I ’ve had my share of canning disasters . Canning is n’t complicated , but discomfit the alchemy of pectin and sugar or cut a step in the process , and you may find yourself in , well , a mess .
Theresa Loe is the resident canning expert and associate producer for PBS ’s Growing a Greener World . She ’s been give notice food all her life , and her web log , hold out Homegrown Fresh , covers food conservation as well as urban horticulture . Loe says she first see how to can at her mother ’s forestage strings , but she lead that knowledge through training in a master food - restorer political platform , attending culinary shoal , and keeping up with the latest USDA recommendation and guidelines . Here ’s her advice for avoiding or , when possible , fixing canning drive that have gone awry .
1. Problem: Jelly Won’t Gel
The culprit:
“ Jellies ‘ gelatin ’ because of a perfect ratio between the acid , pectin and pelf of the mixture . If the proper proportion is n’t accomplish , you get a runny jelly , ” tell Loe . That proportion can be upset when the yield you ’re using does n’t have enough natural pectin , which can find with overripe yield , or when you ’ve reduced the amount of sugar or skim the gamboge juice that some recipes call for . You must have a arrant balance of sugar , acid and pectin .
The fix:
To ensure gelled jellies , Loe suggests following a proven , true formula to the missive — without adjustment . Make indisputable your yield is picked at its heyday , before it receive too ripe — the pectin level of yield drops as the fruit ripens .
If you have a batch that does n’t gel , you have a brace of alternative .
“ If it ’s a small batch , practice it as sirup on flannel cake , waffles and in cooking . I usually only remake runny jelly if I have a bombastic batch or two that did n’t function , ” says Loe .
If you decide to re - batch , you ’ll need to start the jars and pour all of the contents back into your pot ; add saccharide , lemon tree juice and pectin ; cook it again ; and recycle it .
“ It normally works , ” order Loe , but she cautions that you might terminate up with a rubberlike consistency after reprocessing .
A caveat:
Do n’t race to judgment . Some jelly and muddle take a little longer to set up than others . If it still has a syrupy consistence after it ’s completely cooled , then it probably wo n’t set up , and you’re able to try re - batch it .
2. Problem: Jelly Gels Too Much
Too much pectin or overcook your jelly or jam will cause it to be overly firm .
“ People are surprised by the delicate Libra the Balance between the ratio of sugar , acid and pectin . If you have too much pectin compared to the lolly and acid in the admixture , you get too loyal gelatin or jam , ” say Loe . “ Also , if your fruit was [ not fully ripe ] and you added commercial-grade pectin , you may have upset the proportion . ”
verify your fruit is at its prime of life , or that you have a mixture of less - mature fruit combined with ripe fruit . And be measured to clock your preparation precisely .
“ If you cook the mixture too long , ” explain Loe , “ you vaporise too much of the water , and the jam or jelly gets too firm . ”
If your jelly or jam cease up too firm , there ’s really no fix .
“ you may utilise it for cook rather than as a facing pages , ” suggests Loe . “ If you localise some in a small saucepan with a little water and disappear it down , you’re able to use it in sauces or as a topping for waffles or ice pick . But you really ca n’t re - can it . ”
3. Problem: Lids Don’t Seal or Release Their Seal
Often , this will go on if there ’s a ding in the shock rim or if you do n’t all pass over the food from the flange . The rim needs to have complete contact with the lid to seal decent .
Another reason is too much headspace .
“ Headspace is the blank space between the food for thought and the top of the jar , ” says Loe . “ Too much blank can make it difficult for the jounce to create the emptiness seal . The air inside the jolt reaches a certain temperature during processing , cool and then escapes , causing the vacuum stamp that whistle out that ‘ ping . ’ But only so much air can fare out successfully . If there ’s too much headspace , there wo n’t be a vacuum , or it will be a weak vacuum that will gradually free on the shelf . ”
Lid manufacturers also recommend placing your lids in a pot , cover chapeau with water supply and land the water to a simmer , then hold back the lids blistering until you ’re quick to utilize them . Do not boil your lids : This can cause the seal to go wrong .
The fix: “If the problem was discovered within 24 hours, you can reprocess the food,” says Loe.
Remove the band and chapeau , and check the top of the jounce for nicks . If there are any nicks , put the food for thought in a unexampled , uninventive jar . Wipe down the jolt ’s rim to remove any solid food corpuscle and tick the headspace to be sure you ’re follow the formula ’s rule of thumb . supply a new lid and lot , and reprocess the jars for the full amount of time .
4. Problem: Canning Process Is Interrupted by a Power Outage
In this case , chalk one up to Murphy ’s Law .
If you have power within 24 hour , get down the processing prison term over as before long as the power come back on , and swear out the jars for the full clock time all at once . It may impress the nutrient ’s grain ( i.e. , pickles may suffer crispness ) , but it depends on the food and the processing meter .
5. Problem: Fruits Lose Their Texture or Color
Discoloration may just be the result of innate changes that take place in certain fruits during processing . Using piss or yield juice for packing yield ( rather of sugar syrup ) may not keep the fruit ’s colour , but the flavour will still be good . Overripe yield wo n’t hold up to processing and storage as well as yield processed at its flower .
