*bouncebounce* It worked! (I think...)

[mishbloom]

After months and months (and years and years)....

 

...with my four sons daring me to back out....

 

...I finally put the pressure canner on the stove, loaded it with five pints of green beans and two pints of okra, and PRESSURE CANNED!!! WHOOOOOOOO!!! *dances madly around the room*

 

I did everything by the book (all three of them actually--they were laid out in a row on the counter to make sure I didn't forget anything...HEE)....but....

 

....after I vented the steam and plopped my gauge on top....

 

....it didn't wiggle.

 

At all.

Not a bit.

I checked to make sure it wasn't stuck or anything, and it moved just fine. But it didn't move a millimeter when I left it go.

My pot whistled like a teapot with venting steam around the gauge.

Everything else did EXACTLY what it was supposed to.

But my pressure gauge didn't wiggle like the books said it would.

 

The cans came out sealed and pretty. (YAY! *dance of joy*)

But I am really very terrified that someone's going to tell me that they probably didn't can right.

 

So.

Darlene?

Anyone?

Do I need to toss my pretty jars?

And what did I do wrong?

[ScrubbieLady]

It is the pressure regulator (weight) that is supposed to rock. My canner has a gauge and a weight.

 

Check the instruction book that came with your canner. My canner came with a 15# pressure regulator(weight) and it won't rock at 11# like I use to put up green beans. Drat! It would make it a little easier.

[mishbloom]

Well I only used the 10# weight, 'cause I'm WAY below the 1000 ft limit. So...it didn't rock...but it's okay??

[mishbloom]

I just Googled this issue--could I have had TOO MUCH pressure on the weight? I had the stove on Med High heat the whole time. Was I supposed to keep the water boiling hard? Did I just can my green beans at 15# of pressure--cause that weight didn't BUDGE! Was it in shock?? According to what I just found, the rocking stops when the pressure is too high. True?? And WHY don't the books cover THIS??? I've blown up a microwave, people! I need ALL the instructions! *goes off to cry quietly*

[etp777]

haha, yeah, it won't rock, but continually vent if pressure is too high. Or so it seemed when I used mine.

[Violet]

I have never seen one not rock. If you have a Mirro, maybe that is why. I only use a Presto with the three piece weight set on mine instead of the counterweight that came with it.

So, I honestly don't know if they are truly processed correctly or not.

I can't really see it not rocking since a weight is self venting on a weighted gauge canner. Mine just rocks faster when the heat it up.

 

[brendajo]

My presto never rocked I just watched the guage and tried to keep it at 10 lb. pressure.Now I have the three piece weights on mine and I never bother with the guage anymore.The three piece weights rocks the whole time so as long as I can hear it rocking I know it is working.If you have a presto I highly recommend the three piece weights.

[mishbloom]

Well, I've got the three piece weight, and I tried it this morning with just water. At 10# it flinched once or twice. At 15# it wobbled...but not much. I vented that thing for the full 10 minutes before I put the weights on, and it just wouldn't 'rock.'

[etp777]

Mishbloom, have you had your gague tested? May say 15 but really be 11.

[Violet]

Mishbloom,

Please tell me the brand of canner you have, the model number and also what kind of weight set you have. Perhaps we can figure this out for you.

Is it a Presto and you got the Presto weight set ?

You aren't trying to put a Mirro gauge set on a Presto or anything like that are you ? I have to ask, so I can help figure this out for you. I really want to fix it for you, if I can.

 

[mishbloom]

It's an older pressure canner--Presto model--that I got at a yard sale. (Had never been out of the box, for $5. That was my yard sale bargain to top them all!! LOL) When I finally got the courage to open it up (don't laugh!), I realized that it had been packaged wrong and had to order a new gauge for it. So the 3-piece weight set that I'm using is brandnew. Ordered from Presto, so I hope they didn't send me a Mirro! *eyeroll*

 

Believe me, I double and triple-checked it when I realized what had happened. I got the part I needed and I have everything the canner requires. We went over that thing with a fine-toothed comb to make sure the gaskets and everything were good, and then again the day before I tried it out.

 

I'm really thinking that either I'm over-pressurizing it OR I'm missing something really basic that someone who knows would pick up on. Like, I've read that it might only wobble once or twice a minute...which it did (sorta) in my re-trial run yesterday. It wobbled more when I tried the 15# weight--but like ScrubbieLady said--at the lower pressure it just doesn't seem to feel the need to move.

 

I REALLY want to use this dumb thing--'cause I hate to cook and the convenience of canning up some meals ahead of time appeals to me. But I don't want to blow up my house either!

 

If worst comes to worst, is it really bad if I'd can everything with the 15# weight at the lower elevation? I'd much rather have the stuff overdone than underdone--but I'm sure more isn't always better.

 

Thanks!

[ScrubbieLady]

Have friends that have a Presto Elite. They didn't like using it because the weight would not move. Then he dropped the weight and discovered that it came apart. He took part of it off and the weight just bobbles along at 10# of pressure. I may try the 3 piece weight. Mine has the original weight but it doesn't look like any I have seen on other peoples' and it doesn't look like the one that Presto sells for my canner.

