Fear of Botchulism from canning
 

Not sure I spelled poison correctly. I am tempted to can, but have great fear of getting sick if not done correctly.

You shouldn't be scared of it just follow the directions ans you will be fine.
If you have any questions feel free to ask here and many of us will help you in any way we can.:)
This is the very best place to come to for canning and preserving questions.

Worth

Botulism is rare in the US...
You would have to screw up a pressure canner recipe pretty bad.

Take a look at the current Ball canning book, either checking it out from a library, buying it or borrowing a friends. A good place to go online is linked below.

[URL="http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html"]http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html[/URL]

George

[QUOTE=pondgardener;537611]Take a look at the current Ball canning book, either checking it out from a library, buying it or borrowing a friends. A good place to go online is linked below.

[URL="http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html"]http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html[/URL]

George[/QUOTE]
go look at the one at the library then....
Seriously... go buy one. You will either mess up theirs and have to replace it or want to write in it and can't... they really are cheap enough to buy one and not feel like it was a waste of money, it is a good investment. don't be afraid of canning. follow the directions and use the recommended tools... IE: a pressure canner or a waterbath method.. you must use a pressure canner when a recipe calls for it. Such as greenbeans cannot be waterbath canned. they MUST be pressure canned.. Pumpkin can't be canned at all it must be froze.. those are just a few musts for food safety.
it is not nearly as scary as it used to be since canners are now built with better safety features. Jump in and collect your supplies than keep asking questions.

[QUOTE=pondgardener;537611]Take a look at the current Ball canning book, either checking it out from a library, buying it or borrowing a friends. A good place to go online is linked below.

[URL="http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html"]http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html[/URL]

George[/QUOTE]

Yep. Just go buy the Ball book of preserving. :yes: It's a great referance to have. Really, as long as you're not playing around with a lower acid recipe (without knowing what you're doing) or doing something really scary like canning mashed potatoes you should be fine. :twisted:

Start by canning something high acid and high pectin like cranberries if you like. It's really hard to mess up cranberry jelly/jam/preserves. :cute:

And if pressure canning makes you nervous, stick to just water bath canning.

I can't pressure can because I have a glass top stove (and I rent...my landlord would have kittens if I broke the stove) so I use a waterbath canner...you can still can quite a few things (including many tomato recipes) with just a waterbath canner! Bonus: they cost about $25 vs $80-150 for a pressure canner. :)

[QUOTE=pmcgrady;537599]Botulism is rare in the US...
[/QUOTE]

No really so rare really. The spores are actually found in the soil and even in honey which is why you shouldn't feed it to babies.

HOWEVER the risk from canning is very low if it is done properly and it is not so complicated if you read the Ball book and use the proper equipment like canning jars and lids, not old mayonnaise jars and things like that.

Pay attention to the number of minutes needed in a water bath and things like that and you will be fine.

Yeah and dont answer the door and end up talking to some fanatics for an hour and over process you pickles like I did one time.:evil::lol:

Worth

[QUOTE=brownrexx;537659]No really so rare really. The spores are actually found in the soil and even in honey which is why you shouldn't feed it to babies.

HOWEVER the risk from canning is very low if it is done properly and it is not so complicated if you read the Ball book and use the proper equipment like canning jars and lids, not old mayonnaise jars and things like that.

Pay attention to the number of minutes needed in a water bath and things like that and you will be fine.[/QUOTE]

There are a few types of botulism, food borne, an infection from an open sore/cut, or young children get intestinal botulism...none are very common where I live... Not sure where you live, but wouldn't worry about it too much.

Christian,

Go to the NCHFP link above and read all the info there. When they test recipes, they leave a bit of wiggle room for safety. Don't be tempted to shortcut or change recipes or can something according to a food blog. If you have a county extension office nearby, call and ask if they have canning classes. And yes, start with a Ball book and water bath canning.

High acid fruits won't support the growth of botulism (melons, figs, asian pears are not high acid). Botulism needs low acid (higher than 4.6 on the pH scale), room temps, and lack of oxygen. The conditions inside a sealed canning jar is the perfect environment for that. Do lots of reading at trusted sources . Have respect for what botulism can do. Yes, it is rare but it is out there. Two elderly folks just died in the Spokane WA area a few weeks ago from improperly canned food. :( With the right knowledge, you won't have to fear it.

