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Topics => Food & Cooking => Topic started by: Maddy on October 26, 2013, 01:16:05 PM

Title: Canning - Does anyone here can/jar?
Post by: Maddy on October 26, 2013, 01:16:05 PM
If so, when you can jams do you use paraffin or no?

Both my parents have canned all of their lives and that what me and my sister grew up on, basically. So when it comes to canning advice that's where I go. It's always fun when parents have differing opinions. My Dad insists you should use paraffin when it comes to canning jams as it will increase the shelf life, and my mom tends to think that it's really not all that necessary. She usually doesn't use it but my Dad always does.

Your thoughts?
Title: Re: Canning - Does anyone here can/jar?
Post by: oldcoastie6468 on October 26, 2013, 01:48:07 PM
My wife always used paraffin.
Title: Re: Canning - Does anyone here can/jar?
Post by: LadyVirginia on October 26, 2013, 01:59:28 PM
I only started canning a few years ago and I don't use wax.  Seems like it would be a lot of extra mess and work. I got my system down as far as water bath canning.

LOL The first try I spent like all day doing my first batch of jam.  Now I can do it in an hour to an afternoon depending on how much fruit I have. I've wanted to do relishes and tomatoes but I never seem to have enough produce for the relishes and if I have a lot of tomatoes I often freeze them or dry them.

I use Pomona pectin because I find the others have a taste I can detect in the jams (http://www.pomonapectin.com/)
Title: Re: Canning - Does anyone here can/jar?
Post by: Maddy on October 26, 2013, 03:15:59 PM
Thanks, oldcoastie!

LadyVirginia - lol, I know exactly what you mean! I grew up helping my parents can but after I moved out I never took it up. Off and on over the past 4 yrs or so I've been doing water baths off and on (tomatoes, etc...) and am just now getting back into it. In fact I'm in the middle of a batch of strawberry jam right now. I love doing it - but I'm totally with you! Last weekend was my first batch in awhile and it seemed like it took me f.o.r.e.v.e.r! Today I was a little bit more prepared but still ended up managing to make a mess and give myself a nice little burn on my hand (not paying attention after I scalded my lids - 3 were stuck together and after I removed them and set them down, I wasn't thinking and reached for 'one' and ended up picking up the stack of three still super hot. Ouch!) So yes, I'm definitely seeing the immediate need for developing my own system.  :D

I haven't used wax on either batch - like you said, seems like more mess than necessary. I might use it in the event that I'm making a batch with the intent for long-term storage, but otherwise I think I'll stick with the non-wax method.

Tomorrow I think I'm going to tackle my first "unsupervised" hot pack after making some vegetable beef soup. Without my mom here to catch my mistakes, I foresee myself freaking out and my blood pressure going through the roof!
Title: Re: Canning - Does anyone here can/jar?
Post by: AlanS on October 26, 2013, 05:45:08 PM
The only thing I've seen my wife can was pickles. And that was just one time. And then she didn't use wax.
Title: Re: Canning - Does anyone here can/jar?
Post by: Pandora on October 26, 2013, 10:03:06 PM
I don't do jam, but I do do the "hot pack", i.e. pressure canning.  It's a better idea to not cook too much beforehand whatever you plan to pressure can because the fifty minutes at that heat will make the food taste burnt if precooked.
Title: Re: Canning - Does anyone here can/jar?
Post by: Maddy on October 27, 2013, 11:09:36 AM
Thanks, Alan and Pandora!