Home Canning Troubleshooting Guide

By The Mother Earth News Editors
Published on May 1, 1980
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PHOTO: FOTOLIA/SKYLINE
Home canning doesn't always go this well, but with a little troubleshooting help you should be able to overcome whatever problems you're having.

(Reprinted with permission from the Ball Blue Book (30th Edition), copyright © 1979 by Ball Corporation.

Now that most folks have their gardens in — and, in some areas, are already harvesting their first crop — it’s time to think about putting up some of those delicious homegrown goodies . . . for year-round enjoyment and lower winter food bills.

Home canning food can be as easy as it is rewarding.

There are, however, some difficulties that occasionally plague even the most experienced canner. The troubleshooting guide below will tell you just what might have caused your past batches of preserved goodies to turn out not quite as you expected, and how to avoid similar preserving problems this summer.

Remember, too, that spoiled food should never be eaten. The most obvious signs of dangerous spoilage include gas bubbles and spurting liquid … soft, mushy, slimy, or moldy food . . . cloudy liquid (or liquid with sediment in it) .. . leaking jars . . . bulging lids . . . and unnatural odors and colors.

For safety’s sake, be sure to boil all of your canned low-acid foods at least 15 minutes before you taste them. If the liquid foams or if the food has an unnatural odor when it’s heated in this manner, the dish is very likely to be spoiled . . . and should definitely be discarded!

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