Canning & Preserving Food

Beth Gallagher said:
I think the issue with outdoor burner is that there is a 14,000 (?) BTU heat limit on the newer canners. (I'm not sure on that number.) Apparently the older canners had a thicker base than the new ones. Also, the higher BTU flames can cause the canner to boil dry due to rapid boiling. As long as the outdoor burner is not a very high BTU flame it should work fine. And of course, Presto is going to take the most cautious approach to prevent people from hurting themselves.
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Ours would only have the thinner base ,and it’s been fine on the gas burner , no buckling ….we have the flame on the centre ring really low
If canning you need a bit of patience ….not rushed ..
 
Kate Ellery said:
Ours would only have the thinner base ,and it’s been fine on the gas burner , no buckling ….we have the flame on the centre ring really low
If canning you need a bit of patience ….not rushed ..
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I have a gas stove in my kitchen with the heavy iron grates so I don't expect to be having any issues with that. I know a lot of people use camp stoves outdoors for canning, though.
 
We have gas burners inside and heavy cast iron grid over them. We also have a cast aluminum (aluminium to @Kate Ellery ) canner that we bought 50 years ago on the advice of a scientist friend with experience in these things. He said the pressed canners didn't last as long. I can't say anything about the pressed ones, but our cast job has been going strong all those years with heavy use. It was also the cause of our first marital squabble:)
 
Don Alaska said:
We have gas burners inside and heavy cast iron grid over them. We also have a cast aluminum (aluminium to @Kate Ellery ) canner that we bought 50 years ago on the advice of a scientist friend with experience in these things. He said the pressed canners didn't last as long. I can't say anything about the pressed ones, but our cast job has been going strong all those years with heavy use. It was also the cause of our first marital squabble:)
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Haha, at this stage of life I don't worry about how long things are going to last. I'm at the "don't buy green bananas" stage!! :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
 
I picked up the book today , I asked the local library to get in for me ,it’s a bit tattered and worn but it’s readable

It’s got a bit of history of what’s classed as old fashioned preserving systems but many still use the old stove top and eclectic canner method

This is the same system as the jars I mentioned I got in the Op shop recently

Book photo to large ,I’ve gotta edit it ..


Bit of history in the mentioned book about the Fowlers book

I’ve got a very very old instruction book , and the company were kinda mean you could not but the instruction book unless you had proof you’d purchased a canner …


Tell me … do my other county’s canning friends know of / used ….the fowlers system ???

We’ve still got an old Fowlers thermometer you needed to can successfully out inthe shed …no canner tho …



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I got a new book today, too. It's called The Modern Pioneer Pantry and is by a youtube creator named Mary Schrader. Her channel is called "Mary's Nest" and she has a lot of good recipes plus canning and preserving information.

I already have several canning books, including the Ball "bible." Since I have only done waterbath canning in the past I will need to read up on pressure canning before I get started.

This video of Mary's is what makes me want the electric Presto. If I thought I could use it and not be afraid of botulism I'd return the stovetop pressure canner and buy it.

 
Beth Gallagher said:
I got a new book today, too. It's called The Modern Pioneer Pantry and is by a youtube creator named Mary Schrader. Her channel is called "Mary's Nest" and she has a lot of good recipes plus canning and preserving information.

I already have several canning books, including the Ball "bible." Since I have only done waterbath canning in the past I will need to read up on pressure canning before I get started.

This video of Mary's is what makes me want the electric Presto. If I thought I could use it and not be afraid of botulism I'd return the stovetop pressure canner and buy it.

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With most online purchases in Australia you can return items ,I’d say sleep on it and if your going to feel more comfortable the electric canner why ~ not go that way Beth
 
I scratched a bit of wood off the plum tree today @Yvonne Smith it appears to be partly green / damp feeling ( the plum wood always looks 2 tone when we’ve pruned it in winter ) …

I got all excited this afternoon cause it appears to have a few little fresh ish loking tiny leaves forming up the top of the tree and one little branch down lower ….lets hope all the treatment is helping it recover
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We were away 9 days and it appears the peach …. has not lost many more leaves ..and the tiny branches still look greenish ..apart from the end bits that died back

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Kate Ellery said:
With most online purchases in Australia you can return items ,I’d say sleep on it and if your going to feel more comfortable the electric canner why ~ not go that way Beth
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I bought the stovetop pressure canner on Amazon so I can return it easily. I'm just not convinced that I should buy the electronic canner. It has not been "approved" by the government agency that puts their seal of approval on food safety stuff. (I'm not sure which agency but people are complaining that the Trump administration cuts have done away with so many govt. employees that a lot of things are falling in the cracks.)

