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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 11-04-2009, 04:38 PM
zxcvbob
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Default Re: Canning Questions

Kajikit wrote:
> Okay, we have some canning experts here... I haven't done any
> preserving or canning since I was a teenager, and my mother never used
> a water bath - she only ever made jam and chutney and high-acid sauces
> that preserved themselves. Now I read that EVERYTHING should be boiled
> for safety's sake... Anyway, I want to get some supplies to try it. I
> already have a set of nesting stockpots with the largest being
> 15litres. I have a round cake cooler that nests inside it and I use it
> for making steamed Christmas pudding (I can't use it for actual food
> because some of the metal on the rack annodised off in the boiling
> water and I don't trust it!) Can I use this pot and nesting rack to do
> canning if I buy a jar-lifter to get the bottles out again? If I need
> an actual canning rack, could I use that in the stockpot? It's all a
> big mystery to me, but we haven't got the space (or the money) to buy
> extra kitchen equipment unless I'm going to use them a LOT.


Notice that I crossposted to r.f.p

You can do boiling-water bath canning ("BWB") using a stockpot with a
rack in the bottom if it's deep enough to cover the jars. A jar
lifter is almost a necessity. A magnet-on-a-stick is also handy for
lifting lids out simmering water when you are ready for them. Both
are really cheap accessories you can buy wherever you get canning jars.

You can also do BWB canning in a pressure cooker/canner by leaving the
vent open so it doesn't pressurize. Just fill with boiling water up to
the shoulders of the jars if it's not tall enough to fully submerge
them. (Begin timing when steam starts pouring out of the vent)

What do you want to can? Some things need to be processed in a
pressure canner.

Bob
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  #2 (permalink)  
Old 11-04-2009, 06:10 PM
Kajikit
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

On Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:38:14 -0600, zxcvbob <zxcvbob@charter.net>
wrote:

>Kajikit wrote:
>> Okay, we have some canning experts here... I haven't done any
>> preserving or canning since I was a teenager, and my mother never used
>> a water bath - she only ever made jam and chutney and high-acid sauces
>> that preserved themselves. Now I read that EVERYTHING should be boiled
>> for safety's sake... Anyway, I want to get some supplies to try it. I
>> already have a set of nesting stockpots with the largest being
>> 15litres. I have a round cake cooler that nests inside it and I use it
>> for making steamed Christmas pudding (I can't use it for actual food
>> because some of the metal on the rack annodised off in the boiling
>> water and I don't trust it!) Can I use this pot and nesting rack to do
>> canning if I buy a jar-lifter to get the bottles out again? If I need
>> an actual canning rack, could I use that in the stockpot? It's all a
>> big mystery to me, but we haven't got the space (or the money) to buy
>> extra kitchen equipment unless I'm going to use them a LOT.

>
>Notice that I crossposted to r.f.p
>
>You can do boiling-water bath canning ("BWB") using a stockpot with a
>rack in the bottom if it's deep enough to cover the jars. A jar
>lifter is almost a necessity. A magnet-on-a-stick is also handy for
>lifting lids out simmering water when you are ready for them. Both
>are really cheap accessories you can buy wherever you get canning jars.
>
>You can also do BWB canning in a pressure cooker/canner by leaving the
>vent open so it doesn't pressurize. Just fill with boiling water up to
>the shoulders of the jars if it's not tall enough to fully submerge
>them. (Begin timing when steam starts pouring out of the vent)
>
>What do you want to can? Some things need to be processed in a
>pressure canner.
>
>Bob


I didn't know there WAS a preserving newsgroup... I don't want to do
anything fancy. I just want to do jam/jelly and chutney and stuff like
that that's easy. I adore chutney and it costs a fortune to buy, and I
go through salsa like nobody's business, so it would be fun to make my
own. If my stockpot will work it would save a lot of money and space,
both of which are at a premium in my apartment.

