Thread: Parafin on jam question

Cuthbert Thistlethwaite wrote:
> My grandmother (almost 50 years dead now) made wonderful berry jams and
> put them up in one-pint size mason jars.
>
> I don't remember whether they were vacuum sealed or not, since it was
> not my job to open them as a small boy.
>
> What sticks in my mind however, was that she laid down a layer of
> paraffin on top of the jam in every bottle.
>
> Does anyone have a clue what the paraffin would be for?
>
> (This was in northern Wisconsin, which is on the cool side, so vast
> hordes of bugs and crawlers were not likely the problem she was solving
> with the paraffin seal.)


She did that as a lid to seal the jars; keep them from spilling if they
tip over, keep bugs out, and keep air out. Also, she probably reused
glass jars saved from peanut butter, store-bought jelly, and dried beef
and didn't have proper lids to fit. (I used to put up jelly that way
too, *many* years ago)

It's an obsolete method and not all that effective. What you don't
remember is the jars that molded or got full of ants because the seal
broke and she quietly threw them out.

Using proper canning jar lids and sealing with a boiling water bath is
actually cheaper these days, and you'll have much less spoilage.

Bob

> She did that as a lid to seal the jars; keep them from spilling if they
> tip over, keep bugs out, and keep air out. Also, she probably reused
> glass jars saved from peanut butter, store-bought jelly, and dried beef
> and didn't have proper lids to fit. (I used to put up jelly that way
> too, *many* years ago)

> It's an obsolete method and not all that effective. What you don't
> remember is the jars that molded or got full of ants because the seal
> broke and she quietly threw them out.

> Using proper canning jar lids and sealing with a boiling water bath is
> actually cheaper these days, and you'll have much less spoilage.

Thanks; I don't remember the exact sort of jars used and they may very
well have not been canning jars as you say.

I do not remember any bug problem at all.

The jam was sure good, though !

In article <[email protected]>,
Cuthbert Thistlethwaite <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> > She did that as a lid to seal the jars; keep them from spilling if they
> > tip over, keep bugs out, and keep air out. Also, she probably reused
> > glass jars saved from peanut butter, store-bought jelly, and dried beef
> > and didn't have proper lids to fit. (I used to put up jelly that way
> > too, *many* years ago)
>
> > It's an obsolete method and not all that effective. What you don't
> > remember is the jars that molded or got full of ants because the seal
> > broke and she quietly threw them out.
>
> > Using proper canning jar lids and sealing with a boiling water bath is
> > actually cheaper these days, and you'll have much less spoilage.
>
> Thanks; I don't remember the exact sort of jars used and they may very
> well have not been canning jars as you say.
>
> I do not remember any bug problem at all.
>
> The jam was sure good, though !


The paraffin had naught to do with the quality of the jam, Cuthbert.
Bob is spot on.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller, blahblahblog is back and
most recently updated last night, 8-17-2008. Fair entries are DONE!

Cuthbert Thistlethwaite wrote:
>
>> She did that as a lid to seal the jars; keep them from spilling if they
>> tip over, keep bugs out, and keep air out. Also, she probably reused
>> glass jars saved from peanut butter, store-bought jelly, and dried beef
>> and didn't have proper lids to fit. (I used to put up jelly that way
>> too, *many* years ago)
>
>> It's an obsolete method and not all that effective. What you don't
>> remember is the jars that molded or got full of ants because the seal
>> broke and she quietly threw them out.
>
>> Using proper canning jar lids and sealing with a boiling water bath is
>> actually cheaper these days, and you'll have much less spoilage.
>
> Thanks; I don't remember the exact sort of jars used and they may very
> well have not been canning jars as you say.
>
> I do not remember any bug problem at all.
>
> The jam was sure good, though !


She may not have had any problems. Her technique was probably pretty
good from years of practice. And when the occasional jar got moldy,
maybe she scraped it out and used what was left (I've done that with jam
and jelly, but not anything softer.)

Grandma used the best processes and materials she had available at the
time. We should do the same.

Using proper metal lids and sealing them in a boiling water bath is a
better method. And have you priced Gulfwax paraffin lately? Yikes!

