Author Topic: Home canning advice request (Read 2411 times)

Mesophilic · « **on:** July 22, 2019, 06:23:26 pm »

I figure with how resourceful this crowd is, someone has to ba a home canner.

Apricots are coming off and we got a bumper crop from our tree this year. When I was a kid Grandma did the canning while us boys did the field work. Well, she's gone and so are is her knowledge.

1) making apricot jam...skins on or off?

2) water bath method at 8000 feet...most sites say to add 20 mins to the boil time for hot pack pints, will it hurt anything if I go a little longer?

3) these apricots are very flavorful but not as sweet or tart as what I'm used to. With that in mind, would they still be considered an acid fruit? Should I add a little lemon juice to lower the PH?

4) would you trust the water bath method at high elevation?

5) in place of boiling jars and lids, can I use a no rinse sanitizer like Starsan? Used to be a homebrewer and learned a few things from that side of the fence. Boiling anything doesn't sterilize it, that's why we have pressure canners and autoclaves. So if I'm only sanitizing by boiling, it aure would be much easier to sanitize with a sanitizing solution.

The thought of botulims suffocating me and my family is right up there with drowning, fire, and scorpions on my list of ways I'd rather not die. In fact, if I don't really know a person well and they give me home canned goods that I can't fake an allergy to, I usually throw it away and return the empty jar telling them the product was wonderful next time I see them...I hate wasting food but see part about drowning, fire, and scorpions...

Pat B · « **Reply #1 on:** July 22, 2019, 06:55:57 pm »

Google Ball Canning Company They have all the answers.
Have you considered dehydration?

Mesophilic · « **Reply #2 on:** July 22, 2019, 07:23:37 pm »

Quote from: Pat B on July 22, 2019, 06:55:57 pm

Google Ball Canning Company They have all the answers.
Have you considered dehydration?

Making a batch of fruit leather right now. First batch came out of the dehydrator this morning and turned out great.

I'll give Ball a google, thanks.

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #3 on:** July 22, 2019, 08:40:25 pm »

The hot water bath works very well to sanitize even at 8,000 feet, in a covered pot. The extension service should have specific advise for your altitude and apricots. Might also try freeze drying some in a frost free freezer. Good luck, they should make good jam!
Hawkdancer

TrevorM · « **Reply #4 on:** July 23, 2019, 09:00:53 am »

There's a USDA Publication on home canning that'd probably be helpful.

Another alternative of course would be preserving them in Alcohol.

Hawkdancer · « **Reply #5 on:** July 23, 2019, 09:28:22 am »

Oooo! Apricot bombs! You don't have to worry about sanitizing, sterilizing, bubble and boil, and you can lick your fingers clean!

Hawkdancer

Eric Krewson · « **Reply #6 on:** July 23, 2019, 10:04:27 am »

I used to be they recommended boiling water for an extended period of time to purify, lately I have see it it gets to 180 that is OK.

You could put your jars in the oven and crank it up to 250 if you have any concerns.

I wouldn't use sanitizer because you would have to rinse it out and that would put you back to square one.

Pat B · « **Reply #7 on:** July 23, 2019, 10:54:44 am »

If you put the jars in the over put them in cold in a cold over and turn it on letting the jars heat along with the oven. If you put cold jars in a hot over the jars are liable to bust.

Mesophilic · « **Reply #8 on:** July 23, 2019, 05:18:51 pm »

Thanks for the tips guys. Grandma made this all seem so simple. I guess it's really not as complicated as other processes I've done, just got to get all my ducks in a row.

Eric, the sanitizer I was contemplating is called Starsan, it's a phosphoric acid based sanitizer that is no rinse. So I wouldn't have to recontaminate the jars by rinsing.

Figure I'll just do things the way Grandma did and clean and boil. There's a reason some things stand the test of time.

Made some freezer jam just to play with the process a little and it turned out pretty darn good. My kid eats it out of the jar with a spoon and she's in a picky stage so it must be good

GlisGlis · « **Reply #9 on:** July 24, 2019, 03:15:49 am »

Hey diesel I'll add my grandmother recipe
I've made literally tons of apricots jam and so my parents and grandparents
skin on
half apricot weight (no pits) half sugar. You can vary a little but never less than 40% sugar (this is where preservation resides)
In the evening cut the apricots in pieces (let's say 8-12 per apricot) and mix with the right amount of sugar in the pot or cauldron you're using to boil it.
Let rest overnight with a lid on. (you can skip this phase even if grandma always did it)
next morning start the boiling and stirring thing
have a right amount of jars cleansed and rinsed. And use that kind of lid that click if they are not airtigh closed !!
When the jam is ready start this fast action
- take a jar and lid. put a small dose of ethyl alcohol in it and shake it well.
- pour out all the alcohol
- fill the jar (never too much) and close the lid tigh
- keep all the jars close so they cool slowly
- when cool check all the jar lids. if they click they're are not airtight and need to be used immediatly.
Apricoat cake for many days after making jam

never did the sanitizing or after boiling thing. I'm pretty sure if you pour the jam while still boiling and double check the lids closing you will kill all possible pathogenic microbes

Primitive Archer