Pressure Cannning

[Durgan]

My goodness there is as lot of misconceptions about pressure canning.

Pressure canned food is safe if the temperature of the ingredients reaches 240F for about 15 minutes. But this means everything in the jars must reach 240F. Since this cannot not be measured directly some intelligent extrapolation must be done.

Material will be forced out of the jars if the contents contain air. Prior to filling the jars the material need be boiled long enough to get rid of most of the air. The finer the texture of the material the harder this is to achieve but it can be done.

I did about 400 litres of all types of produce and have consumed about half of it so far. There was absolutely no difficulty. http://durgan.org/2011/?p=2515

This is my proven method.

Boil the material in an open container,stir sufficiency to remove all air.

Fill the jars within an inch of the top.

Place lids on jars and finger tighten the rings.

Boil the jars in the pressure canner without the BUBBLER in place for about 40 minutes. This is to insure the jars and ingredients reach 212F.

Apply the BUBBLER and allow the pressure to reach 15 PSI. Then start timing for 15 or 20 minutes. The insures the ingredients will reach 240F or a close as a home canner can get. After this interval turn off the heat and allow to cool.

All tops should be tight and sealed. Any that are not store in refrigerator and use in the near future.

This is a perfect method and avoids all those silly timing and different pressures. It may be a bit of overkill but is simple and practical. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CIBMF Canner.

 

[baymule]

What he said.

 

[ducks4you]

You are now my Pressure Canning Master. Expect many questions...as soon as DD and I replace parts on my canner and study the Manual. I am "Grasshopper" and ready to take the plunge.

 

[MontyJ]

When I first read this thread I was just going to let it go. But now someone has taken it as good info so I have to say something. My conscience would eat me alive if I found out that a member contracted botulism or wasted an entire growing season because they used this worthless, dangerous canning technique. Surely I'm not the only one here that feels this way but since I'm relatively new and have nothing to lose, I'll speak up.

My goodness there is as lot of misconceptions about pressure canning.

On this site? I havent noticed any misconceptions. Most of the posts about canning I have seen reference accepted procedures and documentation.

Pressure canned food is safe if the temperature of the ingredients reaches 240F for about 15 minutes. But this means everything in the jars must reach 240F. Since this cannot not be measured directly some intelligent extrapolation must be done.

Sorry. This is completely wrong and dangerous misinformation to be handing out on a forum where people come for accurate, reliable help and information. In fact, according to the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture Principles of Home Canning:

At temperatures of 240 to 250F, the time needed to destroy bacteria in low-acid canned food ranges from 20 to 100 minutes. The exact time depends on the kind of food being canned, the way it is packed into jars, and the size of jars.

There is no need for extrapolation of the temperature data since it is scientifically proven that water heated under pressure will reach a specific temperature under a certain pressure.

Material will be forced out of the jars if the contents contain air. Prior to filling the jars the material need be boiled long enough to get rid of most of the air. The finer the texture of the material the harder this is to achieve but it can be done.

This is nonsense. The contents will always contain some air no matter what you do. That's what proper headspace is for! Granted hot packing is preferable for water bath canning, but raw packing is suitable and acceptable for pressure canning. I should know, I do it all the time.

I did about 400 litres of all types of produce and have consumed about half of it so far. There was absolutely no difficulty.

Over my lifetime I have processed thousands of quarts of home canned foods, using approved methods. My family, friends and I have consumed all of it with no difficulty.

This is my proven method.

Boil the material in an open container,stir sufficiency to remove all air.

Again, this goes back to the hot packing/cold packing thing. If you are going to hot pack, boiling for 2-5 minutes is all thats required.

Fill the jars within an inch of the top.

Again, wrong. Proper headspace is critical when canning. One inch is not correct for all products.

Place lids on jars and finger tighten the rings.

Boil the jars in the pressure canner without the BUBBLER in place for about 40 minutes. This is to insure the jars and ingredients reach 212F.

So, after you boil whatever you are canning until all of the air is removed wouldnt you naturally assume its pretty close to 212F? Accepted canning practices recommend allowing the canner to vent for 10 minutes after steam begins escaping to facilitate air removal from the canner, not to heat the contents being processed.

Apply the BUBBLER and allow the pressure to reach 15 PSI. Then start timing for 15 or 20 minutes. The insures the ingredients will reach 240F or a close as a home canner can get. After this interval turn off the heat and allow to cool.