There used to be an online class offered by NCHFP but it is no longer available. Btw, you are able to can pumpkin as long as it is cubed...never pureed.

[url]http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html[/url]

According to the CDC there are only 110 cases in the United States annually and only 25% of those are from food.

Probably one reason that these numbers are low is because not so many people do home canning any more. You might see a different number if, rather than looking at 110 cases from the entire population of the US, you calculated the number of cases based on how many people can their own food. I'll bet that would be a much higher percentage.

This is not a lot of cases or a big risk but it's so easy to follow proper canning directions so why take a risk?

Just follow the proper canning instructions and don't do things differently just "because Grandma did it that way and they didn't die".

I did a lot of "Water Bath" canning and then bought a Presto Pressure canner. I now use it for everything. I can leave the lid untightened and do Water Bath or just do everything under pressure.

The Presto Pressure Canners all come with a booklet of instructions and time/pressures. The Booklet is identical (word for word) the instructions given at the link mentioned several times above.

[URL]http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html[/URL]

I would recommend going ahead and buying the Pressure Canner to do both jobs with the one item. Most folks feel better if they know they are killing pathogens and bacteria with the canning process. Pressure canning gets the higher temperatures that kill more of the bad stuff.

Of course, making jams and jellies is a whole 'nuther different story. :)

I want to assure you the presto canner will work on a glass top stove.
I have done the research not only with Presto but with my GE glass top stove.

By the way if you just buy the old school granite water bath canner kettle the glass top will not get hot enough to boil water.
I have to use my tri clad stainless to do it.

Worth

Glad you posted that Worth. I have a glass stove top and been thinking of getting a pressure canner.

I would second taking a class. Really the best way to learn from people who have canned for decades. In my area canning is still commonplace so wasn't hard to find people to help me get started. Good luck and maybe check with your local ag extension for classes.

Follow directions and you won't have any problems.
Food borne botulism is serious but very rare in these modern times. The incidence of botulism according to the CDC is 0.1 cases per million people, of those only about a quarter are from foods, generally improperly canned game meats in Alaska (seal, whale, fish etc) . Of the total number of cases, statistically 3-5 % may die making it exceedingly rare to die from food-borne Botulism in the USA.
Make your recipes paying attention to good food handling hygiene practices and follow directions for the canning process and you will be just fine. Home canned foods are a wonderful way to preserve your garden bounty and a treat in the winter.
KarenO

[QUOTE=Worth1;538422]I want to assure you the presto canner will work on a glass top stove.
I have done the research not only with Presto but with my GE glass top stove.

By the way if you just buy the old school granite water bath canner kettle the glass top will not get hot enough to boil water.
I have to use my tri clad stainless to do it.

Worth[/QUOTE]

I've done lots and lots of reading about it. Basically we don't own the stove so we don't have an owners manual. If you have an owners manual many glass top stoves will tell you which canner you can use on them. There are very few that you actually can't use one on. But we don't know which one our stove is without the manual...so I'm not going to risk it.
Plus I simply can't afford the $300 the landlord will charge for there being a crack in the top or the glass turning colors due to the canner. :twisted:

I have the granite type canner so I bought an inexpensive plug in two burner set up (It cost $15). I actually like it better! I can have the canner going full steam on one counter, me prepping the next batch to cook on the other counter and the jam/sauce cooking on the stove. I can get twice as much done in the same time. I love it! Plus in the summer I will be taking that plug in unit along with our camping stove outside onto the porch and escaping the heat indoors. :))

I didn't have a manual either I just looked on the stove and looked it up on line.;)

Worth

I have a GE flat top glass stove and my granite water bath canner works fine.

[QUOTE=brownrexx;538552]I have a GE flat top glass stove and my granite water bath canner works fine.[/QUOTE]

Strange my big one wont do it, it takes forever and have a GE.

