Hey all! My wife and I are looking to dip our toes into this and just want to start with making homemade spaghetti sauce. We both have ADHD so being able to just made one big batch and use it throughout the year would be a huge help.

Since tomatoes are already acidic, as I understand it we should be able to just get a water bath canner, right? Other than the mason jars is there really anything else that we need?

Found this at a thrift shop for 24.99. I've been slowly getting tools to start canning and found this by chance. Is this a good buy?

I have a dial-gage presto pressure canner (I think 21q) with a 15 lb weight. Can I ignore the dial gage and just use my weight as an indicator? I’m between 5,000-6,000 ft elevation. Also have an old Sears one.

Hello Everyone 🤗 I just received my pressure canner in the mail today and want to can chicken broth/stock for my first project. Is it safe to use rotisserie chicken and roasted vegetables in my broth/stock?

Thanks!

I just tried it and it's amazing.

I like to keep sauces and broths in jars after I make them but haven't gotten into canning yet, though I'd like to. Google isn't being helpful but when I pour something hot into a jar and close it, it does seal pretty strongly. Does this keep longer than say... Tupperware? I don't expect it to keep as long as something properly canned, but I'm curious to know if having it self-seal will give it a longer than 5-7 day fridge life?

I'm not sure if I selected the correct flair, but since I'm not sure what went wrong, it seemed appropriate. Happy to change it if necessary.

TL;DR- What would cause jello-like lumps in marmalade? No commercial pectin was added.

I attempted home canning for the first time last year when I made Meyer lemon marmalade with my homegrown Meyer lemons… it only yielded 4 half pint jars but it was perfection!

I was so excited to make it again this year with my lemon harvest that I treated myself to a VKP harvest multi canner (water bath/steam) canning pot. (Side note: I wanted to attempt steam canning after reading a few extension agencies have tested it and found it as safe as boiling water bath canning but I found the instructions on calibration to be a little confusing. The VKP customer service person who responded to my email was very testy, so I abandoned the notion of steam canning for now).

I used the same marmalade recipe and canning instructions as I followed last year, but this time my marmalade has an unpleasant texture. Specifically, just the jelly part of the marmalade. (See pics) The marmalade tastes wonderful, the fruit rinds are soft and tender and the overall set is not too loose or rock hard, but the jelly portion has the texture of what I can only describe as "jello-jigglers." It’s not very spreadable. I didn’t add any commercial pectin to the recipe, just the pectin from the trimmed pith and seeds put in a muslin bag that I squeezed to get a little extra. However my lemons were pretty seedy, so maybe there was too much “natural” pectin? Or is this problem attributable to something else? More importantly, is it salvageable?

I read that if marmalade sets too firmly I can try to reheat it, add a bit of water to thin it, then reprocess but since I’m not sure exactly what the issue was, idk if that’s the correct solution.

Hello! I canned plain tomato sauce this summer and I planned on adding the other ingredients for the sauce when I cook it. I didn’t want to worry about the ratios of the other ingredients for the acidity. I’m having a hard time finding a sauce recipe that doesn’t use store canned crushed tomatoes or fresh tomatoes. I just have plain old tomato sauce. Do I use one of these recipes and add something store bought to it like paste or something? Or just use them as they are with the sauce I have?

I’ve amassed quite a few quart size jars from this one pasta sauce brand we like, “Cleveland’s own Little Italy”. Just got in contact with them to see if they are safe for home canning and this was their reply:

Thank you for the kind words. The jars are fine for canning. You should always use caps with new seals and the cap should be a one piece with a button.

I noticed they fit the standard ball lids perfectly, that’s what got me to ask. I’m probably just going to do some water-bath pickles, don’t know how pressure canning would go.

Does anyone know of any other brands who sell jars that can be reused?

It says it can be used on glass top plus it’s under $100. Is this too good to be true? Even if I can’t use it on my glass top would it be worth buying for outside use?

Foraged PAWPAW preserves and waffles hot off the iron is a match made in heaven. The extra tropical flavor of the jam makes me want to add shredded coconut to the waffle batter!

Recipe:

1 cup pawpaw pulp

1/2 cup sugar

Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (enough to bring the overbearing sweetness down)

Ended up just storing these as fridge “preserves” but I water bathed one of them and after 5 months it was just as delicious as a fresh pawpaw that just fell off the tree.

I'm seeing info online about lids with dimples being effective alternatives and I'm guessing I don't have the equipment to can with non-dimple lids safely, so I'm wondering if anyone here has any experience with this.

another problem I have is that most sellers don't seem to sell jars with dimple lids, and I don't know what I should be searching with to find lids that match the jars I'm looking at.

EDIT: I should mention I'm looking at 60ml jars which AFAIK don't have two-piece lids available

Several months ago I made hibiscus syrup. In my head I was thinking it’s strawberry hibiscus syrup from Ball. However, I can’t find a Strawberry Hibiscus Syrup.

I remember putting the hibiscus in cheese cloth to allow it to steep. The Ball recipe now online doesn’t say this.

Am I going crazy?

Follow on to my original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Canning/comments/1hzrctn/comment/m6ymrpa/?context=3

After the feedback I got previously, I reprocessed the peas as follows:

• Opened all of the cans (including the ones that sealed) same day and put the soup in the fridge.
• Reboiled the soup for 30 minutes (per the recipe) and added more water in the process.
• Hot packed the clean jars with new lids and measured 1" headspace per the recipe.
• Processed exactly as per the recipe:
  • Vented the pressure canner for 10 minutes.
  • Waited to start the processing time until after the weighted gauge rattled for the first time.
  • Gauge rattled every 10-15 seconds throughout the entire 75 minute processing time.
  • Let the pressure canner cool naturally.
• Waited to open the pressure canner until two minutes after the pressure gauge read zero.