Really? You might get away with 20 minutes if you are canning green beans. If you are canning corn, you are looking at possible disaster. Corn needs to process for 85 minutes EVEN IF IT IS HOT PACKED. Of course we are talking quarts here. Pints process for 55 minutes. Again, this is dangerous misinformation.

All tops should be tight and sealed. Any that are not store in refrigerator and use in the near future.

Yep, no arguments there. Of course, after the jars are cool it is a good practice to remove the rings before storing the jars.

This is a perfect method and avoids all those silly timing and different pressures. It may be a bit of overkill but is simple and practical. http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CIBMF Canner.

This is far from a perfect method and will eventually lead to someone getting food poisoning. Avoiding all those silly timing and different pressures is a recipe for disaster. Many of the pressure differences account for differences in elevation and the effect it has on the temperature of boiling water, not to mention the difference in processing temperatures at different pressures.

 

[Durgan]

MontyJ

You believe what you want. I stand by my pressure canning method completely.

Listed is most of my effort of preserving produce for use during the 2012/2013 Winter season. A litre of various juices per day is about my typical consumption, often mixed in the drinking glass.My small attempt to avoid the commercial food supply, which I consider to be much flawed. Efforts are made to improve and add different foods with new inputs. Details are in my Garden Journal http://durgan.org/2011/

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KYQUO 9 October 2012 Cranberry.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?GIPEF 24 September 2012 Pear Juice.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BNIYM 21 September 2012 Pumpkin Raspberry Pilot Bread
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?GEGJA 20 September 2012 Processing Pumpkin Seeds
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?RJSIZ 17 September 2012 . Tomato Juice.Sixty pounds processed
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CSEYK 31 August 2009 Processing soy beans
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TQYWH 15 September 2012 Raspberry Dessert
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?WWCQU 2 September 2012 Pilot Bread. Five whole grain.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?DMMCI 31 August 2012 Kale
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TPVRN 26 August 2012 Elderberry Juice
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?AFOZF 10 August 2012 Whole Wheat Grain Flour Pilot Bread
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?ZWVZC 6 August 2012 Corn Juice
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?FUWWT 3 August 2012 Bean and Carrot Juice
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?IUXFC 26 July 2012 Rice Pilot Bread.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?RHIND 25 July 2012. Blueberry Fruit Leather.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?JBAOD 22 July 2012.Preserving Garden Vegetables by Dehydrating.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?DIZER 19 July 2012 Blueberry Juice
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?ZUFLP 18 July 2012 Tomato Juice(beets,okra,egg plant,celery,basil,parsley,dill)
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BXFRZ 17 July 2012 Goja Berry and Blueberry Juice.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?WSALN 14 July 2012 Purslane Seed Pilot Bread
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?YESPM 14 July 2012 Cucumber Juice (Egg plant,Okra,Celery,Basil)
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CHWRD 11 July 2012 Tomato Juice.(Beet,Carrot,Basil)
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BTEGK 9 July 2012 Gooseberry Juice
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XSPNK 5 July 2012 Pilot Bread. Purslane and Sesame
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KRKOL 4 July 2011 Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum)
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?VENWO 2 July 2012
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CNHIB 26 June 2012 Paneer.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?YLVDA 25 June 2012 Twelve Vegetable Juicing
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KQWSQ 23 June 2012 Cooking nuts and seeds
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TVJBW 19 June 2012 Juicing 8 Garden Vegetables.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?YQKWT 16 June 2012 Juicing Pak Choy, Swiss Chart, Beets
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?NBCMK 13 June 2012 Juicing Romaine lettuce, broccoli, purslane, parsley, basil.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?RHLJP 11 June 2012 Juicing Collards,Cauliflower,Broccoli
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BGMUI 10 June 2012 Juicing Apple Strawberry
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?GYNFX 7 June 2012 Juicing Garden Vegetables
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?JQKTK 1 June 2012 Pak Choy Juicing.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?WXMQQ 29 May 2012 Juicing Collards
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?UFIYA 26 May 2012 Cooking Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?KFPEM 26 May 2012 Juicing Garden Produce
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?QOBTF 20 May 2012 Almonds
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?AIOTR 7 May 2012 Daily Food
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?UGKGR 4 May 2012 Produce Nutrients.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?LLLFD 27 April 2012 Pilot Bread Flax.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?GNUGD 15 April 2012 Pilot Bread,Filbert.Sunflower.Flax.Whole Wheat Flour.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?PJOYZ 9 April 2012 Cooking Dried Beans
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?RJMST 4 April 2012 Pilot Bread Flax Seasame Pumpkin
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?JKXXY 25 January 2012 Almond Milk
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CHGEJ 24 January 2012 Soy Milk and Soy Cream.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?OJLLC 23 January 2012 Pilot Bread Black Walnut(Juglans nigra) and Dark Rye Flour.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TYCWP 10 December 2011 Pomegranate Juice.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?NYIJA 6 December 2011 Orange Juice