Bob

The message <[email protected]>
from Cuthbert Thistlethwaite <[email protected]> contains these words:


> My grandmother (almost 50 years dead now) made wonderful berry jams and
> put them up in one-pint size mason jars.

> I don't remember whether they were vacuum sealed or not, since it was
> not my job to open them as a small boy.

> What sticks in my mind however, was that she laid down a layer of
> paraffin on top of the jam in every bottle.

> Does anyone have a clue what the paraffin would be for?

To seal the surface. I use a waxed- paper disc set on the hot jam,
does the same thing, then a screwtop on the jar. (Barb if you're
reading this, do you use paper discs?)

Janet (Scotland)

Janet Baraclough <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> The message <[email protected]>
> from Cuthbert Thistlethwaite <[email protected]> contains these
> words:
>
>
>> My grandmother (almost 50 years dead now) made wonderful berry jams
>> and put them up in one-pint size mason jars.
>
>> I don't remember whether they were vacuum sealed or not, since it was
>> not my job to open them as a small boy.
>
>> What sticks in my mind however, was that she laid down a layer of
>> paraffin on top of the jam in every bottle.
>
>> Does anyone have a clue what the paraffin would be for?
>
> To seal the surface. I use a waxed- paper disc set on the hot jam,
> does the same thing, then a screwtop on the jar. (Barb if you're
> reading this, do you use paper discs?)
>
> Janet (Scotland)
>

Remembering a past posting... the parafin or paper disc doesn't do
squat...mold etc... can attack and get to the jam where the wax or paper
meets the side of the jar....I believe Barb posted something similar but
better written. So the jaming laws say don't do it. It's not that I can't
can it's I'm too lazy to bother.

--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

On Sat 30 Aug 2008 03:49:12p, hahabogus told us...

> Janet Baraclough <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
>> The message <[email protected]>
>> from Cuthbert Thistlethwaite <[email protected]> contains these
>> words:
>>
>>
>>> My grandmother (almost 50 years dead now) made wonderful berry jams
>>> and put them up in one-pint size mason jars.
>>
>>> I don't remember whether they were vacuum sealed or not, since it was
>>> not my job to open them as a small boy.
>>
>>> What sticks in my mind however, was that she laid down a layer of
>>> paraffin on top of the jam in every bottle.
>>
>>> Does anyone have a clue what the paraffin would be for?
>>
>> To seal the surface. I use a waxed- paper disc set on the hot jam,
>> does the same thing, then a screwtop on the jar. (Barb if you're
>> reading this, do you use paper discs?)
>>
>> Janet (Scotland)
>>
>
> Remembering a past posting... the parafin or paper disc doesn't do
> squat...mold etc... can attack and get to the jam where the wax or paper
> meets the side of the jar....I believe Barb posted something similar but
> better written. So the jaming laws say don't do it. It's not that I can't
> can it's I'm too lazy to bother.
>

Right or wrong, the wax discs are in common use in the UK.

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Saturday, 08(VIII)/30(XXX)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
1dys 7hrs 30mins
*******************************************
'LONG LIVE THE GLORIOUS COCKROACH
REBELLION!!' - Bloom County
*******************************************

In article <[email protected]>,
Janet Baraclough <[email protected]> wrote:

> The message <[email protected]>
> from Cuthbert Thistlethwaite <[email protected]> contains these words:

> > Does anyone have a clue what the paraffin would be for?
>
> To seal the surface. I use a waxed- paper disc set on the hot jam,
> does the same thing, then a screwtop on the jar. (Barb if you're
> reading this, do you use paper discs?)
>
> Janet (Scotland)

That's not our researchers' recommendation, Janet. I don't use wax but
use a two-piece lid and screw-on band to keep it in place and then
processing a boiling water batch for 5-10 minutes at my altitude.
Look up Kerr or Ball canning jars. :-)

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller, blahblahblog is back and
most recently updated last night, 8-17-2008. Fair entries are DONE!

