I’ve tried out one small (.15 liter, about 4 oz) and one half-pint size Quattro Stagioni; so far, neither of them have sealed and one opened up and let canning water into the cranberry sauce while processing (ewww). So, it seems I didn’t tighten that one enough but – any recommendations? The instructions that come with them are somewhat bizarre and I wonder at translation issues; you are supposed to fill jars with “product at room temperature” (I assume the jars are not hot either). Then you are supposed to put the jars into the canner, cover with lukewarm water and bring it all to a boil and process (for whatever time your recipe calls for) then leave the jars in the canner until completely cool. (They also suggest “consumption after at least 60 days.” I thought it was a translation error, but it says the same thing in French; wait at least 60 days until eating. Strange!)

The half-pint size take a regular-mouth Ball jar lid so I may just try that next, but wondered if you had any tips.

Thanks!
Kaela

I’ve been canning applesauce in big jars, and when I’m simmering the apples for the sauce, I put in about 3/4 to 1 cup of extra apple juice. Then I ladle it out before blenderizing the sauce. I’ve been canning the liquid that I ladle out in small jars as “cider concentrate” with a bit of orange rind studded with cloves, a piece of cinnamon, a slightly-bruised nutmeg, and a slice of candied ginger. “Just add to regular apple juice and heat” is the idea. I’m hoping to give them to friends in my old city when I visit this Christmas since I’m not there to make the cider mix fresh for them the rest of the fall/winter. So, that recipe is kind of my “suggestion,” but also leads to my questions:

Is it safe to can those things, do you know? Liquid plus nut, stick, cloves, peel, ginger? I hope none of them overwhelms the flavor of the others, too. I boiled the small jars of liquid for about 20 minutes, just guessing that would be safe; there was lemon juice in with the apples as well so it should be acidic enough, I hope.

And, second question is about sealing: I didn’t have time to cook AND can on the same day, so I refrigerated the full cans for a day or two or three and then re-heated the jars (without their metal lids) in the microwave before putting the lids back on and putting them in the about-to-boil water. So, I tightened the lids a little extra, figuring they were cold and not hot and thus not as expanded as they should be, but I think it was still not tight enough, because those little jars didn’t “pop.” When I went to check on them and touched the lids with my finger to check, THEN they popped and stayed down as soon as my finger touched them (before I pushed down, just touched them), and then I tightened the lids which seemed rather loose. So, have you ever experience this, and do you think it’s safe, since they did eventually seal?

The kicker is, these are Quattro Stagioni jars, the only kind I can get here, and they have one-piece lids, and the shop doesn’t sell lids by themselves, so if I have to re-can them, I have to buy whole new jars. These little ones have 56mm lids, so they’re smaller than the standard American jar lid sizes. :S (The applesauce jars are 70 and 86mm, which correspond to “standard” and “wide-mouth” sizes – guess what I’m asking my family in the US for for Christmas?)

As for testing for a seal, I always test the “button” on the top of the lid. Although, sometimes it will seal and then lose it’s seal (rarely for me) and those jars either get used right away or the contents tossed.

Lids can be heated, cooled, and reused. Remember, you want to heat the lids prior to use, but do not use boiling/simmering water as that will melt or ruin the rubber ring under the lid.

As Liz stated, you can always use a smaller jar and process for the same time, but you cannot go LARGER if the recipe does not call for it.

Bottled lemon juice should always be used as it has a tested and consistent level of acidity. Fresh lemons actually change in acidity levels depending on the variety…some Meyer Lemons are actually sweet!

Lastly, remember there are cooking recipes and there are canning recipes…they are NOT one in the same! Always use a reliable and TESTED recipe from a reliable source. Very few people who are aware of the safety guidelines regarding home preserving “make up” their own recipes.

Boiling water bath recipes and pressure canning recipes are not one in the same and have different standards and requirements due to ph and acidity levels in the food.

I second Lo’s question, how do you figure the times on home creations, and do you have to use a pressure canner instead of a water bath in some cases?