Kate, do you know whether the electric pressure canners are approved for use in Australia?
 
I know that it's pretty big. She says she can set the pressure, but I haven't seen her can anything in it. I'm a little leery about canning in it. too. She uses one at the river to cook food while we are out fishing. She sets the dial for temp and cook time and the food is done when we get back.

I'll ask her about it when I see her.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
I bought the stovetop pressure canner on Amazon so I can return it easily. I'm just not convinced that I should buy the electronic canner. It has not been "approved" by the government agency that puts their seal of approval on food safety stuff. (I'm not sure which agency but people are complaining that the Trump administration cuts have done away with so many govt. employees that a lot of things are falling in the cracks.)

Kate, do you know whether the electric pressure canners are approved for use in Australia?
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I had a Quick Look online on the main suppliers of canning gear https://ozfarmer.com/?gad_source=1&...MI_Ly-n_izkQMV9qZLBR2aVjeqEAAYASAAEgJCDfD_BwE last night but I didn’t see any electric pressure canners in Australia

( like in the very interesting video you posted and I watched ) all of it , she’s so through going through all the steps ….pointing out each step ….
We’ve got insta pots/ pressure cookers for cooking food but they are far to small for canning ( I’d think they would hold maybe 3x quart jars )

Talking about jars ,I found quarts in the ball mason jars to big , so I’ve got pint size wide mouth BM now for most of my fruit canning
and a few Italian made bottles ( 1 ltr ) as I made tomato juice last summer @Beth Gallagher
 
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Kate Ellery said:
I had a Quick Look online on the main suppliers of canning gear https://ozfarmer.com/?gad_source=1&...MI_Ly-n_izkQMV9qZLBR2aVjeqEAAYASAAEgJCDfD_BwE last night but I didn’t see any electric pressure canners in Australia

( like in the very interesting video you posted and I watched ) all of it , she’s so through going through all the steps ….pointing out each step ….
We’ve got insta pots/ pressure cookers for cooking food but they are far to small for canning ( I’d think they would hold maybe 3x quart jars )

Talking about jars ,I found quarts in the ball mason jars to big , so I’ve got pint size wide mouth BM now for most of my fruit canning
and a few Italian made bottles ( 1 ltr ) as I made tomato juice last summer @Beth Gallagher
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Thanks for looking that up, Kate. From what I have read, a regular Instant Pot is not recommended for canning. However Instant Pot does make a large "multi-purpose" model that some people use for canning. There are a lot of rebel canning methods out there but I am scared of botulism so I'm very cautious. That's one reason I have stuck with canning in the water bath canner; high acid foods are not nearly as dangerous (tomatoes, pickles, etc.).
 
Actually I’ve never had an issue with water bathing canning using the ball mason system ….ive even “canned “ in an oven using a baking dish and I inch of water ….using a “recipe “ from what was (the electricity trust of South Australia ) way back before the SA government of the day sold it ….😢😢

I used the Folwers jars back then ..I’ve been got a book on microwave canning which some say …NO ….don't do that ….i used old jam jars
it’s kinda weird …we all know you can’t put metal in a microwave …..but myself and a friend has done microwave canning and the metal lids don’t spark ….

Fowlers has been around since …forever …1915 …...and it’s system isn’t pressure canning ..it stated off with a old thin metal canner and a thermometer , and the system involved canning meats as well as vegetables and fruits / Christmas puddings you name it ….
We have a lot of prickly pear growing here , I’ve even seen them in the Fowlers instruction book
I’ll go take a couple of photos of my old book …..foods lasted for years sealed in the jars
 
Yes, that sounds similar to the Amish canning method. As I understand it, they waterbath everything...even meats, stews, etc.

I'm probably going to stick with the stove-top pressure canner for now since there are so many unknowns with the electronic canners.
 
The Amish do a lot of things frowned upon by the FDA, and they do occasionally lose someone to botulism, but it is never included in U.S. health figures since they seldom go to doctors or hospitals. I have seen a lot of botulism among the Native community here. It is prevalent enough that the hospitals in the Indian Health System usually carry botulism antitoxin and the state health lab people have to be vaccinated against it to work there. I am told by a friend who works there that the vaccine is really gross looking.
 
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