Okay, so assuming that the stockpot will work, what equipment do I
need to buy? Amazon has about twenty-five different 'canning supply'
sets at prices ranging from ten bucks to a hundred. Do you get what
you pay for? Or are they pretty much of a muchness aside from how
pretty they look?
--

My website - http://www.kajikitscorner.com
My cooking blog - http://kajikit.wordpress.com
My crafty blog - http://kajikit.blogspot.com
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  #3 (permalink)  
Old 11-04-2009, 06:38 PM
zxcvbob
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

Kajikit wrote:
>
> I didn't know there WAS a preserving newsgroup... I don't want to do
> anything fancy. I just want to do jam/jelly and chutney and stuff like
> that that's easy. I adore chutney and it costs a fortune to buy, and I
> go through salsa like nobody's business, so it would be fun to make my
> own. If my stockpot will work it would save a lot of money and space,
> both of which are at a premium in my apartment.
>
> Okay, so assuming that the stockpot will work, what equipment do I
> need to buy? Amazon has about twenty-five different 'canning supply'
> sets at prices ranging from ten bucks to a hundred. Do you get what
> you pay for? Or are they pretty much of a muchness aside from how
> pretty they look?



You want something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Ball-10720-4-p.../dp/B000SN0W7K

and a copy of the _Ball Blue Book_, or _Ball Home Canning Guide_, or
whatever they are calling it these days. It's an inexpensive
paperback that gets republished every couple of years. Should cost
about $6 or $8. Study the first couple of chapters.

(I don't know what that little spatula-looking thing is in the kit,
but the other 3 items are essentials)

You can probably buy all this at Walmart or Target or FleetFarm (etc.)

Bob
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  #4 (permalink)  
Old 11-04-2009, 06:39 PM
Virginia Tadrzynski
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions


"zxcvbob" <zxcvbob@charter.net> wrote in message
news:7ldoviF3c5s97U1@mid.individual.net...
> Kajikit wrote:
>> Okay, we have some canning experts here... I haven't done any
>> preserving or canning since I was a teenager, and my mother never used
>> a water bath - she only ever made jam and chutney and high-acid sauces
>> that preserved themselves. Now I read that EVERYTHING should be boiled
>> for safety's sake... Anyway, I want to get some supplies to try it. I
>> already have a set of nesting stockpots with the largest being
>> 15litres. I have a round cake cooler that nests inside it and I use it
>> for making steamed Christmas pudding (I can't use it for actual food
>> because some of the metal on the rack annodised off in the boiling
>> water and I don't trust it!) Can I use this pot and nesting rack to do
>> canning if I buy a jar-lifter to get the bottles out again? If I need
>> an actual canning rack, could I use that in the stockpot? It's all a
>> big mystery to me, but we haven't got the space (or the money) to buy
>> extra kitchen equipment unless I'm going to use them a LOT.

>
> Notice that I crossposted to r.f.p
>
> You can do boiling-water bath canning ("BWB") using a stockpot with a rack
> in the bottom if it's deep enough to cover the jars. A jar lifter is
> almost a necessity. A magnet-on-a-stick is also handy for lifting lids
> out simmering water when you are ready for them. Both are really cheap
> accessories you can buy wherever you get canning jars.
>
> You can also do BWB canning in a pressure cooker/canner by leaving the
> vent open so it doesn't pressurize. Just fill with boiling water up to the
> shoulders of the jars if it's not tall enough to fully submerge them.
> (Begin timing when steam starts pouring out of the vent)
>
> What do you want to can? Some things need to be processed in a pressure
> canner.
>
> Bob


The little magnet on a stick to get the lids out of the sterilizing water is
actually cheaper if you go to a big box hardware store and buy the magnet on
a stick to pick up screws and nails. In the cooking aisles they give it
some high-faluting name and charge you double for the same thing. I do a
lot of 'kitchen' gadget buying in the hardware.....like a rubberized dead
blow hammer for a meat tenderizer....works wonders and is fully immersible.
-ginny


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  #5 (permalink)  
Old 11-04-2009, 06:52 PM
Dave Balderstone
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

In article <4af1ca56$0$6735$ce5e7886@news-radius.ptd.net>, Virginia
Tadrzynski <tadx6@ptd.net> wrote:

> The little magnet on a stick to get the lids out of the sterilizing water is
> actually cheaper if you go to a big box hardware store and buy the magnet on
> a stick to pick up screws and nails.


