Matilda
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Post by Matilda on Jan 15, 2015 7:38:27 GMT 10
I came across this video today as I was searching for info on canning.
Do you use either (Mason) Ball or Kerr seals on your canning jars? If this is case, you will need to watch this video because it will affect your food storage if you are using the new ones. If this has been rectified (since October 2014), please get this information onto the board as well. The video is self explanatory. Please send this video onto family and friends if you know they are canners.
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Post by StepfordRenegade on Jan 15, 2015 9:32:15 GMT 10
For those of you that want to know what it is without sitting through 11 mins, basically the instructions on the new lids say they'll only last for 12 months, also, they say not to boil the centre flat part of the lids - just keep them on a low simmer and use them straight from the simmer (apparently the gasket part is thinner). Here's the response from Jarden Home Brands (owns Ball & Kerr): www.freshpreserving.com/lids-101 or you could watch this (30min) video: ball.yourbrandlive.com/c/lids/ |
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VegHead
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Post by VegHead on Jan 16, 2015 6:01:01 GMT 10
Hi guys, just a quick post. Here's a link to an Aussie supplier of the Tattler lids: www.redbacktrading.com.au/index1.htmlAnd, I'll post a pic later in the day of the back of my Ball Mason jar cardboard box as the writing and instructions are different to that shown in the video above done by BexarPrepper. I haven't had time to research the Tattler lids much but on first indication it appears that the Tattler rings are reusable. If that's the case that's another plus for them! Stayed tuned for more updates. The Veg. |
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VegHead
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Post by VegHead on Jan 16, 2015 8:48:24 GMT 10
Here's the pic of the underside of my packaging.  |
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Aug 15, 2015 3:46:49 GMT 10
Tattler are specifically sold 'because' they're reusable, and they're about 3 times the cost. They also haven't been tested by the USDA, which is kind of weird since they're been around for 30 years or so. Redback don't seem to be trading, phone calls and emails have yielded no response. However, Aussie mason jars - www.aussimasonpreservingjars.com.au/ told me last time I was there that they will have them in stock in about a month, give em a buzz for updates and they post out. The response to 'tattler' by ball might be accurate or just to keep market share. Ball lids have been BPA free since 2013 and the sealant otherwise has been the same material since 1969. Aka the seal would be the same as it was back then. ------------- Some things from the video before I discarded her info; Evidence? She's not even explained how that's true, so I can't possibly know where she got that from or has been told so by a third party. Should could be right, though I'm not going to just take her opion on face value, people get things wrong all of the time and she's sensationalizing her video as it is. Alexander Kerr invented the easy-to-fill widemouth canning jar in 1903 (an innovation that the Ball brothers quickly duplicated). Later, in 1915, Kerr developed the idea of a metal lid with a permanently attached gasket that a man named Julius Landsberger had invented. Kerr came up with a metal disk with a similar gasket, held in place by a threaded metal ring. The modern 2-piece canning lid was born. - foodpreservation.about.com/od/Canning/a/From-Napoleon-To-Mason-Jars-The-Brief-History-Of-Canning-Food.htmThe lid for pressure canning 'was' invented in 1915. And was popular pre and post WW2 before falling out of favor and coming back into favor in the 70s with more concerns on what we eat. So, she could be very old or she's not a reliable source of information. ------------ That image says 'Store sealed jars for up to a year in the pantry'. That doesn't mean that the seal will fail because of age. People have had lids lying around for a very long time before using them without issue. Food will eventually degrade [not be dangerous, unless air and bacteria get in, aka the seals have to be broken] just as it does in 'any' canned food. Canned food is supposed to last about a year [covering their backs and making you buy more] though we know as preppers that the reality is far far longer, particularly acid based foods. 'Canning' is no different than tinned food in terms of processing. In reading forums people have been reusing ball lids for ages and people usually get 4-5 uses out of them before they're bent or the sealant isn't any good anymore. I asked about that Aussie mason jars 'somewhere' and they mentioned that plenty of people reuse them and it's more about covering themselves in case the seal fails than anything. I'm personally reusing as 'any' leak will be evidential as the lid will no longer have it's vacuum seal and I will throw them out. I've got plenty of other food in storage anyhow. Any suggestions of micro leaks and somehow not making the seal fail is rubbish, as even a tiny leak over time will quickly pop the seal. I'm still new to this and the likelyhood of my food being stored past a year is slim as we eat it as we go along, though I'm not concerned as reason dictates sealed is sealed and if it's been processed at the right temp and right pressure, it will be sterile like the moon surface. I've also learned my lesson about not going too tight [has to be finger tight!] with failed sealing. I simply reprocessed them, no issues. |
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peter1942
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Post by peter1942 on Aug 15, 2015 13:24:46 GMT 10
We have used both the Mason and Fowlers jars in the past but a number of years ago we changed over to the types of jars and bottles that are used by the commercial companies that supply the supermarkets with jams, fruit juice and the likes.