[Violet]

Ok, Mishbloom,

I think the problem is that you have an old model and the three piece weight set doesn't properly fit the vent pipe. This is my guess now. That would explain why it won't rock.

You may have to get the counterweight and only use it as a dial gauge canner. Meaning you will have to get the gauge tested before you use it every year. You don't rely on the counterweight for pressure, it is only meant to allow pressure to build up in the canner.

You need to find the model number on your canner, then check online to see what counterweight will fit.

There is one site that shows which models need what weight.

Here is a link to the chart:

http://www.pressurecooker-outlet.com/prestoregulators.htm

 

[Violet]

Scrubbie,

It won't fit all models. Check the post to Mishbloom and check out the chart to see what model you have.

 

[mishbloom]

I looked it up online before I bought it, and the piece I have is the one that was FOR the model that I have. I can't use a dial gauge with mine--it isn't set up for one.

[ScrubbieLady]

Violet, I have already checked out my model(model number is stamped on the bottom of the canner) and looked at the Presto website to see what weight they sell for my canner. But, I have to go back and make sure it is a 3 piece. Are the prices better at this outlet place than the Presto outlet? My weight was either $7.00 or $9.00 at the Presto website plus $2.00 s/h

[Violet]

Mishbloom, I was not aware that any Presto was a weighted gauge only canner, not until they recently came out with one that is only sold at Walmart. It is a 16 quart sized.

So, I would need to see a picture of one online someplace, along with the model number just for my own curiosity.

 

Scrubbie, I know some of the older canners had a different kind of weigh system. There were several kinds back years ago.

It can be hard to picture things sometimes online without actually being able to see things in person. The only Presto 3 piece weight set I am aware of is part number 50332.

It has a taller, round center post, then the 2 additional rings on it.

I believe there is a picture on the site I sent the link to.

I paid $10 for my weight set here in town. I am not sure who has the cheapest price online for it. Normally I use RedHill for my parts.

A Mirro should jiggle several times a minute. A Presto needs to jiggle the whole time.

I am not sure about the All American brand, I forget.

 

 

[mishbloom]

You know what, Violet--I think I'm just gonna figure this one out on my own. But thank you for the input. I'll just play with it till I figure out what the problem is.

[mishbloom]

WHOOT!!!

 

Wouldn't you know it, I printed Step-By-Step instructions offline, and VOILA! There was JIGGLING in my kitchen!

 

*dance of joy*

 

See, I'm one of those people who needs step-by-step Moron Instructions. And it was the little thing (how to pressurize the dumb thing) that was the issue.

 

*scratches head*

So how come there's nothing in my kitchen that needs canning?????

[Crazy4Canning]

So now after all this to-do, do tell what the problem was....now that you figured it out.

 

We all learn so much from each other you must share. DO share, come on, please, please, Puh-leeeze!

 

[michelle]

yeah please share. I've yet to use my brand new presto canner I bought last year. Hope to try it out soon and I'll be needing a copy of those step by step moron instructions

[mishbloom]

Please keep in mind that I've got no one here to help out when things go wrong, so I gotta figure this all out on my lonesome if things don't go as planned.

 

I did everything BY THE BOOK (all three, four of them)--except that in the step that says to pressurize the canner...well it doesn't mention that:

a) you don't turn the heat down yet

you need to let it up at high till the weight starts to jiggle

c) this may take up to 10 minutes

 

Simple? Yes. But critical! I figured that once I plopped the weight on there, I could turn the heat down and the weight would start to jiggle as it cooked. What did I know???

 

Well what I didn't know makes the difference between botulism and no botulism. *EEK*

 

This is the website I used, and it made so much more sense to me. http://www.fcs.uga.edu/pubs/current/FDNS-E-37-3.html

 

I think this means I have no more excuses to get that butternut squash out of my laundry room. Except that I'm tired. Does that count?

[mom11]

I can think of lots of excuses not to do butternut squash, although I have two bushels of them waiting for me....The things are next to impossible to cut in half, a pain to peel, and hard as rocks, when it comes to cutting them into those 1 inch cubes...

 

Now this is how I survive butternut squash....Instead of standing in the kitchen for DAYS, trying to get into the things...Send them out to your husband or in my case, 17 year old son...Tell him to whip the things into twos, on the table saw. Then throw down on the floor, a cheap, plastic party table cloth or old towels. Put these near the TV...Pop in a movie and peel and slice there...SO much less boring....Drop your artwork into a big container, with some anti-browning stuff, then either can them, as you get a canner load or throw them into the fridge to can later....You will know you have enough butternut squash, when the joints in your fingers are swollen, red, and hot...AND I am not kidding about that...I hate doing these things and they are my chicks very favorite veggie...Of course!

 

[JCK88]

Aw...mom11 I hear ya. I always can butternut squash, too. However, I can only a couple dozen and root cellar the rest of the squash. We eat the root-cellared ones first and then the canned ones. These squashes can store well. (I also peel and cut while watching a movie...but I'm in luck. My big old oak table is in sight of the TV. A small house with open living room/dining room which forms an ell with the kitchen works great for this.)

 

I love your creative solution to cutting squash in half!!

[Canned Nerd]

This is the site that has some good basics for pressure canning:

 

http://missvickie.com/canning/canning-frame.html