Canning question

[chel0524]

The stockpiling thread in AG has got me to thinking alot about canning. We always have lots of tomatoes left every summer. I would love to make salsa and can it.

I have never canned before, but I am going to buy a guide before summer and become familiar with it.

My aunt says that I can't can on my stove top because it is one of the flat ones. Is this true? I don't see that it would matter. It works like any other stove. And, isn't that about all they make anymore anyway?

Any advice would be appreciated. I am really excited about learning this process! :thumb

[lisaann]

The stockpiling thread in AG has got me to thinking alot about canning. We always have lots of tomatoes left every summer. I would love to make salsa and can it.

I have never canned before, but I am going to buy a guide before summer and become familiar with it.

My aunt says that I can't can on my stove top because it is one of the flat ones. Is this true? I don't see that it would matter. It works like any other stove. And, isn't that about all they make anymore anyway?

Any advice would be appreciated. I am really excited about learning this process! :thumb

I have a flat top stove and can spaghetti sauce on it every year. :idunno I've never had a can not seal properly either.

Kerr or Ball both have good canning guides. :nod

I would love to get a pressure canner to do non-acid foods with but I dont have the $$ for one at this point. It would be so cool to do large batches of stews and then can what we don't use. :thumb

[deanne53]

You might try going to autions for a canner...or garage sales.. I have 5 or 6 due to people giving them to me because they quit canning with it, they give me jars too....

[chel0524]

I think my grandmother still has her pressure canner. She's 93 now and hasn't used it in a long time. I was planning on asking her if I can look in the basement for it.

Lisaann, thanks for the backup on the stovetop thing. I just needed to be able to tell my aunt that I know of someone that cans on a flat stovetop with no problem. I didn't think it would matter.

[funmudder]

http://www.pickyourown.org/ALmobile.htm

great articles on canning :D

[iwalkwithChrist]

When you can tomatoes and other acidic foods you are only using a hot water bath to can with. When you use the pressure cooker it is a total different game. I too have a flat top stove and this year I will have to buy the regular burners so that I can restock my black eye peas, stew, green beans, corn, potatoes, and anything else that has to be pressured. Last year I had enough left that I only put up the garden in the freezer but this year I will be canning up a storm...lol My stove is a Jenn Aire so I can buy the different styles of burners. I also have the double grill and I love it....

[HSmomto4]

Today's tomatoes also have to be pressure canned. Unless you are growing heirloom tomatoes the acid isn't high enough anymore to just be placed in a water bath. Some get away with it I'm sure, but it is much better to be safe than sorry. I learned this lesson with my grapefruit and had a nice batch of poison!

[Galoutofdixie]

That's a good point about modern tomatos not being acidic enough. :nod. I haven't canned for years, but I remember reading that in the Ball Canning book. :nod It recomended adding either small amount of 5% vinegar or lemon juice, to it bring up the acidity. I don't remember the exact amount though, but it' in the book.

I don't know why a pressure canner wouldn't work on a flat glass top stove? Don't those get hot enough to build up the proper pressure? I don't understand it? :scratch

Off to google the subject. :lol2


Okay, I went to google and found out the answer, and a cool website on canning to boot! LOL!

Here's a snippet on the reasons not to use a pressure canner on a ceramic top range:


Canners for Glass and Ceramic Stoves
If you have a glass or ceramic stovetop, you may have heard that you should use a flat-bottomed canner, but you have been unable to find one!

Here is the answer: One of my suppliers asked a stove manufacturer as to why they were unable to find one. The stove manufacturer told they that on a glass/ceramic stove there is a sensor so that the heat can not go above a certain point thus breaking the top.

This sensor does not allow the burner to maintain an even temperature high enough for a canner to work safely. By fluctuating the temperature the bacteria is not eliminated in the canning process. Unfortunately this is not something the salesmen will tell the customer when they are buying the stove and probably many of them are unaware of this.

A flat-bottomed canner would not solve this problem. The heat will still fluctuate and it won't get hot enough to get the big canner full of water to a full boil.

So, what can you do? Here is a simple solution: buy a simple and inexpensive single electric burner (shown below) and you can use ANY canner with it. Plus, it may come in handy when you have a lot of cooking to do and need and extra burner!

http://www.pickyourown.org/cannings4glasstop.htm

[funmudder]

Today I planted in peat pots:
Cucumbers
roma and beefy tomatoes
squash
spinach
lettuce
and I'm excited!
Whoot!