Thread: Re: Canning Mackerel

sometime in the recent past Melba's Jammin' posted this:
> In article <gbgd6o$3c7$[email protected]>,
> Wilson <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> sometime in the recent past Melba's Jammin' posted this:
>>> In article <IkQBk.254$[email protected]>,
>>> Wilson <[email protected]> wrote:
>>>
>>>> We finished the first run @ 10 lbs. for 100 mins. while it lost a bit of
>>>> steam and had only a couple of cups of water left inside. The extension
>>>> guidelines said to go for 160 mins., but I'm not sure it would have held
>>>> water that long. But we kept our 'ear' on the jiggler, so we'd know if it
>>>> went dry.
>>> Did you *reprocess it* for 160 minutes?
>> We changed ISP's, so am a little late in responding. I just wanted to add
>> that recommendations also say not to add water, but we began this process
>> following my mother's instructions and she always added some water. Added
>> water, I should think, would get the heat to the fish better than air would,
>> so maybe that makes sense that it would take longer time without the water.
>>
>> One other note to consider which makes me ponder - if when I'm canning
>> *quarts* (7 quarts at a time) it calls for 160 mins. But when I'm canning
>> *pints* (20 pints at a time = 10 quarts) it calls for 100 mins. Now there is
>> way more mass to heat when doing pints, so why doesn't it carry a longer
>> time? Hmmmn?
>
> Adding water to what? Each jar or to the pressure canner? The former
> is optional, the latter a must.
>
> Here's some information from the U of Alaska folks:
> http://www.uaf.edu/ces/preservingala...y/canningfish/
>
> Remember to make any necessary adjustments for altitude.
>
> As far as times, I know why but I don't know that I can explain it
> coherently. Akin to taking the same amount of time to bake three
> loaves of bread at one time as to bake one loaf of bread. Ah, better:
> I made bread a couple days ago. I baked 8 small loaves for 20 minutes.
> If I would have baked the same amount of dough in two larger pans, it
> would have taken about 35 minutes.
>
We added water to the jars (and, of coarse, the canner.) And thanks for the
url. I wasn't trying to recommend modifying recipes, just explaining some of
what we did.

--
Wilson N44º39" W67º12"