In article ,
Janet wrote:

I am going to do some beetroot, onions, tomatoes and some cucumbers
(gerkins?).

I may have missed mention of botulism; surely everybody knows that non-acid
foods need the temperature of a pressure canner to be sure?

Nope, nobody in the UK knows that. Here, Kilner jars of fruit/veg are
just filled, closed and cooked in a boiling water pan without pressure.

That is wrong.

It's the way my family did it for years. Endless bottled plums were a
winter feature of childhood.

You do seem to have trouble with the qualification "non-acid",
don't you? :-) Plums most definitely do NOT count! The only
fruit commonly eaten in the UK that do that I can think of are
bananas and avocados. Even ripe strawberries have a fair amount
of acid.

If you look at most older books, you will see that
the recommendation is exactly as Gary said. Also, some people living
in the UK have previously lived at moderate altitudes, which makes
the requirement more important.

why? I don't follow why where they previously lived, makes any
difference later?

Because the boiling point is lower at altitude.

What's more, when we've filled jars with home made jam and put the
lid on, that's it done; we don't boil them at all.

You make entirely non-acid jam? Please post the recipe for our
amusement (if not delectation) :-)

This was a mere poke at US jam makers, who having made jam and
jarred it, then pressure can it.

Well, yes, but Gary is not a USA marketdroid.

The recommendation always was slightly overstated, because the main
danger comes from high-protein foods. I would very, VERY strongly
advise people not to store such things in that way without the
extra pressure or without checking the seal when using them.

You check the seal the day after sealing the jars when they are cold;
if it hasn't taken you either use the contents or reseal and boil again.
And you always, always test the airtight vaccuum seal before opening and
using the jar to use.

The danger with high-protein, non-acid foods, such as fish and meat
is that mere boiling point is not enough to destroy Clostridium
botulinum spores. If one then germinates, the toxin will build
up, and the sealed food can then be lethal. Yes, it happens.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.