Canning / Preserving (Again)

[Brian Reay]

I'm still research Canning and Preserving and getting (more) confused.

It seems the 'American Way' is to use pressure canners, not just for
meat etc, to ensure the bugs and spores are killed.

While in the UK, we tend to just use boiling water, although it seems we
tend not to can/preserve meat etc so much.

(I appreciate the above may be a generalisation.)

I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.

Pressure canners, at least decent ones, seem either very expensive, or
rare as hens' teeth in the UK- I found on which seems more like a
pressure cooker (it doesn't have a pressure gauge- a key feature of a
canner as far as I can tell).

In real terms, what problems have people had with the boiling water
method when limiting their preserving to chutneys, pickles, relishes,
maybe marmalade, please?

Buying a pressure cooker which will work on our induction hob is an
option and adding a pressure gauge wouldn't be too difficult. I am
confident I could do so safely.

(I have a couple of pressure cookers but they aren't induction
compatible and I've looked at the construction etc.)

[Malcolm Loades]

Post by Brian Reay
In real terms, what problems have people had with the boiling water
method when limiting their preserving to chutneys, pickles, relishes,
maybe marmalade, please?

Never, ever had any problem!

Heat the jars in the oven to sterilise them. Add the
pickle/chutney/jam/marmalade as soon as it comes off the stove and the
jars are still hot. Immediately fit lid tightly. Once fully cooled
check that the lid is concave (wont 'pop').

If the lid doesn't indicate that a vacuum exists in the jar then the
contents wont keep, except in the fridge for a few days. Otherwise
they're good for many many months.

Malcolm

[Brian Reay]

Post by Malcolm Loades

Post by Brian Reay
In real terms, what problems have people had with the boiling water
method when limiting their preserving to chutneys, pickles, relishes,
maybe marmalade, please?

Never, ever had any problem!
Heat the jars in the oven to sterilise them.  Add the
pickle/chutney/jam/marmalade as soon as it comes off the stove and the
jars are still hot.  Immediately fit lid tightly.  Once fully cooled
check that the lid is concave (wont 'pop').
If the lid doesn't indicate that a vacuum exists in the jar then the
contents wont keep, except in the fridge for a few days.  Otherwise
they're good for many many months.
Malcolm

Thank you.

I confess to being a bit paranoid re hygiene.

[graham]

Post by Brian Reay
I'm still research Canning and Preserving and getting (more) confused.
It seems the 'American Way' is to use pressure canners, not just for
meat etc, to ensure the bugs and spores are killed.
While in the UK, we tend to just use boiling water, although it seems we
tend not to can/preserve meat etc so much.
(I appreciate the above may be a generalisation.)
I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.
Pressure canners, at least decent ones, seem either very expensive, or
rare as hens' teeth in the UK- I found on which seems more like a
pressure cooker (it doesn't have a pressure gauge- a key feature of a
canner as far as I can tell).
In real terms, what problems have people had with the boiling water
method when limiting their preserving to chutneys, pickles, relishes,
maybe marmalade, please?
Buying a pressure cooker which will work on our induction hob is an
option and adding a pressure gauge wouldn't be too difficult. I am
confident I could do so safely.
(I have a couple of pressure cookers but they aren't induction
compatible and I've looked at the construction etc.)

I live at ~3500' and don't use a pressure canner, those are only for
meat, fish and tomatoes at this altitude.

In fact, at harvest time, the supermarkets and hardware stores here all
carry conventional water baths. You just don't see pressure canners.

I always sterilise the jars in the oven at just over 100C and use them
hot. The lids and rings sit in boiling water.

When I bottle fruit, I use a boiling water bath to process the fruit
before a final tightening of the lid. I have never had a lid fail to
pop, indicating a vacuum.

When I make jam or marmalade, I pour the hot jam (which is well over
100C at setting point) into the hot jars and immediately screw on the
lids. Again, I have never had a failure.

N.American recipes always process jams after bottling, i.e., they put
the filled, piping hot jars into a boiling water bath for several
minutes. This is completely unnecessary IMO and can lead to turning the
jam into almost toffee. I experienced this when I mistakenly tried it
and also when I bought some jam at a farmers' market.
Remember, the high sugar content when bottling fruit and jams also
inhibits bacteria as does the vinegar in pickles.

