Random Pictures.

[Worth1]

That was one of my jobs when I was in grade school.
Haul the jars down to the basement.
Some of the stuff was in half gallon jars.

Worth

[clkeiper]

I have a whole cabinet of 1/2 gal jars. I used them for grape juice before I had my steamer juicer. Uh, I carried those back and forth to my MIL's when we did our canning together and I helped carry her jars to the basement when they were full. My FIL did a lot then, though, too. Which I appreciated.

[EBCIII]

I need to buy a canning Set up and bottles. Then i need to learn how to can. I am hoping it is not a hard process? Beale.

[clkeiper]

Originally Posted by EBCIII

I need to buy a canning Set up and bottles. Then i need to learn how to can. I am hoping it is not a hard process? Beale.

No, not hard, but can be physically demanding. The canners are heavy, but you can place them on the stove and fill them jar by jar and reverse the process at the end of the process.. The first thing to acquire is a canning book. The Ball Blue Book is a great start. It shows you step by step instructions for both water bath and pressure canning. It explains the reason for each process and why you can't use the water bath process for everything. It gives you recipes and instructions for literally everything you will ever grow and then a few more. There are other books, but this one is the one to start with as far as I am concerned. And it is less then $10.00.

[EBCIII]

Thanks cleiper, I will look for that book, Beale.

[EBCIII]

I just found it on Amazon I have put in my wish list, Thanks again, Beale.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by EBCIII

I just found it on Amazon I have put in my wish list, Thanks again, Beale.

Beale if you have access to the internet which you do or you wouldn't be here.

You can find the ball book on line and you can look at this link.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...89381419,d.cGU
But before you do read what I have to say about canning.
the best way in my opinion is to get either the presto or the All American canner.
The presto is lighter and doesn't cost as much.
It has a gasket and weights that are washers.
The All American has no gasket and has a weight that has three different positions 5 10 and 15 pounds you can put it on depending on the pressure you want.

All American weight.


Presto canner weights washer style.

Both sit on a vent pipe.
Always make sure it is clean and you can see through it.



As pressure builds up in the vessel it will lift the weight up and release steam.
Both have gauges so you can see how much pressure you have.



If you have a glass top stove you need to get the presto because it has a smooth bottom and that is what most of the manufacture recommend for glass top stoves.

If you live at sea level to 1000 feet you will more than likely only use the 10 pound weights.
If you live above this the PSI goes to 15.

This is because water boils at 112 degrees at sea level.

The Gauge.
Make sure it isn't stopped up.

If you will notice it shows what the temperature is at a certain pressure.
5 psi is 228 I0 is 240 15 is 250 20 is 259.
These temperatures are for sea level, not 5000 feet.





The higher we go the lower the temperature is for water to boil.
If you find an old canner that doesn't have weights and only a gauge or an adjustable pressure release valve like mine.
The instructions for canning will tell you to process at 11 PSI from 0 to 2000 feet 12 psi from 2000 feet to 4000 feet 13 psi for 4000 to 6000 and 14 psi from 6000 to 8000 feet for the recommended amount of time.

Complicated.

The weights are better.


This is because weights will never change or go bad and gauges can sometimes read wrong.
The standard for replacing the gauge is I think no more than 2 pounds high or low off calibration.

You should always vent a good head of steam from the vent pipe for 10 minutes before you put the weight on when the weight starts to jiggle and the gauge reads the correct pressure you then start the processing time.

At this time turn the stove down so the weight isn't going off all of the time and letting off steam.
My stoves setting for this is a little under medium.
You should always keep an eye on the pressure gauge.
You want that gauge to sit as nice and steady as it can but never going below the recommended pressure.
If it does get the pressure back up and start the time over again.

Once the time is up turn the stove off and let the pressure go down on its own.
Don't get in a hurry and pull the weight off.
Doing this will ruin your canning process and it can and will ruin everything you have done.
Remember the jars have that same pressure in them.
The reason they dont break is because they have the same pressure around them.
If you let off the pressure too fast the jars dont have time to cool and they explode inside the canner.

Everything needs to equalize slowly.
The other reason you dont want to pull the weight is because you can and will get one bad %&^$ed steam burn.
Don't quick cool the canner it can and will ruin it.

Think of that big thing full of steam cracking in your face.
Not cool.

Just let it sit and cool down on its own.

Now some canners you can take the lid off while they are under pressure.
You dont want to do this.
The presto has a locking device that wont let you do it.
look at the gauge make sure it is on zero and take the weight off.
At no time do you want to but bare skin on the canner they are extremely hot.
Just a few safety tips and reasons why things are the way they are.
Instead of just saying dont do it.

Worth

[Hellmanns]

None of my AA's have weights, only a gauge.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Hellmanns

None of my AA's have weights, only a gauge.

You have the old ones like my mother did.
Your canning posts helped inspire me to drag out the old canner and start using it.

Thanks

Worth

[Hellmanns]

Originally Posted by Worth1

You have the old ones like my mother did.
Your canning posts helped inspire me to drag out the old canner and start using it.

Thanks

Worth

That's great! Those old canners like the Kook Kwick you refurbished are sweet.

[EBCIII]

Thanks Worth! I live at sea level, and have regular burners. That means I can get the All American. I will look for it and make sure to read the Ball book very carefully. I want to be able to can a lot of what I can not eat myself, that comes out of the garden, Beale.

[Worth1]

Random picture of the day.
10 pints of canned fresh Poblano peppers.
7 pints of canned fresh Jalapeno peppers.
The canner worked flawlessly.
IMG_2015032610416.jpg

[AlittleSalt]

They look really nice Worth. First time I've seen canned peppers.

Robert

[aclum]

Beale,

As Carolyn said, the canning can be physically demanding and I recall from another thread that you mentioned sometimes having issues with back and leg pain. I happen to be disabled - with a bad back among other things - and generally do things from a wheelchair. The usual way of canning on a stove would be too much for me so I've come up with a system that works for me and might be something you'd be interested in.

I use one of those wheeled wire carts with adjustable shelves along with a heavy-duty 1300 watt Warning electric burner.

http://www.amazon.com/Waring-SB30-13...lectric+burner

The burner really does a good job with the heavy canner. It has a flat top rather than coils and is very stable.

I adjust the top shelf of the cart so that when with the burner is placed on the shelf and the 23 qt Presto pressure canner is placed on the burner, the top edge of canner is about counter height. At this height I can look into the canner and easily add or remove jars. I just roll the cart around as needed. I can add water right at the sink using the faucet spray hose. Roll over to the work table where I'm filling jars and then add them to the canner, roll back to wherever I want to do the pressure canning, and when things are cooled down, roll over to wherever I want to unload the jars for cooling. The only really semi-heavy part of the operation is lifting the near empty canner onto the counter or into the sink so I can empty the small amount of water remaining in the canner when all the canning is completed.

Just something to consider....

Anne

[aclum]

PS to Beale,

Regarding my last post..... You, of course, don't have to be in a wheelchair for my method to work . The idea is to get things at a comfortable working height and make things more or less portable (letting the cart do a lot of the work) so you don't have to do a lot of heavy lifting, twisting or bending.

Anne