In article <[email protected] 7>,
Wayne Boatwright <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Sat 30 Aug 2008 03:49:12p, hahabogus told us...
>
> > Janet Baraclough <[email protected]> wrote in
> > news:[email protected]:
> >
> >> The message <[email protected]>
> >> from Cuthbert Thistlethwaite <[email protected]> contains these
> >> words:

> >>> Does anyone have a clue what the paraffin would be for?
> >>
> >> To seal the surface. I use a waxed- paper disc set on the hot jam,
> >> does the same thing, then a screwtop on the jar. (Barb if you're
> >> reading this, do you use paper discs?)
> >>
> >> Janet (Scotland)
> >>
> >
> > Remembering a past posting... the parafin or paper disc doesn't do
> > squat...mold etc... can attack and get to the jam where the wax or paper
> > meets the side of the jar....I believe Barb posted something similar but
> > better written. So the jaming laws say don't do it. It's not that I can't
> > can it's I'm too lazy to bother.
> >
>
> Right or wrong, the wax discs are in common use in the UK.

And I don't think I criticize it; practices and customs vary from
country to country and as an American I follow recommendations that come
from our researchers. And as an American canner, I can only recommend
what I know and do, remembering Myra Arrendale's words to me many years
ago, "Our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers canned using
the most current information, equipment, and practices know to them at
the time, and we should do no less." Things change.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller, and I'm still having fun with the Fair!

On Sat 30 Aug 2008 05:48:14p, Melba's Jammin' told us...

> In article <[email protected] 7>,
> Wayne Boatwright <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> On Sat 30 Aug 2008 03:49:12p, hahabogus told us...
>>
>> > Janet Baraclough <[email protected]> wrote in
>> > news:[email protected]:
>> >
>> >> The message <[email protected]>
>> >> from Cuthbert Thistlethwaite <[email protected]> contains these
>> >> words:
>
>> >>> Does anyone have a clue what the paraffin would be for?
>> >>
>> >> To seal the surface. I use a waxed- paper disc set on the hot
>> >> jam,
>> >> does the same thing, then a screwtop on the jar. (Barb if you're
>> >> reading this, do you use paper discs?)
>> >>
>> >> Janet (Scotland)
>> >>
>> >
>> > Remembering a past posting... the parafin or paper disc doesn't do
>> > squat...mold etc... can attack and get to the jam where the wax or
>> > paper meets the side of the jar....I believe Barb posted something
>> > similar but better written. So the jaming laws say don't do it. It's
>> > not that I can't can it's I'm too lazy to bother.
>> >
>>
>> Right or wrong, the wax discs are in common use in the UK.
>
> And I don't think I criticize it; practices and customs vary from
> country to country and as an American I follow recommendations that come
> from our researchers. And as an American canner, I can only recommend
> what I know and do, remembering Myra Arrendale's words to me many years
> ago, "Our mothers and grandmothers and great-grandmothers canned using
> the most current information, equipment, and practices know to them at
> the time, and we should do no less." Things change.
>

Well stated, Barb.

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Saturday, 08(VIII)/30(XXX)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
1dys 5hrs 47mins
*******************************************
On a scale of 1 to 10, 4 is about 7.
*******************************************

The message <[email protected]>
from Melba's Jammin' <[email protected]> contains these words:

> In article <[email protected]>,
> Janet Baraclough <[email protected]> wrote:

> > The message <[email protected]>
> > from Cuthbert Thistlethwaite <[email protected]> contains these
> > words:

> > > Does anyone have a clue what the paraffin would be for?
> >
> > To seal the surface. I use a waxed- paper disc set on the hot jam,
> > does the same thing, then a screwtop on the jar. (Barb if you're
> > reading this, do you use paper discs?)
> >
> > Janet (Scotland)

> That's not our researchers' recommendation, Janet. I don't use wax but
> use a two-piece lid and screw-on band to keep it in place and then
> processing a boiling water batch for 5-10 minutes at my altitude.
> Look up Kerr or Ball canning jars. :-)

I'm talking jam and marmalade (Jelly to you. ) Are you talking jam
or preserved fruits? My mother and MIl used to do exactly what you do
with jars of whole fruit in juice or syrup, but I've never heard of
anyone here using 2-piece lids or boiling -water batches for jam
(jelly)

Janet UK

On Sun 31 Aug 2008 05:36:14a, Janet Baraclough told us...