This is the consolidated pictures of the preserving of fruit and vegetables for the off season. I have been basically living on this, almost as my main diet.Of course,I eat other food as required. I have lost 15 pounds in three months (205 to 190) and am full of energy and very active. With experience, I have ascertained that one can preserve almost any fruit and vegetable, only limited by the availability and imagination.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XGNVK 14 November 2011 Leeks Processed into Juice.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?GNDRO 10 November 2011 Crosne Picked and Processed.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?DRUXI 5 November 2011 Brussels Sprouts (Jade Cross)Juicing.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TBTTZ 29 October 2011 Pumpkin Juice
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?AEYVU 27 October 2011 Apple Juice Processing
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?AZQUW 16 September 2011 Concord Grapes
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?FPYQP 15 September 2011 Tomatoes
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?DKBJT 14 September 2011 Boca Noir Grapes
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XLGIU 12 September 2011 Pear Juice
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?SASIO 31 August 2011 Niagara Grapes
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?HZDXN 15 August 2011 Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) Extracting Raw Juice.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?SFCQC 10 August 2011 Tomato Juice
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?VCUHI 10 August 2011 Purslane Cooked and Pressure Canned.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?UFAQJ 6 August 2011 Green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers made into Juice.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?DXAYD 6 August 2011 Making Vegetable Juice
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?YBOFM 29 July 2011 Tomato Juice
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BEGVV 26 August 2011 Elderberry Twenty pounds Processed.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?UVVUJ 26 July 2011 Blueberry Picking and Processing into Juice.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TNNHT 26 July 2011 Sour Cherry Juice.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?YPNWO 25 July 2011 Yellow Beans
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?DRAPP 22 July 2011 American Gooseberry (Ribes hirtellum)
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?RRZRJ 21 July 2011 Blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum)
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?MIJXM 10 July 2011. Bing Cherry Juice.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?QSQWT 6 July 2011 Carrot Juice

What I like about the method is, the product is ready to serve by opening the jar. There is no added sugar.

I dont eat sugar added to anything, and consequently find most of the products sweet to some degree, except for some of the vegetables. I have several jars on the go in the refrigerator simultaneously, and mix in the glass sometimes.

Everything in the garden can be utilized. I got some surprises. Cucumbers for example, simply juiced are most pleasant and filling.

The point being that maybe the old methods had some short comings.

Canning was hard work. The equipment available today make the process much easier. The hand blender, the screens, the mechanical hand strainer, and of course the modern juicers to extract the ultimate from the strainer residue. Also the Pressure Cooker method of canning to eliminate the possibility of food poisoning due to bacteria.

Over the years we have given food preparation to commerce, and I believe we are suffering due to this, evidenced by the obesity epidemic and the general ill health of people as they age. No, this is not the only issue, but one that can be addressed by the individual.

 

[Smart Red]

I do a lot of pressure canning. I ALWAYS use the times and pressures in my canning book. Never figured my family's health was worth experimenting with.

Love, Smart Red

 

[MontyJ]

Durgan, you can post all the links to your journal you want. It doesn't negate the fact that recommending a 15-20 minute processing time for everything is dangerous. I follow time honored and tested techniques that are proven to work in the home canning environment. Implying that your wreckless method of canning is safe for everything is irresponsible.

 

[journey11]

In addition to addressing the botulism risk, recommended pressure canning times also affect the outcome of the the texture of the food. Some things need cooked longer to be tender, such as meat and dry beans. Other things you might end up cooking them to mush.

Many of the old-timers did things their own way. Some got by with it. Some didn't. That's why it's standardized now.

You also have altitude to consider. Higher altitudes need higher pressures and/or longer processing times to safely can low-acid foods.

This one-size-fits-all approach is dangerous. Botulism is serious business. Durgan, you've probably just been lucky so far. There really isn't any more work to it if you do it by the book than there is with your method. Flip to the correct page in the Ball Blue Book and follow the simple directions. Better safe than sorry.
I agree with Monty--people come here looking for solid information. This thread is not good canning advice.

ETA: Durgan, many of the things you have listed are high acid foods and don't even require pressure canning to begin with. High acid=water bath. Low acid=pressure canner. If someone used your method for green beans, meat, stock, etc. it would be disasterous.

