar. Add 1 teaspoon of canning salt
per quart to the jar, if desired. Add boiling water, leaving
1-inch headspace.
Adjust lids and process in a pressure canner following
the recommendations in Table 1 or Table 2, according to
the type of canner being used. (There is no safe option for
processing green beans in a boiling-water canner.)
To be safe, boil low-acid, home-canned foods for 10
minutes plus 1 minute for each 1,000 feet of altitude above
sea level. The boiling will destroy toxins that could have
formed.
Table 1.
Recommended process times for snap and Italian beans in a dial-gauge pressure canner.
Canner Pressure at altitudes of
Style of Pack
Jar Size
Process Time
2,001 to 4,000 ft
4,001 to 6,000 ft
6,001 to 8,000 ft
Pints
20 min
12 pounds
13 pounds
14 pounds
Quarts
25 min
12 pounds
13 pounds
14 pounds
Hot and Raw
Table 2.
Recommended process times for snap and Italian beans in a weighted-gauge pressure canner.
Canner Pressure at altitudes
Style of Pack
Jar Size
Process Time
Above 1,000 ft
Pints
20 min
15 pounds
Quarts
25 min
15 pounds
Hot and Raw
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Complete Guide to Home Canning
For more tips on preserving fruits and vegetables, contact your local
UW CES office or go to UW CES Food and Nutrition Web page at
www.uwyo.edu/cesnutrition/Food_Preservation.htm. This page links
to on-line versions of the USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning.
Click on the UW Resources link to access Wyoming-specific versions
of USDA’s guidelines (click on the Preserving Food in Wyoming link),
or click on the Web Sites link to access the entire USDA publication as
well as other on-line resources.
Patti Griffith is one of the UW CES
nutrition and food safety educators serving
northwestern Wyoming. She works out
of the UW CES offices in Lander and
Riverton.
Some of the information for this
fact sheet came from newspaper columns
by Cindy Shuster, an extension educator
for The Ohio State University in Perry
County, Ohio, from Colorado State
University Extension’s “Pressure Canners
Use, Types and Care” at www.coopext.
colostate.edu/TRA/cfs/food/pressure.
html, from USDA’s Complete Guide to
Home Canning, and from the University of
Georgia Cooperative Extension’s So Easy to
Preserve, 5th edition, by Elizabeth Andress
and Judy Harrison. Information about
So Easy to Preserve, which contains many
recipes, and the companion video series
can be found at http://www.uga.edu/setp/.
Editor: Robert Waggener
Graphic Designer: Bernadette van der Vliet
Persons seeking admission, employment, or access to programs of the University of Wyoming shall be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex,
national origin, disability, age, political belief, veteran status, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status. Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication or program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact their local UW CES office. To file a
complaint, write the UW Employment Practices/Affirmative Action Office, University of Wyoming, Department 3434, Laramie, WY 82071-3434, or call the
office at (307) 766-3459.