Monday, October 21, 2013

What I've Learned About Pressure Canning

I have had my pressure canner for 3 years now. It is a very old one and it didn't come with instructions.  I have never seen anyone use a pressure canner and had to figure it all out so that I could can up lots of great foods.



So, I have been using it and learning with each batch. I'd look online to trouble shoot my problems and I think after 5 batches this year I have finally got it down!  I found a lot of my questions answered on the Presto Canning Website.   I especially had a problem with losing the liquid in the jar during processing.  I am happy it's still safe to eat, but of course, I want to do it right!

The main steps I have learned are;
  • Leave 1" head space in the jars for vegetables
  • Once all jars are in the canner, bring the water to a boil on high, with the lid on and the vent open, for 10 mins to heat up all the contents.
  • Once you have processed the jars for the proper length of time, take the canner off the heat and let it come down to 0 pressure on it's own. Do not take off the weight or open the vent. This takes about an hour!
I found out that higher elevations need more pressure. So, I am at 3000ft here and at this elevation, I need 15lb of pressure.

One more thing that I have found to help a lot has to do with our well water.  Our water leaves a white mineral build up in all my canners and especially on the aluminum racks in the canners. I read that if you add 1 tsp of vinegar to the water in the canner, this will not happen and it's completely true!

I'll leave you with a picture of some potatoes I canned up tonight.


Thanks for stopping by!

This post is linked up to Raising Homemakers Growing Home A Better Mom Happy and Blessed Home Homestead Barn Hop Time Warp Wife Savings 4 Six Serving Joyfully Hope in Every Season Living Well Spending Less
Raising Arrows




8 comments:

  1. Hello Crystal, so nice to meet you, saw you visited me on my blog, doing the same......Great blog, Blessings Francine.

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  2. Hmmm...I've never heard of home-canned potatoes before! That pressure-cooker looks very familiar, though. It's similar to the one my mom used to can with when I was young. Thanks for all the great pointers!

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  3. Good for you for all the trial and error! Glad you got it figured out :) I love pressure canning- or ANY kind of canning, for that matter ;)

    I found your blog on the Homestead Barn Hop! Happy to meet you,

    Erin (your newest follower!)
    Yellow Birch Hobby Farm
    http://yellowbirchhobbyfarm.blogspot.com

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    1. Hi Erin
      I'm happy to have you as a follower! Your blog is so interesting!

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  4. Good for you Crystal. It looks pretty terrifying when you first start using a pressure canner but with time you can relax and enjoy the process. Remember all the pork and beans I used to can in quarts? Grandma used to can chicken. Thanks for posting all your new discoveries.

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    1. Oh Mom! I loved your pork and beans! I can NEVER makethem as good as you.

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