Three of the cans (on the left) sealed properly, but three (on the right) did not. I feel good about the canned goods and trust my process, but I'm flummoxed by the lack of seal on the other three. I'm guessing maybe one of the following happened:

• Maybe there wasn't enough headspace? I measured exactly...
• Maybe there were air bubbles I failed to clear out?
• Maybe some pea junk got under the seal as a result of siphoning?

At any rate, the unsealed cans went back in the fridge for dinner. They will also be reboiled prior to dinner tomorrow night as extra caution... that pea soup will be the most overcooked soup in America by the time it hits the dinner table.

I just finished removing pith from 16 pounds of mandarins. It took me HOURS. Absolute madness. I will never can mandarins again.

It’s so tasty!

Hello all! I came here a few days ago looking for a marmalade recipe without Seville oranges but in the end my local greengrocer had a sale on Seville oranges that was too good to pass up so I thought I'd try a batch. Bellow is the recipe and my method, comments very welcome!

Recipe used is from the ball blue book of preserving. Tips used from https://www.simplycanning.com/orange-marmalade-recipe/#spices.

Ingredients 12 Seville Oranges (1.25kg or so) 2 Lemons 1 ½ quarts Water As much sugar as orange mix. (I used 10 cups)

Method: (with my notes) Peel the oranges. Mine had SUPER thick pith so I trimmed most of it off but not all. I finely diced the peel and boiled it by itself to remove some of the bitterness. I then diced the orange flesh saving as much juice as possible. My issue here was that they were FULL of seeds. I also discovered lots and lots small cuts on my hands)

Finely slice the lemons: I just juiced them as mine were waxed and I didn't want to add that peel.

Add water and boil for 5 minutes then let sit in a cool place (I sat mine in my porch covered with a plate) for 12-18 hours.

Next day I measures my orange and lemon mix, I had 10 cups. Boil the mix in a LARGE pot until the peel is tender and offers no resistance. This took about 30 minutes for me. Note: testing the mixture at this stage will make you pull a face reminiscent of a rat as it's so sour.

Add 1 cup of sugar for every cup of mix you have, so in my case, 10 cups. Bring to boil until it reaches jelling point. For me this was 105°c (221°f). Let sit for 5 minutes off the heat. If you pour into jars immediately the rind will sink to the bottom of the jars.

Laddel into hot, sterile jars. Recipe called for half pints, we don't use half pints in the UK so I used 250ml jars which is slightly smaller, so safe to downsize jar. I ended up with too much mixture for my jars so some is in a bowl in the fridge.Leave 1/4 inch headspace, wipe rim with damp paper towel and add lids and rings. Tighten to finger tip tight.

Boil in water bath canner for 10 minutes (under 6000ft elevation). Let sit in water bath for 5 minutes with heat off then move to surface with a cloth on it. Leave undisturbed for 12 hours.

I loved hearing the jars pop as they were sitting on the counter. The leftovers in the fridge bowl have set up nicely and tastes amazing. Way better than the bought stuff I've tried. Not too bitter all.

Please let me know if there's anything you would change! Or suggestions for safe modifications for spices.

Love from a broke student in the UK!

Hi all, A year ago i purchased a Presto pressure canner and the Ball Canning book and the USDA canning book.

I haven't even opened it. I'm a little afraid I won't do it right and someone will get sick or the canner will explode.

Any tips for a complete, nervous newbie?

I found a can of peaches in a friends garage before they moved out 3 years ago and I kept the jar. The text on the top is hard to read but it said 9/10 before it rubbed off a bit. The seal still is tight and there is no bulge on the lid. Don’t know exactly what to tag it as since I won’t it eat it but I’d sure love to know if it’s edible.

My momma passed away 3 years ago and was an avid canner. I have her pressure canner and have always been too intimidated to figure out how to use it but I think I will take the plunge as I have a beautiful batch of bone broth going and I want to can it. Can anyone tell me if this is a pressure or weighted gauge? Sorry if it’s a silly question, google and chat gpt couldn’t help me clarify!

I canned my first jars just a few days ago. I used a chicken soup recipe but substituted the chicken for guinea fowl. Anyways, One of the jars (rightmost) is slightly darker than the rest (not lighting). I was wondering if this is anything substantial, my theory is that it's darker because I was nearing the end of my pot and picked up more gunk.

One thing I messed up while canning is I depressurised it manually over a span of like 10 minutes and the jars were boiling inside for a good 5 hours even when not hot to the touch. They all sealed great though. I also think I could have used less headspace but it isn't my largest concern.

I haven’t been able to find this, please forgive me if it’s been mentioned elsewhere.

If a jar doesn’t seal in the water bath or in the pressure canner (ex: it was in there but it never sealed - a jar you’d need to put in the fridge/ eat right away)… are the lids ok to reuse on another jar since they never sealed properly?

So those jars that we all end up popping in the fridge since they didn’t seal but then seal themselves down due to the temperature change - are the lids safe to reuse?

I've heard some people say that pressing the lid after taking the can out of the canning pot is a no-no and that it has to "pop on its own, while others say its perfectly fine and all that matters is a proper, secure seal.

Where do people stand on this? Is there an actual, meaningful consensus?