marylp Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I was so looking forward to this, after all the excitemen, and expense of buying everything, I was ready to do my first canning project. I didnt want to start with simple stuff like jellies because we dont eat them. I figured beans would be easy enough. My first disappointment was after the canner was loaded and sitting on the stove, I remembered that I didnt remove the air bubbles before putting the lid on the jars, was I supposed to open the canner, remove the hot jars and open them up again? The second thing was that the canner was on the stove what seemed like forever (glass top) and I waited to see the stream of steam that was sipposed to come up, I was to wait 10 min then place the weight on the little pipe thing. I waited and waited, I never saw the steam as shown on the manual, It wasnt unitll I finally waved my hand over the pipe that I felt it. The dissapoinmet kept mounting, I dont know how long it was steaming, did the 10 min pass already?Should have abandoned the project at this point? I went ahead and put the weight on the pipe and waited forever again and the stupid thing never rocked or jiggled! What the heck! What a miserable, dissapointing expericence this was. What am I supposed to do with all this stuff? I would get what I paid for if I try to sell it.Maybe the worst part for me was being alone, my internet is down at home, (I am at the library) It was just me and my new miserable- ball -blue -no- help -at- all-- because- it doest -talk- back- book!Nobody I know cans at all, they just go to the store.I felt alone and isolated. Dont know If I want to try this again, the stupid beans will go into the freezer the jars, canner and other stuff will be banished to the garage. Sorry just wanted to vent, I hate canning! Mary PS the canner is a 16 qt presto with a flat bottom that said was suitable for smooth top stove, the jars and lids were Ball. I dont know what went wrong with me, but for all other first time canners. I hope you have better luck. Link to comment
cowgirl8 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 OMG, i had to pinch myself to make sure i didnt go ahead in time and write this. When you said beans i realized it wasnt me. I'm preparing my brand new presto canner to use for the first time in just minutes to can some roast. Please dont give up, hang in there along with us other newbys....i'm sure most on here have made mistakes at one point in time....... Link to comment
Crazy4Canning Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Oh Sweetie, I'm so sorry you had such troubles! Are you *sure* your stove manufacturer said your glass top was okay for canning? A lot of them can't be used for canning because they cycle on and off and can't maintain a constant temperature for a pressure canner. Was your canner extending over your burner by more than 1"? If it was, that also, could be why you didn't have great success. Glass tops have sensors don't like it when a pot is extending beyond 1". Regarding the air bubbles, YES. You MUST remove them, it's a safety issue. I've forgotten too. I've stopped the canner, dropped the pressure, removed the jars, tossed that batch of lids, even to the point of re-loading the food in new jars - starting completely over - because if I 'forgot' one thing, what else could I have forgotten? If you let air remain trapped in your food it can lead to botulism, even with pressure canning. Just out of curiosity, what recipe were you using for beans? I also find it quite handy to have a timer near by. If it helps, I'll list the process for pressure canning. Maybe you can find where you left out a step: 1. Add water to pressure canner and pre-heat. 2. Fill jars with food, release bubbles, wipe rims, add lids & rings 3. Place jars in canner, secure lid. 4. Turn canner up to high to drive steam out of canner and create a pressure environment. 5. Once steam starts pouring out of the petcock in a steady stream, time for 10 minutes, THEN place on your weight. When the weight starts to rock (or when you come up to pressure on a gauge), start timing your food item. (This 10 minutes of 'venting' really helps to create a good pressure seal in your canner) 6. Turn down heat to maintain a regular 'rocking' motion with the weight or constant pressure in the gauge. 7. After the time expires, turn off the heat and let the pressure canner release pressure gradually. DO NOT help it in any way. 8. After the pressure has dropped completely (or the 'lock' in the lid has fallen down) let the canner rest another 10 minutes without disturbing the lid. 9. THEN crack the lid and remove your jars onto towels. About your food this time - you might still be able to reprocess it. Do share the recipe and we can walk you through it. I hope this helps in some small way... Link to comment
Christy Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Oh Mary, what a bad first experience. Don't give up please cause canning is something to be learned by doing. Could be a nr of things gone wrong. Was the glassplate hot enough? Was the ventpipe completely clean, no dust gathered there or something? I've been waterbathcanning for years and years now. First time I did pressure canner I was cowering behind the kitchendoor and online with this place the entire time. How about starting with something really simple like... water canning? Just to see how it goes, can water to get a feell for the procedure? Then perhaps some jellies, just to give away as presents? Take a nice cuppa tea or cofee, have a cookie (or 9) and try again tomorrow. Wish there was someone in your area who knows canning and could guide you through the process. Link to comment