Or, you could glue a magnet to a stick...
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  #6 (permalink)  
Old 11-04-2009, 08:13 PM
Wilson
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

sometime in the recent past Virginia Tadrzynski posted this:
> "zxcvbob" <zxcvbob@charter.net> wrote in message
> news:7ldoviF3c5s97U1@mid.individual.net...
>> Kajikit wrote:
>>> Okay, we have some canning experts here... I haven't done any
>>> preserving or canning since I was a teenager, and my mother never used
>>> a water bath - she only ever made jam and chutney and high-acid sauces
>>> that preserved themselves. Now I read that EVERYTHING should be boiled
>>> for safety's sake... Anyway, I want to get some supplies to try it. I
>>> already have a set of nesting stockpots with the largest being
>>> 15litres. I have a round cake cooler that nests inside it and I use it
>>> for making steamed Christmas pudding (I can't use it for actual food
>>> because some of the metal on the rack annodised off in the boiling
>>> water and I don't trust it!) Can I use this pot and nesting rack to do
>>> canning if I buy a jar-lifter to get the bottles out again? If I need
>>> an actual canning rack, could I use that in the stockpot? It's all a
>>> big mystery to me, but we haven't got the space (or the money) to buy
>>> extra kitchen equipment unless I'm going to use them a LOT.

>> Notice that I crossposted to r.f.p
>>
>> You can do boiling-water bath canning ("BWB") using a stockpot with a rack
>> in the bottom if it's deep enough to cover the jars. A jar lifter is
>> almost a necessity. A magnet-on-a-stick is also handy for lifting lids
>> out simmering water when you are ready for them. Both are really cheap
>> accessories you can buy wherever you get canning jars.
>>
>> You can also do BWB canning in a pressure cooker/canner by leaving the
>> vent open so it doesn't pressurize. Just fill with boiling water up to the
>> shoulders of the jars if it's not tall enough to fully submerge them.
>> (Begin timing when steam starts pouring out of the vent)
>>
>> What do you want to can? Some things need to be processed in a pressure
>> canner.
>>
>> Bob

>
> The little magnet on a stick to get the lids out of the sterilizing water is
> actually cheaper if you go to a big box hardware store and buy the magnet on
> a stick to pick up screws and nails. In the cooking aisles they give it
> some high-faluting name and charge you double for the same thing. I do a
> lot of 'kitchen' gadget buying in the hardware.....like a rubberized dead
> blow hammer for a meat tenderizer....works wonders and is fully immersible.
> -ginny
>
>

Got one at a traveling hardware show (don't laugh) and it was a rare earth
magnet on a telescoping handle collapses to the size of a pen. These are
very strong for the size and double for getting rings you drop behind the
stove ;-)

--
Wilson 44.69, -67.3
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  #7 (permalink)  
Old 11-04-2009, 08:49 PM
Marilyn
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

"zxcvbob" <zxcvbob@charter.net> wrote in message
news:7le01dF3aafcaU1@mid.individual.net...
> Kajikit wrote:
>>
>> I didn't know there WAS a preserving newsgroup... I don't want to do
>> anything fancy. I just want to do jam/jelly and chutney and stuff like
>> that that's easy. I adore chutney and it costs a fortune to buy, and I
>> go through salsa like nobody's business, so it would be fun to make my
>> own. If my stockpot will work it would save a lot of money and space,
>> both of which are at a premium in my apartment. Okay, so assuming that
>> the stockpot will work, what equipment do I
>> need to buy? Amazon has about twenty-five different 'canning supply'
>> sets at prices ranging from ten bucks to a hundred. Do you get what
>> you pay for? Or are they pretty much of a muchness aside from how
>> pretty they look?

>
>
> You want something like this:
> http://www.amazon.com/Ball-10720-4-p.../dp/B000SN0W7K
>
> and a copy of the _Ball Blue Book_, or _Ball Home Canning Guide_, or
> whatever they are calling it these days. It's an inexpensive paperback
> that gets republished every couple of years. Should cost about $6 or $8.
> Study the first couple of chapters.
>
> (I don't know what that little spatula-looking thing is in the kit, but
> the other 3 items are essentials)


I think the little spatula-looking thing is used for getting the bubbles out
of the jars before you put the lids on. Personally, I use the plastic
handle from a bowl scraper/spatula. When the rubber or silicone part wears
out, I toss that and keep the handle.