Don't worry so much!
Graham

[graham]

Post by graham

Post by Brian Reay
I'm still research Canning and Preserving and getting (more) confused.
It seems the 'American Way' is to use pressure canners, not just for
meat etc, to ensure the bugs and spores are killed.
While in the UK, we tend to just use boiling water, although it seems
we tend not to can/preserve meat etc so much.
(I appreciate the above may be a generalisation.)
I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.
Pressure canners, at least decent ones, seem either very expensive, or
rare as hens' teeth in the UK- I found on which seems more like a
pressure cooker (it doesn't have a pressure gauge- a key feature of a
canner as far as I can tell).
In real terms, what problems have people had with the boiling water
method when limiting their preserving to chutneys, pickles, relishes,
maybe marmalade, please?
Buying a pressure cooker which will work on our induction hob is an
option and adding a pressure gauge wouldn't be too difficult. I am
confident I could do so safely.
(I have a couple of pressure cookers but they aren't induction
compatible and I've looked at the construction etc.)

I live at ~3500' and don't use a pressure canner, those are only for
meat, fish and tomatoes at this altitude.
In fact, at harvest time, the supermarkets and hardware stores here all
carry conventional water baths. You just don't see pressure canners.
I always sterilise the jars in the oven at just over 100C and use them
hot. The lids and rings sit in boiling water.
When I bottle fruit, I use a boiling water bath to process the fruit
before a final tightening of the lid. I have never had a lid fail to
pop, indicating a vacuum.
When I make jam or marmalade, I pour the hot jam (which is well over
100C at setting point) into the hot jars and immediately screw on the
lids. Again, I have never had a failure.
N.American recipes always process jams after bottling, i.e., they put
the filled, piping hot jars into a boiling water bath for several
minutes. This is completely unnecessary IMO and can lead to turning the
jam into almost toffee. I experienced this when I mistakenly tried it
and also when I bought some jam at a farmers' market.
Remember, the high sugar content when bottling fruit and jams also
inhibits bacteria as does the vinegar in pickles.
Don't worry so much!
Graham

Regarding "pop", of course I meant that the lids make that sound as the
vacuum pulls them down.

[Brian Reay]

Post by graham

Post by Brian Reay
I'm still research Canning and Preserving and getting (more) confused.
It seems the 'American Way' is to use pressure canners, not just for
meat etc, to ensure the bugs and spores are killed.
While in the UK, we tend to just use boiling water, although it seems
we tend not to can/preserve meat etc so much.
(I appreciate the above may be a generalisation.)
I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.
Pressure canners, at least decent ones, seem either very expensive, or
rare as hens' teeth in the UK- I found on which seems more like a
pressure cooker (it doesn't have a pressure gauge- a key feature of a
canner as far as I can tell).
In real terms, what problems have people had with the boiling water
method when limiting their preserving to chutneys, pickles, relishes,
maybe marmalade, please?
Buying a pressure cooker which will work on our induction hob is an
option and adding a pressure gauge wouldn't be too difficult. I am
confident I could do so safely.
(I have a couple of pressure cookers but they aren't induction
compatible and I've looked at the construction etc.)

I live at ~3500' and don't use a pressure canner, those are only for
meat, fish and tomatoes at this altitude.
In fact, at harvest time, the supermarkets and hardware stores here all
carry conventional water baths. You just don't see pressure canners.
I always sterilise the jars in the oven at just over 100C and use them
hot. The lids and rings sit in boiling water.
When I bottle fruit, I use a boiling water bath to process the fruit
before a final tightening of the lid. I have never had a lid fail to
pop, indicating a vacuum.
When I make jam or marmalade, I pour the hot jam (which is well over
100C at setting point) into the hot jars and immediately screw on the
lids. Again, I have never had a failure.
N.American recipes always process jams after bottling, i.e., they put
the filled, piping hot jars into a boiling water bath for several
minutes. This is completely unnecessary IMO and can lead to turning the
jam into almost toffee. I experienced this when I mistakenly tried it
and also when I bought some jam at a farmers' market.
Remember, the high sugar content when bottling fruit and jams also
inhibits bacteria as does the vinegar in pickles.
Don't worry so much!
Graham

Thank you.

There seems to be more of a 'canning culture' in the US, or at least it
has survived longer. The traditional WI jam maker in the UK doesn't seem
to be nearly as common as it was. (My wife was, briefly, a WI member.)