We purchase new twist top seals from from a commercial supplier at about $0.12 cents each.
The jars we use range in sizes and shapes depending on what we are preserving at the time and we have found that they are more suitable to our needs than both the Mason and Fowlers and they are cheaper because we get most of what we need via a recycling plant at about $0.10 cents each.
We reuse the lids several times and to date we have had no failures over the past six or seven years.
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Post by clearview on Aug 25, 2016 21:18:52 GMT 10
peter1942 Are you literally talking about screw cap jars such as is used for tomato paste mixes like Bertoli (Australia)? Do you use these in a pressure canner?
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peter1942
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Post by peter1942 on Aug 26, 2016 22:19:08 GMT 10
clearview, the lids we use are the twist tops such as the ones on the jams, juices and other such items at the supermarket. We use a variety of glass jars and bottles. We never reuse the original lids but purchase new ones via an Australian suppler and then we reuse these a number of times.
The only things we use the jars/bottles for are jams, sauces, pickles, fruits and juices and the only vegetable we preserve now days are beetroot.
Our days of preserving vegetables are over as we find that it is not only a chore but we are able to eat them in season from our garden. In saying that we still use the freezer for asparagus and green beans if we get an over supply of them as they are easy to blanch before freezing. In the past we found that preserved vegetables have a far higher rate of failure than fruit and fruit based products such as jams and juices.
A pressure canner is something that we have never owned as we have never felt the need to have one. All our preserving is mainly fruit based the products we make are put into the jars/bottles, while just off the boil, which have been steralised to 120 degrees in the gas oven for 20 minutes. The lids are steralised in boiling water and the jars/bottles are capped as soon as possible after they are filled.
I have spoken to people who have a mania for bottling/canning items that to us seem to be readily available and it just seems to be a waste of effort and resources to do so. Meat is another item we tend not to store a lot of these days as we have cut back on the larger animals we keep. Our poultry, ducks and chooks usually make at least one main meal for us as well as cold meat the following day and the geese around the end of the year are good for when the family visits as one of them will feed a small gathering.
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shinester
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China's white trash
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Post by shinester on Aug 27, 2016 2:19:43 GMT 10
Seems like good planning saves work there peter.
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peter1942
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Post by peter1942 on Aug 27, 2016 21:41:42 GMT 10
I just thought that I would add a comment to my earlier post and mention a piece of equipment we do use a lot during the harvest season.
We use a Mehu-liisa steam extractor juicer (http://www.muurikka.co.uk/Mehuliisa.html) and it is one of the best purchases we have ever made in relation to making juices. With the Mehu-liisa there is no pulp in the finished product and normally we are able to bottle the juices as soon as the batch of fruit is ready.
There is also a recipe book that you can download from the net.
The only fruits that you cannot use are citrus but as they are virtually in season for most of the year that is not an issue.
We use the juicer for grapes, rhubarb, pears, apples, plums, quince etc. With the quince after it has been juiced the pulp is still able to be used in pies, tarts etc. Just a hint do not bother to juice strawberries as the juice by itself is very bitter. We have stored juices for in excess of 18 months and they have still been a good as the day they were bottled.
The only problem is that we do not believe that there is an Australian distributor. If you are wanting to purchase one of these types of juicers make sure it is the genuine item as there are a lot of cheap and nasties out there. Under no circumstance purchase one made from anything other than stainless steel..
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shinester
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Post by shinester on Aug 29, 2016 12:13:08 GMT 10
Hmm.. now that's an interesting concept, here's me thinking juicing is done via squeezing till now.
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