> You can probably buy all this at Walmart or Target or FleetFarm (etc.)
>
> Bob




--
-Marilyn


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  #8 (permalink)  
Old 11-04-2009, 11:26 PM
Melba's Jammin'
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

In article <vjg3f5tel7mtvj522q8h29posuos38ua4q@4ax.com>,
Kajikit <kajikit@jagcon.com> wrote:

> I didn't know there WAS a preserving newsgroup... I don't want to do
> anything fancy. I just want to do jam/jelly and chutney and stuff like
> that that's easy. I adore chutney and it costs a fortune to buy, and I
> go through salsa like nobody's business, so it would be fun to make my
> own. If my stockpot will work it would save a lot of money and space,
> both of which are at a premium in my apartment.
>
> Okay, so assuming that the stockpot will work, what equipment do I
> need to buy? Amazon has about twenty-five different 'canning supply'
> sets at prices ranging from ten bucks to a hundred. Do you get what
> you pay for? Or are they pretty much of a muchness aside from how
> pretty they look?


AFAICS, you don't need anything more to get started----although I strongly
recommend a canning funnel (large bottom opening to accommodate chunky
stuff and big pieces going into the jar) and a jar lifter. You want to
move your jars into and out of the canner with straight up and down
movement so you don't tilt the jar. Regular tongs make it a little more
difficult to manage that, IMO.

Get the Ball Blue Book -- maybe $6-7. Or the Complete Book of Home
Preserving by the Jarden/Ball folks--there are about 17 different salsa
recipes in it.

I recommend using a tested and blessed recipe for salsa, Karen; the old
ways may not be acidic enough to satisfy current recommendations.
Tomatoes are now considered to be borderline safe for simple waterbath
processing and when you throw low-acid vegetables (peppers and onions)
into the mix, you're swimming in murky waters. Make half (or a third)
of a recipe to see if you like it. There's a new BBB out this year -
it's the 100th anniversary for it. And check out www.uga.edu/nchfp for
the most current info on the whole topic of food preservation.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - Who Said Chickens Have Fingers?
10-30-2009
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  #9 (permalink)  
Old 11-04-2009, 11:28 PM
Melba's Jammin'
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

In article <7le01dF3aafcaU1@mid.individual.net>,
zxcvbob <zxcvbob@charter.net> wrote:
> You want something like this:
> http://www.amazon.com/Ball-10720-4-p.../dp/B000SN0W7K
>
> and a copy of the _Ball Blue Book_, or _Ball Home Canning Guide_, or
> whatever they are calling it these days. It's an inexpensive
> paperback that gets republished every couple of years. Should cost
> about $6 or $8. Study the first couple of chapters.
>
> (I don't know what that little spatula-looking thing is in the kit,
> but the other 3 items are essentials)


Without even looking at it, I'm betting it is to release air bubbles
from a mixture. Oy. A chopstick (or a plastic picnic knife) will do
the same thing.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - Who Said Chickens Have Fingers?
10-30-2009
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  #10 (permalink)  
Old 11-04-2009, 11:48 PM
zxcvbob
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>
> I recommend using a tested and blessed recipe for salsa, Karen; the old
> ways may not be acidic enough to satisfy current recommendations.
> Tomatoes are now considered to be borderline safe for simple waterbath
> processing and when you throw low-acid vegetables (peppers and onions)
> into the mix, you're swimming in murky waters. Make half (or a third)
> of a recipe to see if you like it. There's a new BBB out this year -
> it's the 100th anniversary for it. And check out www.uga.edu/nchfp for
> the most current info on the whole topic of food preservation.



Here's the salsa recipe I use. I use all jalapeņos and/or Serranos
(with the seeds) for the peppers. I like it hot, and they don't have
to be roasted and peeled. Two pounds of wimpy grocery store jalapeņos
will give a nice "medium" salsa.

If I'm using fresh tomatoes and they are especially juicy, I add a
8-oz can of tomato sauce. Not necessary with Roma (etc.) tomatoes.

My next experiment is to use a #10 can of whole tomatoes or crushed
tomatoes -- less than $3 from Sam's Club.