> I'm talking jam and marmalade (Jelly to you. ) Are you talking jam
> or preserved fruits? My mother and MIl used to do exactly what you do
> with jars of whole fruit in juice or syrup, but I've never heard of
> anyone here using 2-piece lids or boiling -water batches for jam
> (jelly)

You probably haven't heard of it because it's only commonly practiced in
the US and Canada. Two-piece lids and boiling water baths are the
recommended and standard practice in both countries and promoted by the
government for food safety.

I do remember that my mother used melted parafin to seal her jams and
jellies back in the 1950s. Everything else was put up with two-piece lids
and either boiling water bath or pressure canned. I think she began doing
the same for jams and jellies in the 1960s.

Having said that, I know that it is common practice in the UK to use the
waxed discs.

Most of the UK has a cooler/colder climate year round than many places in
the US. I wonder if that has anything to do with it? Parafin seals soften
in hot climates and might promote product leakage and spoilage. I know if
I used parafin on my jams here in AZ, and the jars were kept in a larder
that wasn't air conditioned, the parafin would simply melt.

I recall in the early days of my making mincemeat, virtually every UK
recipe simply said to pot it and put in on the shelf to age and store until
used. I never did it because I knew it would spell disaster. I always put
it up in jars with two-piece lids and boiling water bath, or I freeze it.

--
Wayne Boatwright

*******************************************
Date: Sunday, 08(VIII)/31(XXXI)/08(MMVIII)
*******************************************
Countdown till Labor Day
16hrs 18mins
*******************************************
'That's funny ho ho, I want funny ha ha.'
*******************************************

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:50:21 -0500, zxcvbob wrote:

> Cuthbert Thistlethwaite wrote:
>>
>>> She did that as a lid to seal the jars; keep them from spilling if they
>>> tip over, keep bugs out, and keep air out. Also, she probably reused
>>> glass jars saved from peanut butter, store-bought jelly, and dried beef
>>> and didn't have proper lids to fit. (I used to put up jelly that way
>>> too, *many* years ago)
>>
>>> It's an obsolete method and not all that effective. What you don't
>>> remember is the jars that molded or got full of ants because the seal
>>> broke and she quietly threw them out.
>>
>>> Using proper canning jar lids and sealing with a boiling water bath is
>>> actually cheaper these days, and you'll have much less spoilage.
>>
>> Thanks; I don't remember the exact sort of jars used and they may very
>> well have not been canning jars as you say.
>>
>> I do not remember any bug problem at all.
>>
>> The jam was sure good, though !
>
>
> She may not have had any problems. Her technique was probably pretty
> good from years of practice. And when the occasional jar got moldy,
> maybe she scraped it out and used what was left (I've done that with jam
> and jelly, but not anything softer.)
>
> Grandma used the best processes and materials she had available at the
> time. We should do the same.
>
> Using proper metal lids and sealing them in a boiling water bath is a
> better method. And have you priced Gulfwax paraffin lately? Yikes!
>
> Bob

well, it is a petroleum by-product as far as i know.

your pal,
blake

The message <[email protected] 0>
from Wayne Boatwright <[email protected]> contains these words:


> Having said that, I know that it is common practice in the UK to use the
> waxed discs.

> Most of the UK has a cooler/colder climate year round than many places in
> the US. I wonder if that has anything to do with it?

That's probably it, good thinking. I've sometimes found vintage jars
of home-made jam at the back of the cupboard which were still
perfectly good after 5 years or so storage :-)

Janet

I remember making grape jelly in Home Economics in 9th grade and we
sealed the open top jars with paraffin. No covers, no canning, nothing,
just paraffin. We stored them in the fridge, but I don't remember if it
would have been ok to store them without refrigeration.

That jelly was the best, although a lot of work. Each grape was
"popped", guts in one pot and skin in another. After cooking, guts were
strained to remove the seeds. I don't have access to Concord grapes
anymore though. My husband's grandmother used to grow them.

Denise

Cuthbert Thistlethwaite wrote:
> My grandmother (almost 50 years dead now) made wonderful berry jams and
> put them up in one-pint size mason jars.
>
> I don't remember whether they were vacuum sealed or not, since it was
> not my job to open them as a small boy.
>
> What sticks in my mind however, was that she laid down a layer of
> paraffin on top of the jam in every bottle.
>
> Does anyone have a clue what the paraffin would be for?
>
> (This was in northern Wisconsin, which is on the cool side, so vast
> hordes of bugs and crawlers were not likely the problem she was solving
> with the paraffin seal.)