[graham]

Post by Brian Reay

Post by graham

Post by Brian Reay
I'm still research Canning and Preserving and getting (more) confused.
It seems the 'American Way' is to use pressure canners, not just for
meat etc, to ensure the bugs and spores are killed.
While in the UK, we tend to just use boiling water, although it seems
we tend not to can/preserve meat etc so much.
(I appreciate the above may be a generalisation.)
I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.
Pressure canners, at least decent ones, seem either very expensive,
or rare as hens' teeth in the UK- I found on which seems more like a
pressure cooker (it doesn't have a pressure gauge- a key feature of a
canner as far as I can tell).
In real terms, what problems have people had with the boiling water
method when limiting their preserving to chutneys, pickles, relishes,
maybe marmalade, please?
Buying a pressure cooker which will work on our induction hob is an
option and adding a pressure gauge wouldn't be too difficult. I am
confident I could do so safely.
(I have a couple of pressure cookers but they aren't induction
compatible and I've looked at the construction etc.)

I live at ~3500' and don't use a pressure canner, those are only for
meat, fish and tomatoes at this altitude.
In fact, at harvest time, the supermarkets and hardware stores here
all carry conventional water baths. You just don't see pressure canners.
I always sterilise the jars in the oven at just over 100C and use them
hot. The lids and rings sit in boiling water.
When I bottle fruit, I use a boiling water bath to process the fruit
before a final tightening of the lid. I have never had a lid fail to
pop, indicating a vacuum.
When I make jam or marmalade, I pour the hot jam (which is well over
100C at setting point) into the hot jars and immediately screw on the
lids. Again, I have never had a failure.
N.American recipes always process jams after bottling, i.e., they put
the filled, piping hot jars into a boiling water bath for several
minutes. This is completely unnecessary IMO and can lead to turning
the jam into almost toffee. I experienced this when I mistakenly tried
it and also when I bought some jam at a farmers' market.
Remember, the high sugar content when bottling fruit and jams also
inhibits bacteria as does the vinegar in pickles.
Don't worry so much!
Graham

Thank you.
There seems to be more of a 'canning culture' in the US, or at least it
has survived longer. The traditional WI jam maker in the UK doesn't seem
to be nearly as common as it was. (My wife was, briefly, a WI member.)

BTW I am English but living in Western Canada and am about to clear my
driveway of snow after a snowfall over the w/e that dumped about a foot
of the damned stuff:-( Nearly all my cookbooks are from the UK so I
follow the methods that my mother used.

[Brian Reay]

Post by graham

Post by Brian Reay

Post by graham

Post by Brian Reay
I'm still research Canning and Preserving and getting (more) confused.
It seems the 'American Way' is to use pressure canners, not just for
meat etc, to ensure the bugs and spores are killed.
While in the UK, we tend to just use boiling water, although it
seems we tend not to can/preserve meat etc so much.
(I appreciate the above may be a generalisation.)
I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.
Pressure canners, at least decent ones, seem either very expensive,
or rare as hens' teeth in the UK- I found on which seems more like a
pressure cooker (it doesn't have a pressure gauge- a key feature of
a canner as far as I can tell).
In real terms, what problems have people had with the boiling water
method when limiting their preserving to chutneys, pickles,
relishes, maybe marmalade, please?
Buying a pressure cooker which will work on our induction hob is an
option and adding a pressure gauge wouldn't be too difficult. I am
confident I could do so safely.
(I have a couple of pressure cookers but they aren't induction
compatible and I've looked at the construction etc.)

I live at ~3500' and don't use a pressure canner, those are only for
meat, fish and tomatoes at this altitude.
In fact, at harvest time, the supermarkets and hardware stores here
all carry conventional water baths. You just don't see pressure canners.
I always sterilise the jars in the oven at just over 100C and use
them hot. The lids and rings sit in boiling water.
When I bottle fruit, I use a boiling water bath to process the fruit
before a final tightening of the lid. I have never had a lid fail to
pop, indicating a vacuum.
When I make jam or marmalade, I pour the hot jam (which is well over
100C at setting point) into the hot jars and immediately screw on the
lids. Again, I have never had a failure.
N.American recipes always process jams after bottling, i.e., they put
the filled, piping hot jars into a boiling water bath for several
minutes. This is completely unnecessary IMO and can lead to turning
the jam into almost toffee. I experienced this when I mistakenly
tried it and also when I bought some jam at a farmers' market.
Remember, the high sugar content when bottling fruit and jams also
inhibits bacteria as does the vinegar in pickles.
Don't worry so much!
Graham

Thank you.
There seems to be more of a 'canning culture' in the US, or at least
it has survived longer. The traditional WI jam maker in the UK doesn't
seem to be nearly as common as it was. (My wife was, briefly, a WI
member.)