/Bob

Chile Salsa
(from USDA bulletin 539) yield: 6 to 8 pints

5 pounds tomatoes
2 pounds chile peppers
1 pound onions, chopped
1 cup vinegar (5%) [I use 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 bottled lemon juice]
3 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper [I also like to add a big pinch of dried mint]

Roast and peel peppers if they have tough skins; remove seeds and
stems, chop. Scald and peel tomatoes; chop. Combine all ingredients
in large saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle into
pint jars, leave 1/2 inch headspace. Adjust lids and process in
boiling water bath for 15 minutes.
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  #11 (permalink)  
Old 11-06-2009, 12:50 AM
Kathi Jones
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions


"Marilyn" <return.to.sender@address.unknown.net> wrote in message
news:hcspcs$jur$1@tioat.net...
> "zxcvbob" <zxcvbob@charter.net> wrote in message
> news:7le01dF3aafcaU1@mid.individual.net...
>> Kajikit wrote:
>>>
>>> I didn't know there WAS a preserving newsgroup... I don't want to do
>>> anything fancy. I just want to do jam/jelly and chutney and stuff like
>>> that that's easy. I adore chutney and it costs a fortune to buy, and I
>>> go through salsa like nobody's business, so it would be fun to make my
>>> own. If my stockpot will work it would save a lot of money and space,
>>> both of which are at a premium in my apartment. Okay, so assuming that
>>> the stockpot will work, what equipment do I
>>> need to buy? Amazon has about twenty-five different 'canning supply'
>>> sets at prices ranging from ten bucks to a hundred. Do you get what
>>> you pay for? Or are they pretty much of a muchness aside from how
>>> pretty they look?

>>
>>
>> You want something like this:
>> http://www.amazon.com/Ball-10720-4-p.../dp/B000SN0W7K
>>
>> and a copy of the _Ball Blue Book_, or _Ball Home Canning Guide_, or
>> whatever they are calling it these days. It's an inexpensive paperback
>> that gets republished every couple of years. Should cost about $6 or $8.
>> Study the first couple of chapters.
>>
>> (I don't know what that little spatula-looking thing is in the kit, but
>> the other 3 items are essentials)

>
> I think the little spatula-looking thing is used for getting the bubbles
> out
> of the jars before you put the lids on. Personally, I use the plastic
> handle from a bowl scraper/spatula. When the rubber or silicone part
> wears
> out, I toss that and keep the handle.



you guys are gonna freak when I say this, but I don't even do that! I pick
the jar up and knock it on the counter a few times - bubbles rise to the
top...

Kathi


>
>> You can probably buy all this at Walmart or Target or FleetFarm (etc.)
>>
>> Bob

>
>
>
> --
> -Marilyn
>
>



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  #12 (permalink)  
Old 11-06-2009, 02:40 AM
Melba's Jammin'
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

In article <oO-dnS6c1tjhFW7XnZ2dnUVZ_s2dnZ2d@storm.ca>,
"Kathi Jones" <katjon@storm.ca> wrote:

> "Marilyn" <return.to.sender@address.unknown.net> wrote in message

(snip)
> > I think the little spatula-looking thing is used for getting the
> > bubbles out of the jars before you put the lids on. Personally, I

(snip
> you guys are gonna freak when I say this, but I don't even do that! I pick
> the jar up and knock it on the counter a few times - bubbles rise to the
> top...
>
> Kathi


I'm tellin' Elizabeth, Kathi! Yer gonna git it!

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - Who Said Chickens Have Fingers?
10-30-2009
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  #13 (permalink)  
Old 11-06-2009, 02:49 AM
George Shirley
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

