<html><head></head><body><div class="ydpeafbab7ayahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div></div>
<div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">I too started out making simple jam with my wife. Over time, we did get some special items, like funnels and jar lifters.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">Rick talks about foods containing acid, etc. This is indeed important.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">If you back to my original post, and read all the information, there are details about fruits and meats and when you can just use a pot with boiling water and when you need special equipment and how long to process different foods in different size jars.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">That accompanied with many many recipes and procedure that have been tested to be safe. For example, if you want to can peach halves (or slices) it is better to cook them briefly and put them in the jars instead of "cold packing". I'll let you read why the hot pack will give a better tasting result.</div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><br></div><div><br></div>
</div><div id="ydpe5eb4b39yahoo_quoted_0214231916" class="ydpe5eb4b39yahoo_quoted">
<div style="font-family:'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;color:#26282a;">
<div>
On Sunday, July 23, 2023 at 01:37:59 PM PDT, Rick Moen <rick@linuxmafia.com> wrote:
</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<div>Quoting Akkana Peck (akkana@shallowsky.com):<br clear="none"><br clear="none">> I've always been intimidated by canning -- all that sterilizing of<br clear="none">> jars sounds like a lot of work, and what if I mess it up and don't<br clear="none">> sterilize enough?<br clear="none"><br clear="none">tl;dr: Either or both of high heat and the food having acid content <br clear="none">(as with most fruit) is sufficient to avert the risk.<br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none">When I started doing canning, about 20 years ago, I played it safe by<br clear="none">canning only jams made using blackberries, plums, etc. -- thus with acid <br clear="none">content inherently. Tomatoes are in the same category, but I didn't<br clear="none">then have a vegetable garden. Also, making pickles, relishes, and the<br clear="none">like. Anything with vinegar or lemon juice or citric acid added is<br clear="none">erring on the side of food safety, for example.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">I'd advise doing likewise and sticking to acid-containing foods, not<br clear="none">(e.g.) vegetables, meats, or broths, while learning what you're doing.<br clear="none">Nominally, this is said to mean pH below 4.6 -- not that I ever measured<br clear="none">it.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">And, in point of fact, *I've* never left the realm of acid-containing<br clear="none">foods, so it's all been easy stuff. If I were to branch into those<br clear="none">more-dangerous things, that's when I'd get a pressure canner, and would<br clear="none">urge that being an absolute requirement. Only with a pressure canner<br clear="none">can you sterilise past the temperature where botulism cannot survive:<br clear="none">240 degrees F.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">So, I just use (boiling-temp) water baths in large pots, instead of a<br clear="none">pressure canner, for my acid-containing jams and such. Easy-peasy, no<br clear="none">fancy equipment required.<br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none">In the 2000s, when I started, I was so clueless that I didn't understand<br clear="none">how Mason jars worked, and sealed the tops of my jam jars using melted<br clear="none">parafin wax. Which worked well enough, but I could have just use the<br clear="none">Mason jars' lids properly, if I'd understood their mode of operation.<br clear="none"><br clear="none">The parafin probably wasn't as reliable a seal as Mason jar lids applied<br clear="none">properly, yet I didn't give anyone botulism poisoning (because of acid<br clear="none">contents in the jam).<div class="ydpe5eb4b39yqt1698450463" id="ydpe5eb4b39yqtfd39325"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none">_______________________________________________<br clear="none">conspire mailing list<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="mailto:conspire@linuxmafia.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">conspire@linuxmafia.com</a><br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="http://linuxmafia.com/mailman/listinfo/conspire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://linuxmafia.com/mailman/listinfo/conspire</a><br clear="none"></div></div>
</div>
</div></body></html>