Ball Canning Jars

From years men have thought of way to preserve food by different methods to ensure the supply throughout the year. Some tried salting of meat during the winter, pickling of fruits or making jams and jellies, while others tried heating to kill the germs and then preserving to protect from natural decay. Proper ways of home canning include the storage of food in a ball canning jar. Heating the jar to appropriate temperature and for appropriate time, processing the jar to kill the microorganisms and inactive the enzymes.

The history of ball canning jar manufacturing goes back to 1880 in New York, when Frank and Edmund Ball bought the wooden jacket can company and in 1884 the first ball jars were formed. Within 70 years the company produced 41 million canning jars due to which Ball enjoyed a great position in jar manufacturing companies. Then in 1897 Ball invented the first semi automatic jar making machines that made jar production faster and cheaper. With time Ball canning jars became desirable in people's sight and Ball corporation owned a number of other companies in different cities.

Collecting Ball Canning Jars
Pictures can say a good thousand words but the beauty of the ball canning jars can be appreciated only through first person encounter. Knowledge is power and knowledge can be increased by research, reading, interaction and by discussion with people of like mind. This knowledge can help you in spotting the right product for your collection of ball canning jars. Some jars are really expensive while others are worthless but in my opinion every jar has its own value. Ball jars are available in high degree of diversity, in different shapes and colors. Colored jars are more valuable as it allows less light to pass through such as a blue jar, keeping food preserved longer.

What to know ab out preserving food in Ball canning jars
The first thing to keep in mind is that before canning any food, make sure the jar is free from any nicks or cracks, The surface should be in proper shape to make a good seal

There are special ways of canning food, such as selecting a perfect jar, cleaning, heating the jar to kill germs, always follow an experts advice or a good book can help you

Food can be canned without sugar or salt, so no need to add sugar or salt if it is your dietary requirement

Every jar is not suitable or safe for canning

Canned food can remain fresh up to one year if properly processed

Water-bath Canning Vs. Pressure Canning

When choosing how to pickle or what pickle recipe's you would like to try, there are a number of things you want to keep in mind. One of those things is which canning method you would like to use. home canning is a very simple process that can be done in two ways: pressure canning, or water-bath canning. Pressure canning is a process that requires a pressure canner, which can be often times, be expensive. You may however be able to find a cheap one with a little bit of hunting through garage sales or flea markets. Water-bath canning, on the other hand, can be done using only a couple of simple tools. We will assume that you will be using a water-bath canning method. The following article will explain this particular method.

Firstly, of course you will need a water-bath canner. You must make sure it is deep enough to hold enough water to submerge your canning jars by at least 1 inch. You will also need your canning jars, screw-on bands, and canning lids. It is the much-less-expensive, tried-and-true way of canning. It is a way of preserving hundreds of foods, including salsa, jam, jelly, pickled fruits and vegetables, as well as relish for hundreds of years. It is a great canning method for beginners, or avid canners.

A water-bath canner is basically a large pot with a rack that will hold up to seven mason quart jars or up to sixteen pint jars. By using a large stock pot and being creative with wire, one could improvise a rack to create their own water bath canner. As long as the jars avoid direct heat from the burner and are completely submersed in the water, a number of crafty setups could be used. If you would like to save the trouble of rigging your own, they can be readily purchased at many locations or online.

The way a water-bath canner functions is that it increases the temperature of your canning jar to a temperature hot enough to kill yeast, bacteria, and molds that are found in food. The heat also creates air bubbles that push the air inside the jar out as the contents inside the jar heat and expand. When the jar cools down to room temperature, the air pressure creates a seal that prevents air and other organisms from entering the jar, preventing the food from spoiling, thus the reason for canning's existence.

It is essential that the jars are free of nicks or cracks and that the rim is flat. They should also be newly washed, either by hand or dishwasher, so they are sterile and free of any micro-organisms. The process begins by filling the canning jar with the desired ingredients. Make sure to wipe the rim clean with a laundered towel so as to create an ideal seal. Place the lid on the rim, making sure to center it so that the rubber is on the entire rim and then screw on the band. The band does not need to be screwed on tightly; over-tightened bands do not allow the gasses to escape the jars. Then you will place the jars into the water-bath on the rack. Make sure the water is covering all of the jars by at least one inch and then bring the water to a boil. When finished, turn off heat and let sit for a full five minutes before removing jars from the canner. Be sure to let the canning jars cool, so as not to burn yourself.

As the canning jars cool off, the tops should pop closed as they seal, meaning that; after sealing the tops will not depress by pressing down on with your finger. If the jars are not sealed, the center of the lid will pop up and down when pressed. Either throw these jars away or eat the contents within a week. If the lids did not seal, do not use them again as they will not seal if used again.

