Before you start preparing your food, place canner rack in the bottom
of a boiling water canner. Fill the canner half full with clean
warm water for a canner load of pint jars. For other sizes and numbers
of jars, you will need to adjust the amount of water so it will be 1 to
2 inches over the top of the filled jars.
Center the canner over the burner and preheat the water to 140 degrees
F. for raw-packed foods and to 180 degrees F. for hot-packed foods. You
can begin preparing food for your jars while this water is preheating.
Load filled jars, fitted with lids and ring bands, into the canner one
at a time, using a jar lifter. When moving jars with a jar lifter, make
sure the jar lifter is securely positioned below the neck of the jar
(below the ring band of the lid). Keep the jar upright at all times.
Tilting the jar could cause food to spill into the sealing area of the
lid.
If you have a shaped wire rack that has handles to hold it on the canner
sides, above the water in the canner, you can load jars onto the rack in
the raised position and then use the handles to lower the rack with jars
into the water.
Add more boiling water, if needed, so the water level is at least one
inch above the jar tops. Pour the water around the jars and not directly
onto them. For process times over 30 minutes, the water level should be
2 inches above the jars.
Turn the heat setting to its highest position, cover the canner with
its lid and heat until the water boils vigorously.
Set a timer (after the water is boiling) for the total minutes
required for processing the food.
Keep the canner covered for the process time. The heat setting may be
lowered as long as a gentle but complete boil is maintained for the
entire process time.
Add more boiling water during the process, if needed, to keep
the water level above the jar tops. Pour the water around the jars and
not directly onto them.
If the water stops boiling at any time during the process, turn the
heat on its highest setting, bring the water back to a vigorous boil,
and begin the timing of the process over, from the beginning (using the
total original process time).
When the jars have been processed in boiling water for the recommended
time, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait 5 minutes before
removing jars to allow the canner contents to settle. This waiting
period is not required for safety of the food when using USDA or
University of Georgia processing times, however.
Using a jar lifter, remove the jars one at a time, being careful not
to tilt the jars. Carefully place them directly onto a towel or cake
cooling rack, leaving at least one inch of space between the jars during
cooling. Avoid placing the jars on a cold surface or in a cold draft.
Let the jars sit undisturbed while they cool, from 12 to 24 hours. Do
not
tighten ring bands on the lids or push down on the center of the flat
metal lid until the jar is completely cooled.
Remove ring bands from sealed jars. Put any unsealed jars in the
refrigerator and use first.
***Note: Lesson learned..... I
leave my ring bands on to avoid accidentally beaking the lid seal if a
jar is knocked over in the cupboard or on the shelf. Once unsealed, you
have to use it right away. Leaving the bands on protects the lids from
popping their seal. Especially nice when transporting jars. No mess in
the bag, basket or trunk of the car.
Wash jars and lids to remove all residues.
Label jars and store in a cool, dry place out of direct light if jars
get knocked over.
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