New here, Canning help please

[fishermanwife]

Im new round here okie momma of 4, trying to do things a little simpler while saving money and preparing for the weather and another layoff should it ever happen just to be a couple of reasons. Anyways I canned dill pickles from the recipe that my mom used for years but went to eat them tonight about a month of letting them sit and the lid was not pushable in the middle like it sealed but was able to pop lid off with my thumb and the pickles where funny looking and mushy, any ides of what i did wrong and am I able to use the jars and rings again? Thanks for your help.

Edited August 11, 2012 by fishermanwife

[Andrea]

Home canned pickles are generally mushier than commercially canned ones but if this is a recipe that you've used for years and the pickes didn't turn out like they normally do, please toss them immediately. Maybe your headspace wasn't just right? Maybe you didn't get enough of the air bubbles out? Maybe you forgot to clean the rim of the jar with vinegar before you put the lid and ring on? Maybe you did everything right and it was just one of those things! Sometimes things happen. Violet will be able to give you more answers.

 

As for using the jar and lid again, of course you can! Just sterilize them and start over.

 

Welcome to the forum! We're glad you've joined us!

[Andrea]

Oh, one more thing - check your vinegar! I was looking a gallon size jugs of vinegar and the cheaper store brand was only at 4% acidity! I'm so glad I looked at the fine print. Make sure that you only use vinegar that is at 5% acidity. Up until I saw that in the store, I had assumed that all vinegar was 5%!

[fishermanwife]

thanks andrea very glad to be here, I checked my vinegar bc I didnt know that but it was 5%, the recipe I could of swore said to wipe dry the lid, ring and jar dry of course I cant find the recipe right this moment when I want it lol, but I bet it could also be the headspace I kept telling my self it didnt look right, thanks, guess ill try again next year

[Jeepers]

Hi Fishermanwife

 

 

Stuff just happens sometimes. Was it your entire batch or just one jar? If you could pop the lid off with your thumb, then it wasn't really sealed. If you feel anything is 'off' then please don't chance eating them. "If in doubt...throw it out!" It sounds like you just had a jar that didn't seal and you didn't notice it. After mine cool down I lift them by the lid for a few seconds to make sure the lid doesn't pop off.

 

You can use the jar again after it's well washed. The same with the ring. I wouldn't use the lid again though since it already went through the canning process once.

 

Welcome and glad you joined in!

[Jori]

Welcome fishermanwife!

 

 

You can use the jar and ring but would toss the lid as it's been used.

 

 

@ Andrea~ Good advice on checking the acidity of the vinegar. Never would have given it any thought.

[Violet]

You are probably using an unsafe recipe to start with. If it is old, it was most likely made to use vinegar that was at least 7% acidity. Nowdays you must use 5 % acidity vinegar, no 4 % acidity, and you need at LEAST half vinegar to water ratio for pickles for the brine. Some veggies need full vinegar, not diluted.

 

Then, ALL pickles need processing, too. Not just heating and putting a lid on them. They need to be done in a boiling water bath canner.

 

Your pickles could have botulism, since you used an old recipe. Take all of that and put in a big trash bag, tie shut and toss. Jars and all. Do NOT open them up or you may contaminate yourself with potential botulism. Yes, toss the jars and all. Please, do not instruct people to try to save the jars when there is potential botulism !

 

Jars should not be stored with the rings on. They rust on, plus food can be underneath and mold, etc. The only reason you need a ring is to hold the flat lid on during processing. If they are sealed, then they are sealed and won't come off unless, as in this case, their is spoilage and it breaks the seal.

 

You wash all jars of food in warm soapy water, along with the rings off the jars. Dry them, label the jars, and store. Store the rings in a container or something where they will be able to be used year after year.

 

Safe recipe that is good for pickles. I use this one :KosherDill (Heinz Recipe)

 

4 lbs pickling cukes

14 cloves garlic, peeled & split

1/4 cup pickling salt

2 3/4 cups distilled or apple cidervinegar 5% acidity

2 3/4 cups water

12 to 14 sprigs fresh dill weed (or 2 T. dried dill weed or dried dill seed perjar)

28 peppercorns

 

Wash cucumbers; remove 1/16 inch from blossom end, cut in half lengthwise.Combine garlic and next 3 ingredients; heat to boiling. Remove garlic and place4 halves into each clean jar, then pack cucumbers, adding 2 sprigs of dill and4 peppercorns. Pour hot vinegar solution over cucumbers to within 1/2 inch oftop. Immediately adjust covers as jar manufacturer directs. Process 10 minutesin BWB. Makes 6-7 pints.

 

Ifyou want hot pickles, add dried hot chilis to each jar.

 

 

[Violet]

Also, homecanned dill pickles are not softer than store ones. Not unless you used cukes that were not freshly picked or you have hard water. You can add Pickle Crisp to the brine, too, and that will keep them crisp. It is calcium chloride, what the commercial industry uses. You can buy in stores with canning supplies from Ball, called Pickle Crisp for home food preserving.

[fishermanwife]

thanks Violet I already emptied 2 jars last night after seeing if they were bad and washed the jars with my other dishes so what do I look for to make sure we dont get sick from botulism ? thanks

 

 

also is there a website with new canning recipes or a site to order new books bc all mine are old, thanks

Edited August 11, 2012 by fishermanwife

[out_of_the_ordinary]

Check out this site: http://nchfp.uga.edu/index.html there's a ton of safe canning info and recipes.

There's a really good book available there, So Easy To Preserve. It's $18 with shipping. I have this one and we also like their section on dehydrating.

 

The newest Ball canning book The Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving is widely available. I think the newest one out is the 100th Anniversary editon. It has peaches and a desert using peaches on the cover. Check the internet, walmart, lowes, kmart. It's 120-some pages and should be around $7.

 

Ball also has a thicker book Ball Complete Guide To Home Preserving. I bought mine at Tractor Supply Store. I've seen it at bookstores and on the internet, too.

 

I hope this helps! And welcome to Mrs. S!

[fishermanwife]

Great thanks you guys are so helpful!