Tomato Juice

[Worth1]

Your welcome.
When I was younger I saw some pretty nightmarish looking stuff come out of peoples canning cellars.

Worth

[Zenbaas]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Your welcome.
When I was younger I saw some pretty nightmarish looking stuff come out of peoples canning cellars.

Worth

Yes the wife has already been made aware of my canning aspirations this year and I have been firmly told that all canning will be closely scrutinised for assured quality

[ContainerTed]

It is extremely difficult for me to keep tomato juice for more than a year. I make about 6 dozen quarts for myself and always run out before the next garden starts producing. But this might help a bit on the question of how long they keep when canned.

I also do at least a couple dozen quarts for my brother every year. My juice is always cooked down to where it is very thick. You can almost make peaks on it when you stir. I made three dozen for him last year and he has about 15 quarts left. He and I like to make what we call a "Redeye" by mixing our favorite lager beer with some tomato juice. It's a great morning drink "for a couple of old coots." I was just over there and we mixed them up and the tomato juice that was canned in July of 2014 was still tasting great. We both commented that we could see no degradation.

The only things I ever put into the juice is a little bit of canning salt (to my taste), and, occasionally a little bit of sugar when the tomato varieties are more tart. I use a pressure canner and stick to the recommended times and pressures. I traded him out of one quart and will keep it till next spring/summer to see if it will go two years.

[coronabarb]

The "official" word is one year but I would not throw something out on the one year date. It's kind of a "best by" date. Things can stay good for several years.

[imp]

Always a good idea to put the date canned on the label, too.

[Worth1]

They can last much longer then a year.
One of the things I do that may seem over the top is.
Once the jars are sealed and cooled I wash them in hot water with a little soap then clean them up real nice and dry them.
The rings are removed and the lid is wiped with a cloth that has mineral oil on it.

Nothing worse than trying to remove a rusted ring off a jar.
Painters tape makes a good label.
Worth

[Zenbaas]

Originally Posted by Worth1

They can last much longer then a year.
One of the things I do that may seem over the top is.
Once the jars are sealed and cooled I wash them in hot water with a little soap then clean them up real nice and dry them.
The rings are removed and the lid is wiped with a cloth that has mineral oil on it.

Nothing worse than trying to remove a rusted ring off a jar.
Painters tape makes a good label.
Worth

Great tip Worth. Seems obvious but that's always the case with good ideas.

[ContainerTed]

I always take a sharpie and write the month and year on the lid. No labels to come off or get smudged. It won't wash off. But each of us has their own methods and they are all good as long they work when needed.

I also let the jars stand on a table for at least 72 hours before I commit them to my storage area. Even with this, I've still had one jar lose its seal in the last 7 years. I do about 250 to 300 jars (or more) each year. Everything from applesauce to jams to tomatillos - lots of tomatoes - and we freeze a lot of corn, some green beans, peas, sliced peppers, and okra.

Worth, I like your method of combating the rust problem, but I keep rings on everything and just go ahead and replace the rings on anything that contained tomatoes - no exceptions - and everything else gets a close inspection. New tomato jars always get new rings.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Zenbaas

Great tip Worth. Seems obvious but that's always the case with good ideas.

I just want to add the ring is left off, there is no reason the leave it on.
As a matter of fact leaving the ring off will allow you to tell right off if things are going wrong inside the jar.
Pressure will pop the lid off from any bacteria growth that may start.
I like to keep a clean shop rag in an air tight jar with the mineral oil in it just for these things.
The reason for the air tight jar is to prohibit any spontaneous combustion that may take place with an oil soaked rag.
Mineral oil comes in many forms from baby oil, oil for honing stones to a laxative in the drug section of your store.
It is flavorless and odorless except for the baby oil.

I dont know how much you or other people here may or may not know so I tend to give too much information at times.
But at least it is there.

Worth

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by ContainerTed

I always take a sharpie and write the month and year on the lid. No labels to come off or get smudged. It won't wash off. But each of us has their own methods and they are all good as long they work when needed.

I also let the jars stand on a table for at least 72 hours before I commit them to my storage area. Even with this, I've still had one jar lose its seal in the last 7 years. I do about 250 to 300 jars (or more) each year. Everything from applesauce to jams to tomatillos - lots of tomatoes - and we freeze a lot of corn, some green beans, peas, sliced peppers, and okra.

Worth, I like your method of combating the rust problem, but I keep rings on everything and just go ahead and replace the rings on anything that contained tomatoes - no exceptions - and everything else gets a close inspection. New tomato jars always get new rings.

Ted there is a reason for the blue or green painters tape label.
One it comes off easy unlike the other labels.
Two I cant write on top of a lid to save my life.
Three I have a pile of sharpies in the house and I cant find one of them.
My rings are stored on a string with a short stick tied to the end and hung up.
I got the idea from the one that hangs off of my tool belt to hang electricians tape from.
Leave ring on leave ring off it matters little to me it is ultimately every ones personal choice.

Worth

[Zenbaas]

Originally Posted by Worth1

I just want to add the ring is left off, there is no reason the leave it on.
As a matter of fact leaving the ring off will allow you to tell right off if things are going wrong inside the jar.
Pressure will pop the lid off from any bacteria growth that may start.
I like to keep a clean shop rag in an air tight jar with the mineral oil in it just for these things.
The reason for the air tight jar is to prohibit any spontaneous combustion that may take place with an oil soaked rag.
Mineral oil comes in many forms from baby oil, oil for honing stones to a laxative in the drug section of your store.
It is flavorless and odorless except for the baby oil.

I dont know how much you or other people here may or may not know so I tend to give too much information at times.
But at least it is there.

Worth

It never occurred to me that the ring could be removed without losing the seal..? That said my knowledge of canning is slim at best so this is all very interesting.

[coronabarb]

Worth, you are spot on. We are taught in the MFP course to wash the jars and rings after the 24 hr point before storing. I don't leave the rings on due to the reason you mentioned...safety. If something goes wrong, the lid will pop off or loosen. If the ring is on, you might not notice. (also a good idea to check your jars on a regular basis...something I am lax about) Washing the rings removes any food residue that will make it more likely to rust. The jars, rings, and lids are not made with the same quality as they used to be.

[coronabarb]

Zenbaas, we are always learning, yes? The purpose of the ring is to hold the lid on while processing. Once the lid seals, the ring is no longer needed.

[Zenbaas]

I find this all terribly interesting and it makes perfect sense! It also gives additional piece of mind which is always good as well.

I bought a waterbath canner towards the end of last year(pressure canner was too expensive last time I checked) but haven't had the chance to put it through its paces just yet.

[coronabarb]

It really helps to get a new Ball Blue Book and read the intro/how-to sections. Here is more online info for getting started;

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_home.html