Kathi Jones wrote:
> "Marilyn" <return.to.sender@address.unknown.net> wrote in message
> news:hcspcs$jur$1@tioat.net...
>> "zxcvbob" <zxcvbob@charter.net> wrote in message
>> news:7le01dF3aafcaU1@mid.individual.net...
>>> Kajikit wrote:
>>>> I didn't know there WAS a preserving newsgroup... I don't want to do
>>>> anything fancy. I just want to do jam/jelly and chutney and stuff like
>>>> that that's easy. I adore chutney and it costs a fortune to buy, and I
>>>> go through salsa like nobody's business, so it would be fun to make my
>>>> own. If my stockpot will work it would save a lot of money and space,
>>>> both of which are at a premium in my apartment. Okay, so assuming that
>>>> the stockpot will work, what equipment do I
>>>> need to buy? Amazon has about twenty-five different 'canning supply'
>>>> sets at prices ranging from ten bucks to a hundred. Do you get what
>>>> you pay for? Or are they pretty much of a muchness aside from how
>>>> pretty they look?
>>>
>>> You want something like this:
>>> http://www.amazon.com/Ball-10720-4-p.../dp/B000SN0W7K
>>>
>>> and a copy of the _Ball Blue Book_, or _Ball Home Canning Guide_, or
>>> whatever they are calling it these days. It's an inexpensive paperback
>>> that gets republished every couple of years. Should cost about $6 or $8.
>>> Study the first couple of chapters.
>>>
>>> (I don't know what that little spatula-looking thing is in the kit, but
>>> the other 3 items are essentials)

>> I think the little spatula-looking thing is used for getting the bubbles
>> out
>> of the jars before you put the lids on. Personally, I use the plastic
>> handle from a bowl scraper/spatula. When the rubber or silicone part
>> wears
>> out, I toss that and keep the handle.

>
>
> you guys are gonna freak when I say this, but I don't even do that! I pick
> the jar up and knock it on the counter a few times - bubbles rise to the
> top...
>
> Kathi


I do too Kathi, smack it on a folded tea towel on the counter.
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  #14 (permalink)  
Old 11-06-2009, 03:34 PM
Marilyn
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

"Kathi Jones" <katjon@storm.ca> wrote in message
newsO-dnS6c1tjhFW7XnZ2dnUVZ_s2dnZ2d@storm.ca...

>> I think the little spatula-looking thing is used for getting the bubbles
>> out
>> of the jars before you put the lids on. Personally, I use the plastic
>> handle from a bowl scraper/spatula. When the rubber or silicone part
>> wears
>> out, I toss that and keep the handle.

>
>
> you guys are gonna freak when I say this, but I don't even do that! I
> pick the jar up and knock it on the counter a few times - bubbles rise to
> the top...
>
> Kathi


Freak out is right! Yikes.



--
-Marilyn


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  #15 (permalink)  
Old 11-07-2009, 02:01 AM
Kathi Jones
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions


"George Shirley" <gshirl@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
news:GM2dnSfBtOAqE27XnZ2dnUVZ_vqdnZ2d@giganews.com ...
> Kathi Jones wrote:
>> "Marilyn" <return.to.sender@address.unknown.net> wrote in message
>> news:hcspcs$jur$1@tioat.net...
>>> "zxcvbob" <zxcvbob@charter.net> wrote in message
>>> news:7le01dF3aafcaU1@mid.individual.net...
>>>> Kajikit wrote:
>>>>> I didn't know there WAS a preserving newsgroup... I don't want to do
>>>>> anything fancy. I just want to do jam/jelly and chutney and stuff like
>>>>> that that's easy. I adore chutney and it costs a fortune to buy, and I
>>>>> go through salsa like nobody's business, so it would be fun to make my
>>>>> own. If my stockpot will work it would save a lot of money and space,
>>>>> both of which are at a premium in my apartment. Okay, so assuming that
>>>>> the stockpot will work, what equipment do I
>>>>> need to buy? Amazon has about twenty-five different 'canning supply'
>>>>> sets at prices ranging from ten bucks to a hundred. Do you get what
>>>>> you pay for? Or are they pretty much of a muchness aside from how
>>>>> pretty they look?
>>>>
>>>> You want something like this:
>>>> http://www.amazon.com/Ball-10720-4-p.../dp/B000SN0W7K
>>>>
>>>> and a copy of the _Ball Blue Book_, or _Ball Home Canning Guide_, or
>>>> whatever they are calling it these days. It's an inexpensive paperback
>>>> that gets republished every couple of years. Should cost about $6 or
>>>> $8.
>>>> Study the first couple of chapters.
>>>>
>>>> (I don't know what that little spatula-looking thing is in the kit, but
>>>> the other 3 items are essentials)
>>> I think the little spatula-looking thing is used for getting the bubbles
>>> out
>>> of the jars before you put the lids on. Personally, I use the plastic
>>> handle from a bowl scraper/spatula. When the rubber or silicone part
>>> wears
>>> out, I toss that and keep the handle.