 

[Durgan]

In addition to addressing the botulism risk, recommended pressure canning times also affect the outcome of the the texture of the food. Some things need cooked longer to be tender, such as meat and dry beans. Other things you might end up cooking them to mush.

Many of the old-timers did things their own way. Some got by with it. Some didn't. That's why it's standardized now.

You also have altitude to consider. Higher altitudes need higher pressures and/or longer processing times to safely can low-acid foods.

This one-size-fits-all approach is dangerous. Botulism is serious business. Durgan, you've probably just been lucky so far. There really isn't any more work to it if you do it by the book than there is with your method. Flip to the correct page in the Ball Blue Book and follow the simple directions. Better safe than sorry.

I agree with Monty--people come here looking for solid information. This thread is not good canning advice.

ETA: Durgan, many of the things you have listed are high acid foods and don't even require pressure canning to begin with. High acid=water bath. Low acid=pressure canner. If someone used your method for green beans, meat, stock, etc. it would be disasterous.

You are throwing in parameters which tend to confuse a non reflecting, non thinking western schooled populace confusing a simple issue. Most pressure cooked food is automatically mush. If you observe my "juicing" method I completely obliterate this problem by mushing everything. My method over cooks, but the objective is to be completely safe, which it is.

The objective of pressure canning is to: Raise the temperature of the material in the jars to a temperature of 240 F for some period of time. The temperature of 240F is achieved if the pressure gets to 15 PSI, now the only thing you have to do is to decide how long you want to stay at that temperature. Your Choice. I chose 15 to 20 minutes.

But to insure my method is secure. The pressure cooker contents are raised to 212F by boiling for about 40 minutes then raising the pressure to 15 PSI (240F) for the selected time.

There was a rude comment about going to my blog. The short URL I use is simply a method of sending pictures over the internet, which every forum would be more efficient and interesting if they adopted the method. I even posted the method, but one cannot encourage dead minds.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I did a little research on this a while back. I thought the information would be easier to find at the CDC but it is buried in there. Maybe someone better can get better data or at least confirm what Im about to say. After, we should always be suspicious of anything we read over the internet. You might note, you are reading this over the internet.

About 25 people in the US get food born botulism every year. There are other kinds of botulism but the pressure canning method is all about food born botulism. The botulism organism wont grow in the high acid stuff so thats why you can water bath those. And water bath or pressure canning methods dont necessarily take care of everything else you could get from food. The canning will take care of many of them but you still need to use proper cleanliness techniques to help protect from them. Botulism is the one that is most likely to kill.

Of the roughly 25 people that get it each year in the US, about 8% die. With my math, that comes to maybe 2 people a year. It used to be 50% died but treatment has improved. The ones that get it and dont die are still plenty messed up.

The quote I saw was that most of these 25 get food born botulism from improper food preservation. Its been a while. I dont remember the actual wording, but I took that to mean improper canning techniques. And I dont know if most means 13 of the 25 or 22 of the 25. Either way, out of 300,000,000 Americans thats not many. Anyway, thats the end of my statistics. Now to editorial content.

I have no idea how many people can food at home or how many of those use improper techniques. I suspect a whole lot more than 25 dont follow the rules and most people eating that food dont die or even get real sick from botulism. Id guess the odds of dying from food born botulism even of you dont use the suggested times is not real high.

But my granddaughter eats some of the stuff I can, both water bath and pressure can. Personally Ill follow the recommended times and techniques. And Ill pay attention to details, such as the recommended head space or whether I need 55 minutes for a pint of whole kernel corn or 85 minutes if I decide to can corn cream-style. Any times I mention on this forum will be the official recommended times but Ill assume you know to adjust the pressure for your altitude.

Still part of my editorial content. Food that is canned can be mushy or overcooked. Some it doesn't matter but some it does. Some foods dont freeze real well either. I try real hard to not overcook pickles when I water bath them. Green beans are going to be mushy if you follow the right techniques which require pressure canning. Some people like them this way but some people dont as far as refusing to can green beans. But part of following the proper techniques is to keep the texture as good as you safely can. That comes from canning times and prep time and methods, whether cold pack or hot pack and, if hot pack, how and how long you need to heat it. To me, it is a matter of doing the best you can even when it isnt perfect.

Do whatever you wish. I wont say I dont care because I do. I generally like the people on this forum, even the ones I occasionally disagree with. But I cant control what others do, only what I do. And Ill sanitize my canning equipment and follow the recommended techniques.