BTW I am English

I was aware of that ;-)
but living in Western Canada and am about to clear my

Post by graham
driveway of snow after a snowfall over the w/e that dumped about a foot
of the damned stuff:-(

Isn't it a bit early?

While I've only visit Canada (very) briefly I've spent time in Michigan
later than this and, while cold, it was snow free. In fact, I left just
before Xmas one year (1986 from memory) and I'm sure it hadn't snowed. I
returned in early Jan and the night I arrived so did the snow ;-( I'd
'charmed' an upgrade to a Camero FOC out of the hire car girl, and
regretted it in the snow.

Post by graham
Nearly all my cookbooks are from the UK so I
follow the methods that my mother used.

[graham]

Post by Brian Reay

Post by graham

Post by Brian Reay

Post by graham

Post by Brian Reay
I'm still research Canning and Preserving and getting (more) confused.
It seems the 'American Way' is to use pressure canners, not just
for meat etc, to ensure the bugs and spores are killed.
While in the UK, we tend to just use boiling water, although it
seems we tend not to can/preserve meat etc so much.
(I appreciate the above may be a generalisation.)
I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.
Pressure canners, at least decent ones, seem either very expensive,
or rare as hens' teeth in the UK- I found on which seems more like
a pressure cooker (it doesn't have a pressure gauge- a key feature
of a canner as far as I can tell).
In real terms, what problems have people had with the boiling water
method when limiting their preserving to chutneys, pickles,
relishes, maybe marmalade, please?
Buying a pressure cooker which will work on our induction hob is an
option and adding a pressure gauge wouldn't be too difficult. I am
confident I could do so safely.
(I have a couple of pressure cookers but they aren't induction
compatible and I've looked at the construction etc.)

I live at ~3500' and don't use a pressure canner, those are only for
meat, fish and tomatoes at this altitude.
In fact, at harvest time, the supermarkets and hardware stores here
all carry conventional water baths. You just don't see pressure canners.
I always sterilise the jars in the oven at just over 100C and use
them hot. The lids and rings sit in boiling water.
When I bottle fruit, I use a boiling water bath to process the fruit
before a final tightening of the lid. I have never had a lid fail to
pop, indicating a vacuum.
When I make jam or marmalade, I pour the hot jam (which is well over
100C at setting point) into the hot jars and immediately screw on
the lids. Again, I have never had a failure.
N.American recipes always process jams after bottling, i.e., they
put the filled, piping hot jars into a boiling water bath for
several minutes. This is completely unnecessary IMO and can lead to
turning the jam into almost toffee. I experienced this when I
mistakenly tried it and also when I bought some jam at a farmers'
market.
Remember, the high sugar content when bottling fruit and jams also
inhibits bacteria as does the vinegar in pickles.
Don't worry so much!
Graham

Thank you.
There seems to be more of a 'canning culture' in the US, or at least
it has survived longer. The traditional WI jam maker in the UK
doesn't seem to be nearly as common as it was. (My wife was, briefly,
a WI member.)

BTW I am English

I was aware of that ;-)
but living in Western Canada and am about to clear my

Post by graham
driveway of snow after a snowfall over the w/e that dumped about a
foot of the damned stuff:-(

Isn't it a bit early?
While I've only visit Canada (very) briefly I've spent time in Michigan
later than this and, while cold, it was snow free. In fact, I left just
before Xmas one year (1986 from memory) and I'm sure it hadn't snowed. I
returned in early Jan and the night I arrived so did the snow ;-( I'd
'charmed' an upgrade to a Camero FOC out of the hire car girl, and
regretted it in the snow.

Post by graham
Nearly all my cookbooks are from the UK so I follow the methods that
my mother used.

I was visiting family in BC intending to return on Sunday but the
ominous forecast made me return on the Friday instead. I’m glad I did!
The storm hit when I got to Banff and driving conditions were horrendous
for about half the journey to Calgary. I was often travelling at 50kph
instead of the usual 110kph and could not see the lane markings. Big
semis went past throwing up slush which then froze on my windscreen. The
storm hit Calgary that night and extended to beyond Lake Louise. It has
only now just finished snowing and about 12” of heavy wet snow fell on
Calgary and there were accidents galore. It was wise to return when I
did as conditions worsened markedly.
Graham

[Brian Reay]

