Hot Boiling Water Bath Canning -

 

High Acid Foods (Jams, Jellies, Pickled Vegetables, Fruit) ONLY

 

Use only safe, tested and up to date recipes with correct amount of acid

 

Steps for Water Bath Canning –

 

1. Before you prepare your food, fill canner with warm clean water, add rack to bottom and center it on burner. Sterilize jars and keep warm. Keep water at 140 degrees Fahrenheit for cold-packed foods and to 180 degrees Fahrenheit for hot-packed foods.

 

2. WASH new lids and rings.

 

3. Prepare food for recipe. Always follow a safe tested recipes and directions.

 

4. Remove jars from heated water. Fill jars with prodiuct, remove bubbles, correct headspace, and clean rims of jars.

 

Headspace is the space from the top of the jar to the food or liquid in the jar. Every tested recipes will give you the correct headspace.

Having too much headspace, will prevent a proper seal.  Too little headspace, can make food boil over to rim and to prevent proper seal.

 

5. Put lids on jars and add rings to jars, tighten rings to a fingertip tightness

 

6. Load filled jars carefully into hot water bath canner with jar lifter. Remember to keep jars upright Tilting the jar could cause food to spill onto sealing area of lid.

 

7.  Water should cover jars with 1 – 2 inches. If more water is needed, never add cold water it could crack jars

 

8. After adding jars, cover pot. Turn stove to highest position until the water is vigorously boil. Once it reaches boiling point, lower stove just a bit, but still boiling.

 

9. Set timer after water comes to a boil according to processing time of recipe. Maintain boil the entire processed time. If boiling is not maintained, bring the water back to a boil and start processing time all over.

 

10.  After the procesing time is over, turn off heat. Wait 5 minutes and then remove the lid (carefully away from you).

 

11. Using a jar lifter, remove  jars carefully one at a time, being careful not to tilt the jars. Place them on a towel or rack 1 inch apart, away from cool drafts. Do not tighten ring bands or push down on the center of lid or remove water until they are completely cooled. Beware of putting hot jars on cool surfaces (example granite).

 

12. Jars should sit undisturbed while cooling, from 12 to 24 hours.

 

13. After jars are completely cooled. Remove rings, check the seal. If unsealed put in refrigerator or reprocess.

 

14. Wash jars with cloth and lids to remove all residues. Label jars with contents and date.

 

15. Store in cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. Never store your jars with the rings on.

 

16. Periodically check to make sure lids are sealed and check contents for discoloring, mold and bubbles.

 

17. Shelf stable jars should be used within one year, as long as you used a tested safe recipe, followed complete directions, checked them periodically and stored them in a cool dry place way from sunlght