Paraffin is a substitute for sealer jars. It is not as good as sealer
jars, but it allows you to use any size or shape of jar for your jams
and jellies. My mother used paraffin for all her jams and jellies for
years and we never had any problems with it.

In article <[email protected]>,
Janet Baraclough <[email protected]> wrote:

> The message <[email protected]>
> from Melba's Jammin' <[email protected]> contains these words:
>
> > In article <[email protected]>,
> > Janet Baraclough <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > > The message <[email protected]>
> > > from Cuthbert Thistlethwaite <[email protected]> contains these
> > > words:
>
> > > > Does anyone have a clue what the paraffin would be for?
> > >
> > > To seal the surface. I use a waxed- paper disc set on the hot jam,
> > > does the same thing, then a screwtop on the jar. (Barb if you're
> > > reading this, do you use paper discs?)
> > >
> > > Janet (Scotland)
>
> > That's not our researchers' recommendation, Janet. I don't use wax but
> > use a two-piece lid and screw-on band to keep it in place and then
> > processing a boiling water batch for 5-10 minutes at my altitude.
> > Look up Kerr or Ball canning jars. :-)
>
> I'm talking jam and marmalade (Jelly to you. ) Are you talking jam
> or preserved fruits? My mother and MIl used to do exactly what you do
> with jars of whole fruit in juice or syrup, but I've never heard of
> anyone here using 2-piece lids or boiling -water batches for jam
> (jelly)
>
> Janet UK

Both spreads and canned fruits. Our recommendations are to heat-process
everything, including sweet spreads. Boiling water bath for high-acid
products, steam pressure canning for low acid (vegetables and flesh).
Pickled cucumbers can be pasteurized at a lower temp than boiling water,
but it's too fussy for me, not to mention that I don't do any cucumber
pickles other than my bread & butters. :-)
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.mac.com/barbschaller, blahblahblog is back and
most recently updated last night, 8-17-2008. Fair entries are DONE!

On Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:42:52 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
<[email protected]> wrote:

>That's not our researchers' recommendation, Janet. I don't use wax but
>use a two-piece lid and screw-on band to keep it in place and then
>processing a boiling water batch for 5-10 minutes at my altitude.
>Look up Kerr or Ball canning jars. :-)

I was thinking about you this past weekend while in Farm and Fleet. We
went for nuts and I remember you saying you got yours there too. This
is the first time I've been able to get macadamia and brazil nuts
there.

Anyway I thought I'd see if they had food mills cheap. No such luck
but they had jars on sale. Sooner or later I'll get my act together
and try my hand at canning. Now I know where to get cheap jars. That
place rocks!

I made a double batch of these over the weekend. Everybody loves
them.


Chile Lime Roasted Nuts

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons Kosher salt divided
4 cups roasted shelled (not salted) peanuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450F.

In bowl combine oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, sugar and 1 Tbsp
salt. Add peanuts and toss well. With slotted spoon, place peanuts in
single layer on baking sheet. Roast and stir once for about 8 minutes.
Remove from baking sheet and sprinkle peanuts with remaining salt.
Cool before serving at room temperature.

Lou

Lou Decruss wrote:

>
> I made a double batch of these over the weekend. Everybody loves
> them.
>
>
> Chile Lime Roasted Nuts
>
> Ingredients:
> 2 tablespoons peanut oil
> 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
> 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
> 1 teaspoon cumin powder
> 1 tablespoon sugar
> 2 tablespoons Kosher salt divided
> 4 cups roasted shelled (not salted) peanuts
>
> Directions:
>
> Preheat oven to 450F.
>
> In bowl combine oil, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, sugar and 1 Tbsp
> salt. Add peanuts and toss well. With slotted spoon, place peanuts in
> single layer on baking sheet. Roast and stir once for about 8 minutes.
> Remove from baking sheet and sprinkle peanuts with remaining salt.
> Cool before serving at room temperature.
>
> Lou

I just bought a bag of roasted unsalted nuts - maybe a one pound bag. I
am going to make these tonight.
I also bought a bag of roasted unsalted almonds which I like as an
afternoon snack. Maybe I will add them to the peanuts.


Tracy