Canning!

Exile_D

Exile_D

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I have never tried any canning before, but my wife would like to start. She bought a bunch of old-ish glass canning jars (mostly Kerr) of various sizes at a yard sale a while back. Most of them did not have lids, which we were told is not unusual and that they are cheap/easy to replace.

When I went to look online to buy new ones I kept reading that the quality of the Kerr/Ball lids had dropped off significantly. Lot of complaints of rusting, buckling and flaking. That and folks found out that the BPA, etc. chemicals are present in all the lids too.

So are there better lids to get? Are there better canning solutions/systems? Are the chemical(s) and lid function issues really not a big deal?
 
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The lids are cheap. Easy to pick up at Walmart, a hardware store, grocery store, etc. They come in boxes with and without the rings. I find the rings to be reusable at least a few times. The lids are a once and done. I have never considered the chemical aspect, but I suspect compared to commercial (metal) canning it is a small issue. I normally use Ball/Mason lids.
 
My wife does a lot of canning and the Ball lids work great, some of the others have buckled on her. She does both pressure canning and hot water bath canning.
 
I get most of my lids from the Dollar Store. Have very few issues with them. If you see rust on the rings, toss them. The rust can cause problems with not letting them seal.
 
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Get one of these for lifting and moving jars. Dropping a jar into a canner full of boiling water can ruin your whole day. Also, be aware of the need to pressure can low-acid foods. The NC Agricultural Extension Service used to have some good publications on canning, making pickles, etc., but that was 40+ years ago and I don't know if they still do.
 
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Pack72 said:
41y0HAbo-tL._SY355_.jpg

Get one of these for lifting and moving jars. Dropping a jar into a canner full of boiling water can ruin your whole day. Also, be aware of the need to pressure can low-acid foods. The NC Agricultural Extension Service used to have some good publications on canning, making pickles, etc., but that was 40+ years ago and I don't know if they still do.
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I think they do. But the Ball Blue Book is a great source of info like that. Anybody that sells canning supplies should carry the book.


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It's easy, my pressure canner came with a short book, lot of recipes on the net, well get the Ball book someday.

I've uses Ball and generic lids from walmart.

I'm gonna guess BPA ingestion from lids is less than from commercial canned goods and other sources.

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http://nchfp.uga.edu/ = National Center for Home Food Preservation. That and the Ball Book are gospels of canning. Don't muck with the recipes and don't skip any steps. Never had a problem with Ball or Tattlers. Be careful with used jars that you didn't own. Check the mouths for chips and the jars for micro cracking. As soon as you get them run them through the dishwasher before you store them. BPA isn't even on my radar if it is a problem. Look at all the chemicals you are avoiding if you can your own vittles...............
 
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