>>
>>
>> you guys are gonna freak when I say this, but I don't even do that! I
>> pick the jar up and knock it on the counter a few times - bubbles rise to
>> the top...
>>
>> Kathi

>
> I do too Kathi, smack it on a folded tea towel on the counter.


just gently of course...

oh, I feel so much better, now that I've got that off my chest! LOL




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  #16 (permalink)  
Old 11-07-2009, 02:14 PM
Melba's Jammin'
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Default Re: Canning Questions

In article <MLydnfzABL2BdmnXnZ2dnUVZ_qednZ2d@storm.ca>,
"Kathi Jones" <katjon@storm.ca> wrote:

> "George Shirley" <gshirl@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
> news:GM2dnSfBtOAqE27XnZ2dnUVZ_vqdnZ2d@giganews.com ...
> > Kathi Jones wrote:


> >> you guys are gonna freak when I say this, but I don't even do that! I
> >> pick the jar up and knock it on the counter a few times - bubbles rise to
> >> the top...
> >>
> >> Kathi

> >
> > I do too Kathi, smack it on a folded tea towel on the counter.

>
> just gently of course...
>
> oh, I feel so much better, now that I've got that off my chest! LOL


I've made a notation in my files.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - Who Said Chickens Have Fingers?
10-30-2009
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  #17 (permalink)  
Old 11-07-2009, 03:06 PM
George Shirley
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Default Re: Canning Questions

Melba's Jammin' wrote:
> In article <MLydnfzABL2BdmnXnZ2dnUVZ_qednZ2d@storm.ca>,
> "Kathi Jones" <katjon@storm.ca> wrote:
>
>> "George Shirley" <gshirl@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
>> news:GM2dnSfBtOAqE27XnZ2dnUVZ_vqdnZ2d@giganews.com ...
>>> Kathi Jones wrote:

>
>>>> you guys are gonna freak when I say this, but I don't even do that! I
>>>> pick the jar up and knock it on the counter a few times - bubbles rise to
>>>> the top...
>>>>
>>>> Kathi
>>> I do too Kathi, smack it on a folded tea towel on the counter.

>> just gently of course...
>>
>> oh, I feel so much better, now that I've got that off my chest! LOL

>
> I've made a notation in my files.


Do not cause problems, the Father Inquisitor is watching you.
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  #18 (permalink)  
Old 11-07-2009, 04:41 PM
gloria.p
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Default Re: Canning Questions

George Shirley wrote:
> Kathi Jones wrote:


>> you guys are gonna freak when I say this, but I don't even do that! I
>> pick the jar up and knock it on the counter a few times - bubbles rise
>> to the top...
>>
>> Kathi

>
> I do too Kathi, smack it on a folded tea towel on the counter.





You're gonna freak even more when I say I never noticed bubbles
in jam or jelly and if I had, I think I'd just ignore them.

Are they harmful if you're not looking for blue ribbons?
Are they nucleation sites for mold or bacteria or sumthin?

gloria p
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  #19 (permalink)  
Old 11-07-2009, 07:30 PM
Melba's Jammin'
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Default Re: Canning Questions

In article <hd47uv$lhb$2@news.eternal-september.org>,
"gloria.p" <gpuester@comcast.net> wrote:
> You're gonna freak even more when I say I never noticed bubbles
> in jam or jelly and if I had, I think I'd just ignore them.
>
> Are they harmful if you're not looking for blue ribbons?
> Are they nucleation sites for mold or bacteria or sumthin?
>
> gloria p



Not in jam and jelly and elsewhere only if they're moving.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - Who Said Chickens Have Fingers?
10-30-2009
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  #20 (permalink)  
Old 11-07-2009, 07:31 PM
Melba's Jammin'
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Posts: n/a
Default Re: Canning Questions

In article <hd47uv$lhb$2@news.eternal-september.org>,
"gloria.p" <gpuester@comcast.net> wrote:

> You're gonna freak even more when I say I never noticed bubbles
> in jam or jelly and if I had, I think I'd just ignore them.
> gloria p


IMO it's hard to avoid some bubbles in fruit butter. The bane of my
fruit butter efforts.

--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - Who Said Chickens Have Fingers?
10-30-2009
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