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7. 15 HOME CANNING CHEAPER? it really depends on your method of comparison2 The first year will be the most expensive because ol the initial investment in jars. processorthot water bath and/or pressure canncr). large pots and other small equipment such as a wide mouth funnel, _ Food from your garden or someone clse’s Wlll help reduce your costs. However. food in season will still make tt‘a reasonable proposition. Don‘t Forget to con- sider the cost of energy and your time. The most dith- cult price to determine is your sheer satisfaction of “putting things down". That counts too! 8. DO I NEED ANY SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR CANNING? There are lots ol~ gadgets you can buy. but the es- sentials remain: I For l‘llgl'lvlltilLl Foods (tomatoes with added citric acid. l‘ruits] a hot water bath processor with a lid and it rack. It must be deep enough to cover thejars with an inch or two ol'watcr plus another couple of inches to pre- vent the boiling water l‘rom spilling over. 0 for lowâ€"acid foods (vegetables) a pressure canner is absolutely csscntial. 0 mason jars and closures. l a saucepan to boil lids. 0a larger saucepan to heat jars. 0a pot large enough to heat food. syrup or juice in readiness l'or packing intojars. 0 a kettle to boil water. 0 measures, spoons, ladles. f'unnel. table lsnitc to reâ€" leasc .‘lll' bubbles J‘rom jar before closing. I to prevent burned lingers. tongs or a jar litter. 9. CAN I USE MY PRESSURE COOKER INSTEAD OF A PRESSURE CANNER? ()nly it'your pressure can ner has a pressure indica» tor, l’ressurc cooking is done at l5 pounds pressure whereas pressure canning is done at it) pounds pres- sure. Some pressure cookers (saucepan typc) are not rcc- unintended lor canning because: I they may not have a gatigc or control to determine the proper pressure: Othc size may not allow proper space between jars. and 0 thcjar 'si/c and the number ol'jttrs that \\'|ll tit into the saucepan type of cookers are limited. Resist the temptation ol‘ buying a pressure canner at a rummage or garage .sale. You have no way ol~ knowing how well it works. especially when the in- struction hook is long lost. 10. DO I HAVE TO USE SPECIAL JARS FOR CAN- NING? Use only standard mason jars which are made For the sole purpose ol‘ home canning. Avoid using jars from commercial foods such as peanut butter, cofi‘ee. mayonnaise etc. as these jars are not tempered to with stand the changes ol' temperature during processing They could break. In addition. it is not possible to get a tight seal with the lids that come with the jar and it is next to impossible to get new lids to fit these jars prop- erlv, [1. WHY HAVE I HAD SO MUCH TROUBLE WITH METAL LIDS NOT SEALING? Be sure to read the instructions. The scaling corti- pound must be soi'tened bel'ore being applied. This is 20 done by leaving the lids in boiling water for at two; minutes. ~ ‘ 12. WHEN PUTTING THE LID ON, HOW TIGHT IS TIGHT? There are two types of closures For masonjars suit scaling lids are enamelled metal. edged with a scalinu compound which goes next to the jar rim (in plum. “:1 rubber ring). This closure is tightened by SCTEWIIN an a metal ring before processing. There is a similar NHL- piece metal lid. Both of these should be screw“; My} very tightly before processing and not adjusted .- H processing as this may break the seal. The other type of closure is a metal screw t rut with a glass lid and rubber ring. Glass lids. like jars. must be free ol‘nicks and cracks. The rubhmg must be replaced each time they are used anf _. metal screw bands as necessary it‘ they are corr i dented or stretched. When using this type of cli the metal band is screwed on tightly then toeseri. tttrning back one inch. The band is tightened inn. alely after processing as jars are removed fro]: processor. Not recommended for home canning are the l‘ i European jars with wire bales. 13. I HAVE OVEN CANNED FOR YEARS i) NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. WHY SHOUT l CHANGE? Oven canning (either in a conventional or n - wave oven) is not recommended. There is no v .r knowing how long it would take the centre of Hit .7 tents oFthe jar to reach a high enough temperati assure a safe product. Somejars of food could l‘t r processed while others might be underprocesscd rl therein lies the danger. lt‘thal isn’t enough inceiit change. consider this: the jars could explode. Also included in the “no longer recommc‘ category is the open kettle method. where I] cooked. immediately transferred to sterile jar . sealed. [1 is not considered safe. Now that you the risks is it really worth tempting fate? Up [til you and your family may have been lucky! [4. WHAT DO I DO WITH JARS THAT HA‘t l SEALED? ll‘ you have tested your jars and dlSCOVL‘TL some haven‘t sealed completely. there are 3 :il tives. (l) Refrigerate these jars and use within a t It of days as you would any openjars. (2) Repacka; :ir mediater and freeze. following directions for lTL ; fOOdS- (3) Reprocess by removing the lids. washii ic jars and starting over. The food will be overt .s: however it won't be necessary to throw it awa) 15. WHAT DO I DO WITH A “BAD” JAR? Once again. the signs ol‘ spoilage are bad or! »I "i c L's slimy texture. dark discoloration. bulging lids tw 2‘” explodingjars) or rising bubbles. Should you suspect botulismâ€"burn itâ€" Don: no the suspected l‘ood because your family pet or tut animals may find it, Remember: If in doubt. throw it out. 16. DO I REALLY HAVE TO ADD CITRIC " ll) TO TOMATOES? Yes, While tomatoes are considered to be i lL-‘l‘ acid Food they are not necessarily as high in it‘. i to fruit. To increase the acidity. citric acid mut hu added. Citric acid has very little elTect on taste