First time canning. Question.

[Mercula]

Well we got veggies from the farmers market and have 2 jars of garlic dill pickle spears , 2 of slices , and 2 jars of garlic.

Problem is we were reading as we went and I cranked the lids on before we started boiling. After the 15min boil Realized that was a mistake .

After they cooled a bit and didn't seal I loosened the tops and re tightened barely finger tight this time , and re boiled for 10 min.. That's where I'm at now. Is it all gonna be ok ? Is boiling twice gonna make them mushy or somthin ? How bad did we screw up ? It's been a half hr and they still havnt "popped"

[Roger Ronas]

I don't think they pop until after you take them out of the boiling water and let them cool. as they cool they pop.
Just my knowledge which could be wrong,
Roger

[Jamnanc]

Ya tighten then boil. A couple hours later. Pop. You should be safe, but the mush possible.

[TheGrey]

I've always found that with recipes, you must read first and make sure you have everything required, and understand everything. I can't tell you how many times I would be half through and realize I was missing an ingredient or the right sized lids or vinegar or something.

Sometimes it takes up to 24 hours for jars to 'ping', so it depends on what you're processing. Mushiness is a possibility, but if that happens, take those pickles, chop them up with some onions and garlic and peppers and make yourself some relish, Easy peasy, and no waste! Otherwise, if the processing time for your pickle recipe was ten minutes, you should be okay.

Every canning experience teaches something. Just make sure that you only 'finger tighten' lids and rings, no matter of you are water boiling or pressure canning.

[rbeau30]

Congrats on starting to can. Isn't much I could add to TheGrey's comments. I'm a little ocd when it comes to canning... brewing... fermenting... etc so I always always have all my stuff laid out and a plan set up. Even then. Things happen.

The reason you are only finger tightening the lids, is you are allowing the air to escape during processing. Think of the two peice lids as a one way valve. Once the lids cool. The lid is allowed via gravity to seal around the jar and the vacuum pulls the lid down on the jar.

I have had to reprocess many a batch. You just go with it and find ways to salvage. (Relish!)

Good luck and you have a lot of folks here to tap for knowledge.

[Mercula]

Thanks guys , I re boiled and the lids slowly sucked down without a ping. Anyways hopefully they come out ok.
Now is the tough part , waiting ! I guess we are gonna wait 3 weeks. We'll see.

[TheGrey]

You may not always hear the ping. The way to make sure that the jars have sealed is to check the lids after a few hours. Press your finger in the center of the lid. If the lid makes a popping sound and it pops back up after you remove you finger, put the jar into the refrigerator and eat the contents within a few days.

Don't reuse the lids anymore- lids that have sealed once may not hold a seal again, or worse yet, may come unsealed after some time. The lids are one-use, unless you're using Tattler lids. Tattlers can be re-used (although the rubber gaskets eventually need to be replaced) and they don't make a popping noise when they seal.

[rbeau30]

There are "layers of security" that I like to call em.

The seal is just the first layer. When you go to consume the stored food:
- have you followed a proven recipe? (USDA, Ball Blue Book of Canning, etc) Let them take the risk.
- have you stored the jars without the rings cinched down on them? or anything stacked on top of them? (if something is to go the least bit bad it creates gas. gas "un-pops" the lid) anything on top of the jars could create a resistance to that lid. I don't know about you but I want to know if something is going bad in the jar as soon as possible.
- you inspect the seal--is the "button" still down? See the above reason why I check this.
- When you open the jar do you smell it? (does it smell good?) If it smells bad throw it away. It should smell like Canned Food and not off-putting.
- have you reheated the food? (botulism is not in itself toxic. The product it produces is. Heat destroys the toxin.) If everything you did above lets a little bit of bad stuff in, this should be your last layer of defense.
- if you are consuming pickles (high acid) or a high-sugar content food in the jar (you hot water bath can the food) you most likely are opening and eating from the can. Be absolutely sure you follow the sugar to product or acid to product recipe before you can it. Sugar and acid are the "preservative".

Boiling (205/100 degrees) does not kill botulism spores. The acid or high sugar content puts the spores in a "suspended animation" or dormant state so it does not produce toxins to kill you. All of the processing and following the recipes is what actually preserves the food. If you know a little bit about why you are doing what you are doing. The process that you follow comes a little easier. In order to actually KILL the spores you need temperatures around 250 degrees. Hence why ALL recipes for low acid or low sugar foods generally require a pressure canner.


Until we are in a "5HTF" scenario I am not reusing lids ... ever... they are not engineered to be re-used. I can afford the <<$2 for more lids so It is good insurance. Tattler Lids to me are experimental. Plastic is not air tight. Over years it will let oxygen in. I use them on stuff that I go through over the year (stock, tomato sauce, etc) It is just me, but I do not trust them past a year... "5HTF" scenario? I'll do what I can to survive.

EDIT:

You may not always hear the ping. The way to make sure that the jars have sealed is to check the lids after a few hours. Press your finger in the center of the lid. If the lid makes a popping sound and it pops back up after you remove you finger, put the jar into the refrigerator and eat the contents within a few days.

I have noticed that the "Golden Harvest" lids that I have gotten from Big Lots from time to time do not "ping" as much as the "Kerr" or "Ball" ones that I normally use. Inspect the a few hours after they are processed. If they are not sealed, reprocess or put in fridge.

[TheGrey]

There are "layers of security" that I like to call em.

The seal is just the first layer. When you go to consume the stored food:
- have you followed a proven recipe? (USDA, Ball Blue Book of Canning, etc) Let them take the risk.
- have you stored the jars without the rings cinched down on them? or anything stacked on top of them? (if something is to go the least bit bad it creates gas. gas "un-pops" the lid) anything on top of the jars could create a resistance to that lid. I don't know about you but I want to know if something is going bad in the jar as oon as possible.
- you inspect the seal--is the "button" still down? See the above reason why I check this.
- When you open the jar do you smell it? (does it smell good?) If it smells bad throw it away. It should smell like Canned Food and not off-putting.
- have you reheated the food? (botulism is not in itself is not toxic. The product it produces is. Heat destroys the toxin.) If everything you did above lets a little bit of bad stuff in, this should be your last layer of defense.

Until we are in a "5HTF" scenario I am not reusing lids ... ever... they are not engineered to be re-used. I can afford the <<$2 for more lids so It is good insurance. Tattler Lids to me are experimental. Plastic is not air tight. Over years it will let oxygen in. I use them on stuff that I go through over the year (stock, tomato sauce, etc) It is just me, but I do not trust them past a year... "5HTF" scenario? I'll do what I can to survive.

EDIT:


I have noticed that the "Golden Harvest" lids that I have gotten from Big Lots from time to time do not "ping" as much as the "Kerr" or "Ball" ones that I normally use. Inspect the a few hours after they are processed. If they are not sealed, reprocess or put in fridge.

Smelling the food is a good start, but botulism is like iocaine powder- it's odorless and tasteless. If you see mold in your jars, you can bet that the seal has been broken somehow. You'll also want to check your jars before you begin canning; the tiniest chip in the rim can mean lost food.

I have read on the internet that the amount of heat required for killing possible botulism toxins is the equivalent of boiling the food at a hard boil, for twenty minutes. I can't verify this, but I can check with the various county extension offices and see what they say.

This is an excellent site for safe canning protocols: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/pu...ions_usda.html

I haven't gone over everything there yet, but what I've read so far makes a lot of sense.

[Great-Kazoo]

#$%^&* gotta get me some new glasses. Trying to figure out why a FIRST TIME CARRYING thread was doing here


BTW: Very good information from you folks, thanks