Post by graham

Post by Brian Reay

Post by graham

Post by Brian Reay

Post by graham

Post by Brian Reay
I'm still research Canning and Preserving and getting (more) confused.
It seems the 'American Way' is to use pressure canners, not just
for meat etc, to ensure the bugs and spores are killed.
While in the UK, we tend to just use boiling water, although it
seems we tend not to can/preserve meat etc so much.
(I appreciate the above may be a generalisation.)
I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.
Pressure canners, at least decent ones, seem either very expensive,
or rare as hens' teeth in the UK- I found on which seems more like
a pressure cooker (it doesn't have a pressure gauge- a key feature
of a canner as far as I can tell).
In real terms, what problems have people had with the boiling water
method when limiting their preserving to chutneys, pickles,
relishes, maybe marmalade, please?
Buying a pressure cooker which will work on our induction hob is an
option and adding a pressure gauge wouldn't be too difficult. I am
confident I could do so safely.
(I have a couple of pressure cookers but they aren't induction
compatible and I've looked at the construction etc.)

I live at ~3500' and don't use a pressure canner, those are only for
meat, fish and tomatoes at this altitude.
In fact, at harvest time, the supermarkets and hardware stores here
all carry conventional water baths. You just don't see pressure canners.
I always sterilise the jars in the oven at just over 100C and use
them hot. The lids and rings sit in boiling water.
When I bottle fruit, I use a boiling water bath to process the fruit
before a final tightening of the lid. I have never had a lid fail to
pop, indicating a vacuum.
When I make jam or marmalade, I pour the hot jam (which is well over
100C at setting point) into the hot jars and immediately screw on
the lids. Again, I have never had a failure.
N.American recipes always process jams after bottling, i.e., they
put the filled, piping hot jars into a boiling water bath for
several minutes. This is completely unnecessary IMO and can lead to
turning the jam into almost toffee. I experienced this when I
mistakenly tried it and also when I bought some jam at a farmers'
market.
Remember, the high sugar content when bottling fruit and jams also
inhibits bacteria as does the vinegar in pickles.
Don't worry so much!
Graham

Thank you.
There seems to be more of a 'canning culture' in the US, or at least
it has survived longer. The traditional WI jam maker in the UK
doesn't seem to be nearly as common as it was. (My wife was, briefly,
a WI member.)

BTW I am English

I was aware of that ;-)
but living in Western Canada and am about to clear my

Post by graham
driveway of snow after a snowfall over the w/e that dumped about a
foot of the damned stuff:-(

Isn't it a bit early?
While I've only visit Canada (very) briefly I've spent time in Michigan
later than this and, while cold, it was snow free. In fact, I left just
before Xmas one year (1986 from memory) and I'm sure it hadn't snowed. I
returned in early Jan and the night I arrived so did the snow ;-( I'd
'charmed' an upgrade to a Camero FOC out of the hire car girl, and
regretted it in the snow.

Post by graham
Nearly all my cookbooks are from the UK so I follow the methods that
my mother used.

I was visiting family in BC intending to return on Sunday but the
ominous forecast made me return on the Friday instead. I’m glad I did!
The storm hit when I got to Banff and driving conditions were horrendous
for about half the journey to Calgary. I was often travelling at 50kph
instead of the usual 110kph and could not see the lane markings. Big
semis went past throwing up slush which then froze on my windscreen. The
storm hit Calgary that night and extended to beyond Lake Louise. It has
only now just finished snowing and about 12” of heavy wet snow fell on
Calgary and there were accidents galore. It was wise to return when I
did as conditions worsened markedly.
Graham

I’ve just looked at the area on Google Maps, it looks beautiful but not
somewhere to be caught in bad weather.

The winter I spent in Michigan was the same year the Southern UK had bad
snow (for us). I was still getting to work in the US, even though the snow
was worse etc, while the UK was brought to a standstill. My wife couldn’t
get to work for at least a week and I think two (I was away over 2 months
so didn’t keep track).

[s***@gowanhill.com]

Post by Brian Reay
I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.

Please note that water-bath processing only applies to low pH foods such as jams, jellies, conserves, relishes, chutneys, pickles, tomatoes (with added lemon juice for safety) etc, which is most of the preserving done in jars in the UK currently. Other food products such as soups, meat, plain vegetables etc must be processed in a pressure canner, no exceptions.