Suzie Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Oh Mary! Don't give up! Looking at the food that you've preserved is one of the most wonderful comforting feelings! It is well worth the trouble you will go through to get there. I can still remember hearing the jars pinging all day long when I was a kid and that ping still is one of the most beautiful musical notes I have ever heard! I don't have a pressure canner yet, so I can't answer your questions. Link to comment
Stephanie Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 (((Mary))) You were so brave to try this alone!! My first time (less than a year ago) I had a whole slew of people here on MrsS at my beck and call plus my husband at my elbow as I was so terrified that I would leave something out. I'm sorry that this was your very FIRST experience, that makes it so tough. Bless your heart! Like so many others have and will say, DON"T GIVE UP! C4C has given you some very clear and concise instructions. Beans truly are easy. No proessing and etc... I'm sorry you don't have a support system close at hand, but you can do this. I promise! It's kind of like riding a bike, you may fall down and scrape your knee, but that didn't stop us did it? Hop back up on that bike and try again! Before you know it, you'll be encouraging newbies and telling them they can do it! Link to comment
Homemaker Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Wow, I didn't know leaving the air bubbles could make a difference. I thought it was so you could get more food in the jar instead of wasting space on just air. I haven't really been faithful at getting them out. I lucked out with my flat top stove. It came with the house and I never had a manual for it. I didn't even know it might not work for canning until I read about it here. I had already been using it with no problem in my presto canner. Marylp, Don't give up on the canning. Just give yourself some time to cool off and do some more research. If you can figure out what you did wrong, try it again. Link to comment
JCK88 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Dear Mary!! Don't give up yet. My first canning experience was just like yours! Only, I was doing spaghetti sauce with meat. The weight never jiggled and I waited, stupidly, for hours, LOL Seriously. When the thing finally cooled down, I found that the jars were all boiling furiously and that very little water was left in the canner. I dalled up the Mirro people and they said that my jars were probably okay but if I was worried, to un-can it, and do it over. Well, I did that...and THEN the SAME thing happened.....and I tossed out the whole thing because the sauce tasted burnt by that point. I wasn't using a glass top stove, but the Mirro canning people told me that if I left the heat on high or medium high, that often it is so hot that the weight doesn't jiggle!! I have learned since that you to have the heat on medium, and yes it takes longer, but then you get the jiggle. I used to can on an electric stove and now I use gas. I like using the gas stove best because you can regulate the heat better. Anyway, your beans would be fine if you uncanned them right away and used them or froze them. I hope you can figure this out and try again. HUGS! (from one horror-story canner to another) Link to comment
Cat Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 No internet at home... do you have a phone? *Tell me* next time... I can call you for no cost if you can't call me. Or call you back after a quick call to tell me you need help or info. You CAN be in touch with someone! I suspect the stove top, too, but of course I don't know for sure. Not all of us just step right up and everything goes together well and everything's done perfectly! Sheesh... doesn't everyone goof sometimes? **raises hand** But we learn from it and keep going. At least it was beans and not expensive meat. Don't give up... you can be angry, tired, frustrated, and sad, but you've got us behind you and we'll help you troubleshoot and *conquer that canner*! Link to comment
kathy003 Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I'm so sorry you first time canning experience went so badly! The experts on this site already answered you, so I can't help there, just wanted to say how sorry i was. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn't had the shout box available the first time i used that canner, and my husband. I was sure the canner was going to explode any second. If you decide to take the jump again, can you wait for your internet to be back up at home and be on this site (or the shout box) so you have support? I don't know of anyone who locally cans by me either, Mrs. S is all I have, and let me tell you, it's enough with all the terrific support that is here. Before you throw in the towel, give it a few days or a few weeks before you make your final decision. If your frustrated it's probobly not a great time to make a choice. kathy Link to comment
