I'm going to explain the difference between pressure canning and water bath canning. I'm also going to leave a link at the bottom of this article to a video that I'd like for you to see. Rosered Homestead is a good source of scientific information about such things as this. You'll want to look up her video on why you shouldn't be canning breads as well. And there's a link to Appalachia's Homestead about the proper way to store your jars.
You might think that water bath canning is safe for things like meats and vegetables (i.e. green beans, potatoes, etc.). It is indeed NOT safe to do so. Allow me to explain.
We'll begin with the process of water bath canning. This process is simple, but you still need to do it correctly in order to kill any botulism spores that might be in the food. This means using the recommended amount of timing.
Water bath canning is simply putting the food in the jar, debubbling, wiping the rim and putting the lids and rings on and boiling them in a big pot with a rack at the bottom. Boiling water only reaches to about 212 degrees F. That temperature is not high enough to kill a botulism spore. This is a fact. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but if you've been water bathing things such as meat and low acid vegetables, you're putting yourself and your family at a great risk. Water bath canning is strictly for high acidic foods such as tomatoes and things that require vinegar for pickling. The acid in the food along with the 212 degree temperature combined are enough to kill botulism.
Pressure canning is, of course, slightly different. The pressure canner will reach a temperature of up to 240 degrees F. This, combined with the "pressure" the food is under and the timing is more than enough to kill botulism. That's the short and skinny of it.
I know what you're thinking. "Lisa, this is simply not true. They water bath canned a long time ago when they didn't have pressure canners." I'm aware of that, however, things change and improve. I'm not a scientist, but I do believe in the science of pressure canning. You probably watched a video that went viral some time ago about water bath canning everything. Well, I saw the same video and it made me skeptical. So, I did some research and found out through Rosered Homestead that it is not safe at all. You must follow the guidelines of the USDA for home canning procedures in order to be safe. There's a link below on this as well.
Storage. Storing your jars in a certain way is critical. Cool, dark and dry is my golden rule. I've discussed this with members of North Georgia GMRS on my net called the Rabbit Hole. Storing your jars with the rings on is a mistake. A mistake that could land you in the hospital. What happens is that when you leave the rings on, and you get a false seal on a jar, botulism can grow, but you won't know it. If you take the rings off (only after they've cooled down enough to handle), and you happen to have a false seal, you'll know it because after a while, you'll see mold growing. With the rings left on, the bacterium botulism will grow down inside the jar, and you won't be the wiser. Please take this into consideration when you're storing your jars away long term.
Thank you for stopping by!
Commentaires