After the fact , there ’s not much you could do , but there are a few steps you could take to preserve color and texture before fire .
“ lucre syrups will best preserve the shape , colour and flavor of canned fruit , ” says Loe . “ However , many of us do n’t need to use sugar syrup . If you use fruit juice or water , you might get a more or less less - appealing color , but the flavor will be good and the food should still be safe . ”
If you ’re canning a fruit that browns ( apples or peaches , for example ) , Loe suggests adding ascorbic acid to the fruit by following the directions on the container . It will prevent discoloration and preserve a brighter appearance .
“ examination has show that ascorbic acid works better than just lemon tree succus , ” she says . “ Ascorbic acid is just powdered Vitamin C — but it ’s not the same matter as citric battery-acid . ”
6. Problem: Pickles Aren’t Crisp
commence with less - than - fresh Cucumis sativus or using a salad cuke for pickle instead of pickling cuke variety show can leave in less - than - crisp pickles .
There ’s nothing you could do to put the chip into the pickle once it ’s made , but there are some pre - pickling footstep you could take . First , works or purchase pickle varieties — not salad cucumbers . And the cucumbers you use must be fresh .
“ The fresher the better , ” apprise Loe . “ The best pickles are made with cucumbers that are less than 24 hours off the vine . Every sidereal day over 24 60 minutes will cause you to lose crispness . ” take cucumbers that are firm and morose green , and slice off the efflorescence end of the cucumber before processing . ( The blossom scar has enzymes that have softening . )
7. Problem: Floating Fruit
There are a sight of grounds for this very common problem . boxing shock too loosely , using overripe fruit ( the pectin content is low and pectin helps take hold the fruit in suspension ) , using too much sugar in the syrup ( the fruit density can be lighter than the syrup if a grave sirup is used ) , over - processing , and natural - packing fruit instead of hot - wadding can all get yield to drift to the top of the jar .
“ The fruit is ok , ” says Loe . “ It ’s perfectly safe to deplete and will store well on the ledge . ” But there are steps you may take that will prevent float yield .
expend house , right ( but not overripe ) fruit , pile the fruit into the jolt firmly without smashing , use a light or average syrup rather than a heavy syrup , use the proper processing clip in the formula , and use the red-hot - camp method acting rather than the naked - pack method acting .
“ sensitive - pack is when you sate the jarful with unheated fruit and add together a hot liquid state before processing , ” Loe explains . “ Hot - pack is where you heat the fruit in a liquid state and then fill the jars and process . As the yield is heat , the excess air inside the fruit escape and this prevents float by and by . you may hot up the fruit in water or fruit juice , and it wo n’t over - sweeten the fruit . Both [ raw and blistering ] methods are secure , but red-hot - packed fruit tend to hold their color and texture comfortably on the ledge . ”
8. Problem: Jars Leak During Processing or Cooling
If you remark color in your water tub ( pink pee for cherries , for model ) or the side of your jars are mucilaginous after cooling , fortune are the jars were overfill . If there is too small headspace , some of the juice will bubble out during the processing . This can also happen if the food was sensitive - packed rather of hot - packed into the jar .
As long as there ’s still enough liquid in the jar to cover most of the food , it should be fine . Carefully wash out off the stickiness , and arrange the jars on the shelf . Keep in nous that any food ride above the liquid will discolour — though it should still be secure to eat on . “ Be sure to look into the seal just before initiative , ” monish Loe . “ Sometimes the food seep out can do the seal to fail while sit on the ledge . Food particles under the lid slow relinquish the vacuum seal . If you pull a jolt off the shelf and it is unsealed , do n’t eat the contents — you have no estimate how long it ’s been unsealed . ”
If half or more of the syrup is gone after waterproofing , salt away the food in the icebox and use it within a few days . To prevent it from happen again , always use proper headspace when filling a jar , and use a hot - coterie method or else of a raw - pack .
9. Problem: Air Bubbles Occur After Processing
“ Air bubbles are just pockets of aura that did n’t get release during backpacking or processing . Air clings to the food during processing , and sometimes even our best efforts wo n’t free them all , ” says Loe . “ As long as the house of cards are n’t move on their own , which would bespeak bacterial fermentation , they ’re dead safe — though you may get some discolouration where they sit on the fruit . ” If you surmise bacterial fermentation , discard the food for thought .
After you fill your jars ( and before processing ) , run a rubber spatula or a chopstick around the inside edge of the shock to relinquish all the air bubble . ( Do n’t use a metal tongue , as it may scratch the jolt . ) Then check the headspace again . If releasing the bubbles lowers the liquid degree , sum up more liquid for right headspace , then continue with your processing .
As Loe ’s advice hint , many canning disasters can be invalidate by carefully following the introductory rules and steps , as well as using test , reliable recipes . If you ’re not sure about a recipe , or you ’ve run into a canning catastrophe , do n’t waver to contact your extension berth for advice .
This article originally appeared in the May / June 2011 issue ofHobby Farm Home .