Worth

I have a Sears something-or-other. But it has a crack in it due to my son dropping a heavy pot on it. Does that eliminate it from the canning?

[QUOTE=Worth1;538422]By the way if you just buy the old school granite water bath canner kettle the glass top will not get hot enough to boil water.
I have to use my tri clad stainless to do it.

Worth[/QUOTE]

Actually, my water bath canner (standard dark blue with white speckles enameled metal from Walmart) does boil water easily on our Fridgidaire glass top. I use it to sterilize jars and lids. It's all about the contact between the stove and the canner. It also helps to keep the lid on.

We use the same thing on our glass top stove with no trouble.

[QUOTE=Worth1;538558]Strange my big one wont do it, it takes forever and have a GE.

Worth[/QUOTE]

I start with hot water from the faucet to speed things up but it does boil fine.

Actually I don't need to use the big canner all that often. I mostly use a smaller stockpot with a rack in the bottom because I am canning smaller jars of jam, jelly or jelly jars of sauerkraut.

I freeze quart jars of tomatoes these days.

[QUOTE=brownrexx;538825]I start with hot water from the faucet to speed things up but it does boil fine.

Actually I don't need to use the big canner all that often. I mostly use a smaller stockpot with a rack in the bottom because I am canning smaller jars of jam, jelly or jelly jars of sauerkraut.

I freeze quart jars of tomatoes these days.[/QUOTE]


I use my huge 22 quart or 16 quart stainless kettles with the thick bottoms.

Worth

My 30 quart cast aluminum All American canner weighs over 50 lbs when fully loaded with 14 quarts. This is just too much for the glass top electric cooktop that came with my new bride, so we bought a new stainless steel five burner propane cooktop and had a propane line extended into the kitchen. Been canning for over 40 years and am not about to give up my AA canner. Yes I know there are other much cheaper options but we wanted a gas cooktop for general cooking anyhow. :D

TomNJVA

Good for you, Tom. We are building a home and electricity is the only utility available. I hate my electric range and won't pc can on it. Too hard to control the heat (takes forever to bring a boil back down to a simmer). I insisted that we put in propane for the range so I can use gas. I expected a lot of pushback but hubby agreed fairly readily. So happy and can't wait!

Canning is great! I hope you overcome your fear and try it!

@Backyardfarm, question, what brand and where did you buy that standalone burner? [QUOTE] I have the granite type canner so I bought an inexpensive plug in two burner set up (It cost $15). I actually like it better![/QUOTE]As said the presto works on glass. However, the glass needs to be kept very clean. When I first got a 23 qt presto a few years back it would not boil water on our glass top. It came close to a boil but then the stove would overheat and only cycle on for about 3 sec out of 10, on high. Upon removal, there were big hot spots on the burner. Same on another burner. I spoke to presto about it, sent it back, and they evaluated it; they claimed the bottom was within spec. When I got it back it worked fine... The only difference on my end was keeping the burner very clean with barkeeper's friend. I'm not sure if they swapped me another pot, or not. I just know the process was disheartening and a pain in the butt.

I would sure love to have a gas range, but we're stuck with electric at this point.

The government sites do more to scare people about canning then they do good.
There are better ways to get a point across than to scare the devil out of people.

If you are worried about botulism then just put 1/2 teaspoon if citric acid in each quart of tomatoes and be done with it.
You dont need to do this with a set of gram scales magnifying glass and an eye dropper.
The ball powdered critic acid is strong stuff.
Also if the instructions say to process for a certain amount of time dont add more time.
They have already added more time all you will be doing is ruing your produce.
The acid will not let the bacteria grow.
The object behind the processing is to get the jar to seal in water bath canning.
The object behind pressure cooking is to get the temps up to 240 degrees F for the required amount of time to make sure all of the food in the jar has gotten to this temperature for the required amount of time to kill botulism causing bacteria.

Water boils at a lower temperature at higher elevations so you have to take this into account.
The pressure has to be higher to get to that given 240 degrees.
The pressure gauge if it has the temps on it too are set at sea level.
I really do think they need to put real temperature gauges on pressure canners.


And by all means take the rings off once they have cooled.

Worth