Comments on: Canning tips you may not see in the manual

By: Greg Seaman

Greg Seaman — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:23:34 +0000

You should use the pressure canner if you will be including meat in the soup. Also, it is common to add a bit of lemon juice when canning tomatoes, about 1 tablespoon per pint. You can add it bit of suger to offset the citrus as an option.

By: Ruby

Ruby — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:06:51 +0000

Hi I was wondering if anyone has tried canning homemade tomato soup with noodles in it. I make a hamburg, macaroni, and tomoto soup that I would love to can. I'm not sure if I would use my pressure canner of hot water canner. Any advice.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:08:27 +0000

Great article! I have a couple more to add:
1. If the kitchen is drafty or you have a window open you can still take jars out of the canner–just slip them under a bath towel as quickly as possible.
2. Don't store sealed jars with the bands on them as the bands trap moisture and may become stuck or moldy.
3. After jars have completely cooled and sealed, give them a bath in warm soapy water to remove any residue from stuff that may have leaked into the canner water. This prevents sticky moldy jars in the pantry.
4. After you empty your jars, wash them and store upside-down in the boxes to keep them clean until next season's canning. You will still have to wash them before canning, but at least they will be free of dead bugs from your basement

By: Diane

Diane — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:01:37 +0000

Great reminders. Here's another tip to check if the jars are sealed. After they've cooled (give them a day) take a pen or pencil and tap the center of each lid. You'll notice the difference in sound as you tap.Sealed jars make a ping like note. Unsealed jars make a plunk. So you'll hear a ping, ping, ping, plunk. The plunk is the one not sealed.

Diane

By: Greg Seaman

Greg Seaman — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:14:33 +0000

You should consult a good reference (the USDA is an excellent reference for canning) because different foods have different storage characteristics.
The quality can go down over several years, but we find that the canned foods rarely spoil.