Canning Reference Guide

Directions

Steam Canning (in Harvest Canner):
1 - Flip jar holder over so handles face bottom
2 - Add 3 Quarts water
3 - Preheat water to 140 F for raw pack and 180 F for hot packed foods
4 - Prepare and fill jars
5 - Put jars on rack (capacity is 7 Quarts or 8 Pints)
6 - Place lid on pot
7 - Turn up burner and bring to ROLLING BOIL
8 - When needle reaches “green zone” start processing timer
9 - Adjust burner to maintain an even rolling boil and keep needle in the green (3.5 on my induction)
10 - When processing time is up, turn off burner and let stand for 5 minutes WITH LID ON.
11 - Remove lid
12 - Carefully remove jars to cooling towel for 24 hours
Pressure Canning (in All American Model 921):
1 - Ensure rim is lubricated with olive or avocado oil and vent pipe is clean
2 - Place rack in bottom
3 - Add 1 1/2 inches water - about 4 Qts (or amount called for in recipe)
4 - Preheat water to 180 degrees
5 - Place cover on cooker
6 - Gradually and evenly tighten 2 opposite wing nuts at a time
7 - Turn heat to high and watch for venting steam
8 - Exhaust (vent) 7 to 10 minutes
10 - Place weight with correct pressure number hole down onto vent
11 - When pressure has built (via pressure gauge and weight “jiggling”) start timer
12 - When timer is finished, turn off heat and allow pressure to decrease naturally (DO NOT REMOVE WEIGHT)
13 - When pressure is at zero, carefully remove weight
14 - Remove lid
15 - Carefully remove jars to towel and let rest 24 hours
Water Bath Canning (in Harvest Canner):
1 - Fill the stock pot with 11 quarts of water and place on a large stovetop burner
2 - Set the jar rack so the handles are resting on the top lip of the pot
3 - Preheat water to 140° F for raw-packed foods and to 180° F for hot-packed foods.
4 - Follow the directions in an approved canning guide to prepare and fill the jars with the product you are going to process.
5 - Place your prepared, hot jars on the canning rack. It will hold 7 quarts or 8 pints.
6 - Pull up on the handles and lower the rack down into your simmering water.
7 - Make sure the tops of the jars are covered by at least 1 full inch of water. If needed, add enough hot water to fully cover the jars.
8 - Place the lid on the pot so the vent holes are towards the back and you can easily read the indicator knob.
9 - Turn your burner on so the water comes to a vigorous boil.
10 -Start your processing time.
11 - Adjust the burner so that it maintains and even rolling boil throughout the entire processing time.
12 - When the processing time is finished, turn off the heat, remove the lid and let stand for 5 minutes before removing jars.
13 - Use hot pads or a jar lifter to remove the jars from the canner. Place the jars on a dry towel, cloth or cooling rack, in a draft-free area, leaving 2 inches of space around all sides of the jars. Let cool for 12-24 hours.

Notes

Sterilization

You don’t need to sterilize jars anymore if your water-bath processing time will be over 10 minutes, or, if you are pressure canning. You can if you want to, but it’s wasted time that is best spent on ensuring safety in other ways;

Don’t sterilize or boil the canning lids. Since 1970, you haven’t needed to heat or sterilize the canning lids. You don’t even need to warm the lids anymore, you can just use them room temperature;

It’s still recommended that you heat the jars, so you are not risking breakage by exposing the cold glass of the jar to hot contents and a hot canner. There are a variety of methods by which you can heat them, provided the end result is a heated jar;

You never needed and still don’t need to sterilize the canning screw-band rings. They don’t touch any food.

Acidification:

Fine citric acid may be substituted for a 5-percent acid solution (the average for store-bought vinegar or for the juice of most lemons) whenever the called-for measurements of the solutions are by the spoonful, in this general proportion:

¼ teaspoon citric-acid powder = a generous 1 tablespoon of 5-percent lemon juice/vinegar;

½ teaspoon citric-acid powder = a generous 2 tablespoons of the vinegar or lemon juice.

 The equivalents actually are:

      - ¼ = 4 teaspoons

      - ½ = 8 teaspoons

 but 1 and 2 tablespoons are easier measurements to make in the usual household’s kitchen.

To reverse the coin and make a 5-percent solution of citric acid, use the rule of thumb for making salt brines:

 Dissolve 1 part fine citric acid in 19 parts of boiled (and cooled) water. 

 Translated into measurements used in the average kitchen, this means

      - Dissolve 2 tablespoons fine citric acid in 1 pint (2 cups) of boiled water; 

      - Dissolve 30 mL of fine citric acid crystals in ½ liter (500 mL) of boiled water. 

 Either translation will produce a solution around 6 percent instead of 5—but the result will serve the purpose we’re after.