Canning question
 

We finally might have enough tomatoes this year to start canning tomato
juice again. My wife and I are at a disagreement though. She always
seems to fret over the jars not sealing. I've said that she fills them
too much. I claim that she needs to leave some air at the top, at
least to the bottom of the lid edge. She disagrees. Any ideas?

Headspace is VERY important, otherwise you get tomato bits under the
rubber.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

this is the place for learning how to keep food. I do cooperate with
the professionally, but *I* use it all the time. Curing pork loins is
my next project.

John!

You need at least 1/2 inch of head space.
Steve
"rile" wrote in message
oups.com...
We finally might have enough tomatoes this year to start canning tomato
juice again. My wife and I are at a disagreement though. She always
seems to fret over the jars not sealing. I've said that she fills them
too much. I claim that she needs to leave some air at the top, at
least to the bottom of the lid edge. She disagrees. Any ideas?

Yes she needs to leave some air space. I normally just toss the tomatoes in
a bag and freeze them whole. The skin comes of easy once thawed and great
for soup and such
Lynn


"rile" wrote in message
oups.com...
We finally might have enough tomatoes this year to start canning tomato
juice again. My wife and I are at a disagreement though. She always
seems to fret over the jars not sealing. I've said that she fills them
too much. I claim that she needs to leave some air at the top, at
least to the bottom of the lid edge. She disagrees. Any ideas?

Take canning questions to your local county extension; they're usually big
on canning info. County extension out here says that the current bible for
safe canning is the Ball Blue Book, conveniently cheap from this site:
(http://store.yahoo.com/flyyourflag/alcorbalblub.html). Next best is the old
standby "Putting Food By," but you must have the latest edition. The old
editions (like mine, unfortunately) document practices no longer considered
safe. I didn't believe it until I found that my own canning by that book
didn't satisfy state fair exhibitors' canning requirements.

The blue book is great for explaining proper practices and noting why
certain old practices are no longer considered safe. It isn't a very big
book but I always find what I want there, with clear instructions including
how much headroom is required (it seems to vary depending on food and jar
size.)

OT: As a dill pickle fancier, I can recommend the blue book garlic dill
recipe, and as a gardener, the cuke variety called "Home Made Pickles" to go
with it.

Kathy



"rile" wrote in message
oups.com...
We finally might have enough tomatoes this year to start canning tomato
juice again. My wife and I are at a disagreement though. She always
seems to fret over the jars not sealing. I've said that she fills them
too much. I claim that she needs to leave some air at the top, at
least to the bottom of the lid edge. She disagrees. Any ideas?