PoGo Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 (((((marylp))))) Please, don't give up. It's worth every penny and every minute to can your own food. My first time using the pressure canner, I was canning chicken soup. That dang canner sat on the stove going full blast on high for two and a half hours. It never reached the proper pressure. I complained to my husband, he didn't know what was wrong. I called my mom, who lives in another state, she didn't know what was wrong. She called her friends, they didn't know what was wrong. I was so frustrated. I opened the canner and it only had about 1/2 cup water left in it. When the jars cooled down I put them all in the 'fridge and redid the whole batch the next day. Fortunately, my canner was still operational. It worked perfectly! I still don't know for sure what went wrong, but I suspect that I didn't let the canner vent for the full 10 minutes, therefore, it couldn't reach the proper pressure. You may need to get an electric hot plate to can on if your glass stove top isn't suitable for canning. Don't give up, YOU CAN DO IT! Link to comment
Violet Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Sorry you had a miserable first experience with the canner. Try doing a trial run with it having just water in the bottom so you will get the feel of operating it and become more confident. Put in 2 to 3 inches and try running it like that. It could be your glass top stove. Crazy is correct, not all glass top stoves will accomodate pressure canning. I know Presto says you can use them, which is technically correct, as long as the stove itself will accomodate using it. You must be able to really see that steam come out, not just feel it. It will be really visible. Link to comment
K_L Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Hi Marylp I learned that the worst isn't really as bad as you think the first time I pressure canned I was about 12, my mother and I were canning some chicken. She had to run to the store for more flats. She left me to watch the canner and said she would be right back. I got bored and started to read a book. suddely I realized that the weight thing was making a lot of noise. I looked up and the pressure gage was way higher than it should be. I panicked thinking it would blow up the house. I took the weight off, thinking it would release some pressure. Well it sure released the pressure. When my mother got home she was horrified. We opened the pressure canner and found 7 sealed empty jars. the pressure has sucked oll of the chiken out of the jars somehow and blasted it onto the kitchen ceiling. I of course spent several hours scrubbing the ceiling, what a mess. But I love canning I guess I'm addicted. K_L Link to comment
Cricket Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I use my pressure canner on a ceramic cooktop and found that adding more water in the canner made a BIG difference. So instead of using the "line" in the canner, I make sure there is close to 3 inches of water in there BEFORE the jars go in. Hint: I use my index finger to measure. I have the rack in the canner and stick my finger trough one of the holes in the rack to touch the bottom. If the water level reaches the "web" of my finger, where it meets the hand, I'm good to go. Of course the water is not hot yet, LOL!!! I have fairly small hands. I also got the three piece weighted regulator so that I do not have to rely on the dial gauge. Now I have no problem maintaining steady pressure (on my stove turning it down to about four after it makes pressure tends to be just right). I can SEE that the pressure is steady on the dial, and I can HEAR the regulator, so I am doubly assured. Link to comment
Crazy4Canning Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Oh Cricket - good tip about the water! I actually do the same thing. The very first time I try any pressure canner I try it empty, then with a few jars of water. I just process the jars for 20 minutes at the pressure for my altitude. This helps me get used to that particular canner - which, by the way, I have a 'new' one of...a TALL vintage 21 qt Presto that is just begging to be used. He needs a new seal and a gauge test, but is in VERY fine condition for his age.) You can bet once I get it tested I'll be doing this very thing. Link to comment
Cat Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 For all of you wondering... marylp called me Sunday and we had a nice little chat. I didn't even act crazy or scare her or anything... I think... She's going to check into some equipment and let me know when she's ready. If you need some kind of "real-time" support, ask. Link to comment
Violet Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 Sure Cat, sure !! YOU not act CRAZY ??? LOL. Seriously, that was really nice of you to help her. Link to comment
marylp Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 Sure Cat, sure !! YOU not act CRAZY ??? LOL. Seriously, that was really nice of you to help her. Its True! We had a great chat! She was wonderful, I want to give it another try on my next days off from work. I am bent on canning beans! With Cat to help, I feel I can soon put a whole cow in a can! I cant wait to report back with a sucess! Hopefully Link to comment
Cat Posted June 9, 2009 Share Posted June 9, 2009 I feel I can soon put a whole cow in a can! RUN, BESSIE, RUN!!!! Link to comment
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