Friday, October 10, 2008

Since We're Talking About Canning Already...

I thought I'd share this tip that a good friend of mine just sent me - sounds like a perfect fit here!

With many years of canning behind us, Mom and I use a relatively new
method called oven canning, in case you're interested.

THIS ONLY WORKS FOR HIGH ACID FOODS, and apple and pear fall into this
category.

Place filled (leaving proper space at top) and sealed jars into cold
oven. Set it for 225 degrees and a timer for 90 minutes. When the
timer goes off, LEAVE THE DOOR CLOSED UNTIL IT IS COMPLETELY COOLED
DOWN. We usually just put the jars in after supper, and leave the door
closed til morning. (Be sure to leave a note or indication to yourself
that you have something in the oven, so that you remove the jars in the
morning, before you decide to preheat the oven for something! and find
that you've unsealed your jars.) This method accomplishes the same as a
water-bath stove-top method.

Quarts: 90 minutes. Pints: 80 minutes.

When sealing the jars, make sure the rim is perfectly clean and free of
chips.

3 comments:

Maureen said...

Wow! I've never seen this.

This was the first year in over ten years I didn't can. We moved and the stove in the new house isn't suited for canning. I'm working on getting my old gas stove hooked up in the basement for next year.

I'm going to check this oven method out and make sure it's deemed safe. I could still get apples in if so.

Maureen said...

BTW I've got a bunch of canning posts at:

http://thriftyhomeschooler.blogspot.com/search/label/Canning

I emailed Ball to ask about the safety of the oven method.

While I wait for their answer, I did find this:
http://www.pickyourown.org/cannersnotrecommended.htm
Oven Canning Oven-canning is extremely hazardous. The oven canning method involves placing jars in an oven and heating. In oven canning, product temperatures never exceed the boiling point because the jars are not covered. It is, therefore, not safe to use for low-acid products (e.g. meats, most vegetables) which require temperatures higher than 212 F. Because this process fails to destroy the spores of Clostridium botulinum, it can cause the food to become toxic during storage. Also, canning jars are not designed for intense dry heat and may explode resulting in serious cuts or burns.

love2learnmom said...

Hmmm. I guess I have to disagree to a certain extent with the critique you found on the hazards of oven canning because the oven canning advocates clearly state that it's only for high-acid foods. In the details, the critique identifies the problem as being with only low-acid foods but the general tone seems to indicate that it's never recommended.