In an episode from BBC’s 1993 series “Wartime Garden and Kitchen”, Ruth Mott demonstrated the old old method of just “bottling” tomatoes, with no canning process occurring to sterilize the bottles and contents together. When asked how long the tomatoes would keep like that, Ruth answers, “We just have to watch them, really, more than anything.” In another episode, she admits there actually was a lot of spoilage.
https://www.healthycanning.com/why-old-british-method-of-bottling-is-unsafe

I'n not saying that everything in that site is backed up by scientific research or without their own agenda though.

The WI did mass jam-making in wartime. Count the hygiene contraventions.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205193267

Owain

[graham]

Post by s***@gowanhill.com

Post by Brian Reay
I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.

Please note that water-bath processing only applies to low pH foods such as jams, jellies, conserves, relishes, chutneys, pickles, tomatoes (with added lemon juice for safety) etc, which is most of the preserving done in jars in the UK currently. Other food products such as soups, meat, plain vegetables etc must be processed in a pressure canner, no exceptions.
In an episode from BBC’s 1993 series “Wartime Garden and Kitchen”, Ruth Mott demonstrated the old old method of just “bottling” tomatoes, with no canning process occurring to sterilize the bottles and contents together. When asked how long the tomatoes would keep like that, Ruth answers, “We just have to watch them, really, more than anything.” In another episode, she admits there actually was a lot of spoilage.
https://www.healthycanning.com/why-old-british-method-of-bottling-is-unsafe
I'n not saying that everything in that site is backed up by scientific research or without their own agenda though.
The WI did mass jam-making in wartime. Count the hygiene contraventions.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205193267
Owain

Some years ago we were given several "flats" of ripe tomatoes so we
decided to bottle them, using the water-bath method. Every jar "blew"
and had to be discarded. At this altitude, water boils at ~97C so
pressure canning for tomatoes is necessary.
Graham

[Brian Reay]

Post by s***@gowanhill.com

Post by Brian Reay
I've no plans to preserve meat or fish in jars, I freeze those. My
interest is purely chutneys, pickles, relishes, maybe marmalade etc.

Please note that water-bath processing only applies to low pH foods such
as jams, jellies, conserves, relishes, chutneys, pickles, tomatoes (with
added lemon juice for safety) etc, which is most of the preserving done
in jars in the UK currently. Other food products such as soups, meat,
plain vegetables etc must be processed in a pressure canner, no exceptions.
In an episode from BBC’s 1993 series “Wartime Garden and Kitchen”, Ruth
Mott demonstrated the old old method of just “bottling” tomatoes, with no
canning process occurring to sterilize the bottles and contents together.
When asked how long the tomatoes would keep like that, Ruth answers, “We
just have to watch them, really, more than anything.” In another episode,
she admits there actually was a lot of spoilage.
https://www.healthycanning.com/why-old-british-method-of-bottling-is-unsafe
I'n not saying that everything in that site is backed up by scientific
research or without their own agenda though.
The WI did mass jam-making in wartime. Count the hygiene contraventions.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205193267
Owain

Thank you.

I’m pretty sure all the things I currently plan to do will be acidic (low
ph as you say). I don’t see myself becoming a made canner ;-)

[graham]

Post by s***@gowanhill.com
The WI did mass jam-making in wartime. Count the hygiene contraventions.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205193267

Note the tied-on tops to those jam jars:-) Mum used to put a circle of
cellophane on the top of the jam before tying on the "lid".
Graham

[s***@gowanhill.com]

Post by graham
Note the tied-on tops to those jam jars:-) Mum used to put a circle of
cellophane on the top of the jam before tying on the "lid".

Probably to try and exclude air from the surface of the jam in an attempt to prevent all those moulds growing.

Owain

[Andrew Marshall]

Post by graham

Post by s***@gowanhill.com
The WI did mass jam-making in wartime. Count the hygiene contraventions.
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205193267

Note the tied-on tops to those jam jars:-) Mum used to put a circle of
cellophane on the top of the jam before tying on the "lid".

I saw that still done on jam/chutney stalls at various outdoor shows not
all that long ago, albeit with a screwed-down metal lid which was
usually 'clicked-down' by cooling.

I well remember the jars of jam which Mum used to bring home from the
local WI sales, finished in the traditional way with a greaseproof-paper
circle on top of the jam, and a second, larger g/p. circle as the 'lid',
secured with a rubber band.

I have a few jars of home-kitchen-made (not my kitchen) chutney in my
cupboards; they were bottled in the modern manner, with no g/p. circle,
and with a 'clicked-down' lid. The last one I opened was in perfect
condition after nearly four years in store.