Once the jars are cooled they may be stored. It is best if they are stored in a cool dark place like a basement or pantry. Contents will be ready to eat according to the recipe. Make sure that before eating, the contents are inspected for signs of spoilage: mold, gas, cloudiness, odors, or drainage. If spoilage has occurred, do not eat the contents of the can as it may cause serious sickness.

Here is a simple pickling recipe for you to try out!

Delicious Pickles:
Wash cucumbers, pack into sterilized canning jars.
Solution (sufficient for 3 gallons of pickles in glass jars):
1 gallon vinegar
1 cup salt
pound (16 tablespoons) dry mustard, make sure to fully mix the dry mustard in with vinegar so that there are no clumps. A good way to do this is to take a little vinegar and make a paste type of substance with the dry mustard, then mix this into the vinegar.

Pour mixture over cucumbers in your sterilized jars and seal at once (Using the method of your choice.). Store pickles without removing screw bands.

I hope that this helps you to choose your method of pickling, and make sure to head on over to my homepage for many more pickling tips and recipes. Also visit the forums to share info with other picklers.

Copyright 2006 Jonathan Heusman

Home Canning Tomatoes

Tomatoes are probably the most popular food item grown in gardens. Usually there is an abundance of this crop once they begin to ripen. Home Canning Tomatoes is one way to ensure that the overstock of produce will not go to waste. By canning your own tomatoes you will also be able to enjoy the flavorful taste of you home grown tomatoes long after the season ends.
Ways to Preserve Tomatoes
There is an assortment of ways to preserve tomatoes. They may be canned, frozen or in some cases even dried. The most popular way of preserving tomatoes is to canning. This versatile method allows you to utilize the canned tomatoes in a variety of techniques that can be used later to make soups, chili or stews. Who wouldn€t want that same great fresh tasting flavor even in the cold winter months?
Preparing Tomatoes for Canning
Only a stainless steel pot or saucepan and stainless steel utensils should be used when preparing tomatoes for canning. Because the t omatoes have such a high acidic value, using any other type of pot may result in bitter tasting canned tomatoes that have a less than desirable color about them.
Canning Tomatoes Safely
It is important to remember that in order to ensure safety tomatoes must be canned correctly. Only choose disease free, fresh firm tomatoes for canning. Tomatoes tend to be a high acidic food item. Boiling Water Bath Canning or Pressure Canning methods are the recommended processing technique to be used when home canning tomatoes. According to some sources using a pressure canner may even yield higher quality flavor with more nutritious value. Either however, is an acceptable means of preserving tomatoes.
The USDA recommends that all home canned tomatoes be acidified prior to canning to ensure safety from botulism. This is achieved by adding 2 tablespoons of lemon j uice or teaspoon of citric acid per quart. Using pints, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or teaspoon of citric acid.

Processing times for hot packed crushed tomatoes in water bath canning is 35 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts. If using a pressure canner the processing time is 15 minutes for both pints and quarts. You must be sure to set the dial gauges on the pressure cooker to 11lbs. of pressure and the weighted gauge should be set at 10lbs. of pressure.

Following these instructions should assure the quality of taste when home canning Tomatoes. Just think about how happy you and your family will be this winter when you are enjoying the same great flavor you had this summer.

Weck Canning Jars

In the beginning of the 19th century, J. Weck Company was founded in O flingen Germany. It introduced the home canning method in glass jars and became popular not only in Europe but worldwide. Weck jars are those beautiful jars that you so around in many houses with a glass lid and a rubber seal. Weck jars are a little expensive than those other common jars available at every grocery store but the strawberry mark weck canning jars' beauty and the quality worth the price.

Advantages of weck canning jars
Weck canning jars bring satisfaction and the realization of family and friends. Weck has been successful in providing canning jars to preserve food in healthy and economical way especially when the food is home grown. Weck canning jars:

Have mouth wide open for easy fill

Are made of glass lids that do not rust

Glass Canning Jars

The glass canning jars is a modern and stylish type of jar that is used to preserve the food items. They are generally used in home canning for the purpose of storing the different eatable items. These classical glass canning jars are made according to the requirements of the people for the preservation of the food. In this modern age this equipment is designed by keeping the requirements of the most of people in view. This is the most modern, stylish and attractive product that is designed for the ease in preserving the food items. These are designed as high efficient and high quality so that these can be purchased and utilized individually by everyone.
These are the simple and beautiful glass canning jars that are found today just for the use in several homes, according to the needs of the people. These classic glass canning jars are reliable to utiliz e and do not have leakage problem, crack and break quickly issues over a long period of time. Surely keep the things safe by encasing in glass canning jars.