So if I did the jar upside down trick, & I hear/see the jars have popped - do I still waterbath jam?

MarilynFL, do yourself a favor and read the Ball Blue book, the latest edition. . .

People *have* been doing this for years and the stuff you are doing is the safest stuff to can at home: High Acid, high sugar, boiling temp preservation. The high acid in most fruits, hinders/limits bacterial growth and prevents the growth of botulism producing spores, the high sugar limits bacterial access to water (it ties it up in the jam solution) and the boiling temps further knocks down bacteria within and on top of the product.

It is safe and easy to do--Educate yourself!

 
None of you got sick because. . .

I swear, we all had better immune systems back yonder time.

I truly feel that with all the push for cleanlines, sanitization, bacteriostatic, antibacterial stuff, people's immune systems are going to h**l in a hand basket, slowly.

 
I agree. We weren't so afraid of coodies then. There is a theory that kids who grew up with

pets ended up with a better immune system. Well, in fact, it was a rather conclusive study.

 
I become extra cautious with tuna or shrimp when I do 'antipasto' and even with just vegetables.

One of my staff gave me a jar of her antipasto and within 3 months, it had exploded all over my cupboard. Then you ask yourself, should I tell her.

Yes indeed.

 
I think its the stuff you can't see that's the nastiest - a little mold is probably good for you.smileys/wink.gif

 
Thanks sooo much!!! Just got new lids and will recan...

I just tasted a cooled, set overnight finished product and was kinda worried it would be too hard a set (and then wouldn't know if it could be saved) but all is well.

I'll empty/reheat/reboil jars/boil then turn off lids & rings in small pot/ then reload and can only as many jars I can load and WB can.

These posts were of GREAT help.

THANK YOU ALL!

 
Reminds me of the scene in "Mother" w/Debbie Reynolds & Albert Brooks...

Regarding ice cream, actually I think it was orange sherbet that had been in the freezer for a loooong time. The son (Albert) said it had gone bad and Debbie dead pans:

Mother: You have to look under the protective ice.

Son: Oh my, you named the clear crap that sits on top of the ice cream…

I couldn't find that link, but you can enjoy a clip at the link grocery shopping with "Mother" and her concern over "fancy jelly."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GTG8zddzO0&feature=related

 
Oh and somehow I ended up with 1 jar less jam - well 1/2 a jar (so more for me!)

the recipe said it would make 12 jars, I got 10 at first, now 9, one for me, so 8 to save for holiday gifts. The recipe called for 5 cups of peaches, not sure if it was before or after they were chopped fine, I chose after. I didn't reboil the jam only brought it to steamy. Seems like a lot to lose to that though (I swear I didn't eat it, well not those jars anyhoo!)

Again, thanks so much for everyone's help to make this a success!

 
Apparently the Law of Conservation of Mass and Energy doesn't apply to peaches during canning! smileys/wink.gif

 
M, I just wish I had the fruits and vegetables to make this effort worthy. These are the first

peaches in YEARS that I've felt were worth canning. Strawberries (and remember...Florida is the Strawberry Capital of the USA) are horrible here.

I've bitten the bullet many a time and paid Whole Foods prices for organic plums, etc to make a fruit dessert and they weren't worth the cost and gas to buy them. I'm almost embarrassed to admit how envious I get of farmer's market meals at this time of the year.

 
>> OMG, I have yet another canning question - my lids/rings are sticky, but sealed. Problem????

Yes, it's me. With the questions. Again. Sheesh!

So, I let my jars sit overnight without touching them like I read at the Ball site. I also turned them upside down like on Martha Stewart. This am I turned them back upright.

And now I just went to put a label on the top...and removed the ring to do so...and it's all sticky there.

Is this normal?

The lids are sealed tight, there is no spring or give to them when pressed, but there is a bit of stickiness around all of the jar lids and inside rings when I remove them. I measured exactly 1/4" when filling with the canning kit tool. I wiped each jar edge before putting on the lid, just in case. I may not have screwed the rings on real tight, on this 2nd try I was trying not to make them too tight, but then again I likely shouldn't have worried about that given my carpal tunnel.

Gawd, did I fail canning yet again??? Do I need to go commit Hara CANri and just give up here?

Note: no, I can't do freezer jam -- I have zero room in my small drawer freezer. Zero.

 
Unscrew the rings, wipe down the threads on both the jar and the ring. Make sure there's NO give

on the lids (to the point of tugging on them GENTLY.)

If you didn't wipe down the jar's rim completely before sealing and water bathing, you might have a leak. If that's the case, the lid MAY pop off when you tug on it. Check it out, hope for the best. Live AND learn.

In the future, when you screw down the lids, "finger tight" is more than sufficient. If your carpal tunnel is giving you fits, try doing it while wearing rubber gloves (I always keep a box of surgical gloves around but dish-washing gloves would work as well or better) You won't need to use nearly as firm a grip as you'd need bare-handed.

 
Just keep an eye on them over the next couple of months. If the lids start to "dome" (you'll know

it when you see it) the seal didn't work. If they don't, you're probably okay . . . either that or you'll have a mess of festering-botulism time bombs, waiting to destroy your friends and family. (But probably not.)

 
Well, festering-botulism time bombs to destroy friends/family: bonus!

*Kidding*...maybe smileys/wink.gif

I'll keep an eye out but they look really stuck to me, I cleaned them again this am and added labels.

Do you store with rings on? I've read some places say not to, though I'm not sure why.

 
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