Posted on 09/09/2011 12:06:48 PM PDT by US Navy Vet
I really don’t have a “recipe” I just kinda “eye” it.
That canner is probably pretty heavy when it's loaded. I know mine is. Once it is up to pressure it takes very little heat (low setting) to maintain it. Start measuring your cooking time from the time it reaches the proper pressure. I usually turn off the burner about 5 minutes before the timer is up and then just leave it sit for about 45 minutes. Don't try to rush the depressurization as it will cause the jars to boil over. Make sure the pressure gauge is at zero before removing the weight. You may need to use a screwdriver to gently loosen the lid after undoing the knobs holding it down as it sometimes gets stuck on. Don't be surprised if the jars are still boiling after you remove them from the canner.
That canner will probably last a lifetime and more. Mine is 10 years old and still looks new except for the bottom aluminum rack which is a bit discolored
Our county extension resource person has canned for years using a ceramic stove top- a friend that started canning two yeas ago also.
browning in flour first
I can alot but have not canned meat for years. Thanks for the suggestion to brown first.
It used to be easy to know if the tomatoes were a high acid food-safe for water bath canning-— generally red yes yellow no- yellow needed a spoonful of vinegar thrown in. Not true any more- what with all the fancy hybrids and heirlooms we don’t always know what they are- any more unless I absolutely know for sure I just pop some vinegar in for good measure. Does not affect the taste of the tomatoes.
When my kids were home I ran three canners- owned one, borrowed two- had the gauges checked at the extension office every year. The three- one cooking, one cooling, one being filled. I went through a whole lot of food that way.
When I was stationed in Panama we were catching craploads of yellowfin tuna and just had a tiny freezer (frozen tuna sux anyway) and so I learned to can tuna. Mom and granny canned peaches and tomatoes but I gotta say, canned meat is the Holy Grail. Fantastic flavor and I will say that I love Sashimi but my canned tuna tastes better.
Good advice. I might add to be careful about handling jars when you take them out of the canner. If the contents are still boiling do NOT set them on a cold surface. Our neighbor did that this summer, and a can of beans exploded in her face. She had to go to the emergency room for cuts and burns.
I have been using pressure canners for almost 40 years, and the only problem I have had has been finding an occasional broken jar when I open the canner. That doesn’t happen often.
I am using this lids this year for the first time and they are working great. Made in the USA, a guy right here in Michigan invented them too. http://www.reusablecanninglids.com/
They work for steam pressure or water bath. No affiliation, just a happy customer.
Check on line for replacement gasket.
They do get brittle and they aren’t trust worthy.
Your county extension office will test your guage if it has one.
If you have hard water put a couple of table spoons of vinegar in the canning water.. Will prevent a calcium haze from forming on the outside of your jars.
If you smear a think coat of vaseline both on the rim of the lid and the lip of the canner it won’t stick any more.
Are those lids warrantied against mice.
I’m out in the country and mice in winter are a constant battle.
I’d write the company about any warranty, I have no idea. They are hard plastic with a red rubber ring. I think if I were worried about mice, I would put rings back on the jars after checking the seal once they cooled.
Do I ever hate mice. Just finished a huge ordeal with cleaning out my parent’s home in the U.P. and the mice made awful messes. Ruined things that my mother had saved for over 50 years.
Mice are little monsters.
We are new to the little farm..Putting everything in glass or in metal that looks like food.
Acquired a couple of attack kittens.
EPA isn’t helping matters, guess they are trying to bring plague back.. Banned warfarin rodenticides.
Well, from my limited experience over this spring and summer, if you put scented dryer sheets in places where they usually go, they will avoid those places.
The kitties help a lot, too! That is why we have a few. Also our dog is a GREAT mouser.
Thanks for the suggestions.
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