Vinegar brines only, where PH is 4.0 or lower.....
Would like to get some opinions on this. I have been canning for about 11 years, most everything I've learned about canning has come from my Grandma, but all literature I have read tells me that her methods are incorrect. The results however speak for themselves, so i continue to follow her guidlines and it has never steered me wrong. She tells me that this is how she has always done it and her mom taught her and she never had any problems.
In short, she says that so long as the jar seals it is safe.--(for vinegar brines only)
In my early years I followed the waterbath method as suggested by the canning companies. I only had successfull results when it came to "hard" vegtables...whole cucumbers, whole okra, beets, carrots, etc. When I followed these guidlines for pickle spears, peppers, zuccinni they would always, I mean always come out as mush. No amount of alum, calcium chloride you add will help when you add boiling water to a jar of peppers and then waterbath it for times listed on high altitude. In my findings peppers cannot withstand that amount of heat for that long and still be crunchy. All my attempts were failures. But when I just fill the jar with boiling brine and twisted on the lid and cap, and omited the water bath it always came out crisp and tasty, never have problems with the jar sealing.
It was kinda a trial and error thing for me in the begining, (for peppers anyway) but for the past 4-5 I have just disregaurded the recommendations of the canning experts and trusted my grandma and have had succesful results every time. I continue to follow the recommended guidlines for water bath for everything I can/process, except pickle spears/chips, and peppers. I will process everything else in a waterbath because I have found that it is more of a heat thing, for example, when you fill a jar with whole pickles and then dump boiling brine on them the cold cucumbers absorb so much heat that the jar will just not seal. Also if I am able to follow the recomended guidlines and get good results I will. I have not come across any problems yet but I do have common sense so if a jar looks/smells bad I wouldnt eat it. I also take the bands off my jars and if i were to find a lid that has popped it would get tossed too.
It seems that companies now days will take everything to the extreme to err on the side of caution, whether it be fear of being sued, or in this case because this is the only way you can be 100% absolutly sure that the lids will seal everytime. As I said earlier this is how it has been done in my family for some time, before the interwebs and such.
Here is how I can/process peppers
1. Clean peppers
2. Put all jars, lids, bands in pot and bring to boil + 1 extra lid
3. Cut pepper rings or slits in whole peppers (so brine can reach inside)
4. Pull jar, lid and band out of boiling water and put on clean towel
5. Pack jar full of peppers
6. pour boiling brine over peppers
7. put the "extra lid" and band on and shake jar really good--this will get the brine inside the peppers and remove air pockets
8. take lid off and fill with brine to 1/2" from top
9. put a new lid and band on a set aside for lids to seal.
Repeat as needed
I know that others have had similar problems with peppers specifically, and am curious to see what they have done
Also is "as long as the lids seals your good" a correct statement?
Is anyone else canning without a waterbath?
Would like to get some opinions on this. I have been canning for about 11 years, most everything I've learned about canning has come from my Grandma, but all literature I have read tells me that her methods are incorrect. The results however speak for themselves, so i continue to follow her guidlines and it has never steered me wrong. She tells me that this is how she has always done it and her mom taught her and she never had any problems.
In short, she says that so long as the jar seals it is safe.--(for vinegar brines only)
In my early years I followed the waterbath method as suggested by the canning companies. I only had successfull results when it came to "hard" vegtables...whole cucumbers, whole okra, beets, carrots, etc. When I followed these guidlines for pickle spears, peppers, zuccinni they would always, I mean always come out as mush. No amount of alum, calcium chloride you add will help when you add boiling water to a jar of peppers and then waterbath it for times listed on high altitude. In my findings peppers cannot withstand that amount of heat for that long and still be crunchy. All my attempts were failures. But when I just fill the jar with boiling brine and twisted on the lid and cap, and omited the water bath it always came out crisp and tasty, never have problems with the jar sealing.
It was kinda a trial and error thing for me in the begining, (for peppers anyway) but for the past 4-5 I have just disregaurded the recommendations of the canning experts and trusted my grandma and have had succesful results every time. I continue to follow the recommended guidlines for water bath for everything I can/process, except pickle spears/chips, and peppers. I will process everything else in a waterbath because I have found that it is more of a heat thing, for example, when you fill a jar with whole pickles and then dump boiling brine on them the cold cucumbers absorb so much heat that the jar will just not seal. Also if I am able to follow the recomended guidlines and get good results I will. I have not come across any problems yet but I do have common sense so if a jar looks/smells bad I wouldnt eat it. I also take the bands off my jars and if i were to find a lid that has popped it would get tossed too.
It seems that companies now days will take everything to the extreme to err on the side of caution, whether it be fear of being sued, or in this case because this is the only way you can be 100% absolutly sure that the lids will seal everytime. As I said earlier this is how it has been done in my family for some time, before the interwebs and such.
Here is how I can/process peppers
1. Clean peppers
2. Put all jars, lids, bands in pot and bring to boil + 1 extra lid
3. Cut pepper rings or slits in whole peppers (so brine can reach inside)
4. Pull jar, lid and band out of boiling water and put on clean towel
5. Pack jar full of peppers
6. pour boiling brine over peppers
7. put the "extra lid" and band on and shake jar really good--this will get the brine inside the peppers and remove air pockets
8. take lid off and fill with brine to 1/2" from top
9. put a new lid and band on a set aside for lids to seal.
Repeat as needed
I know that others have had similar problems with peppers specifically, and am curious to see what they have done
Also is "as long as the lids seals your good" a correct statement?
Is anyone else canning without a waterbath?
Whatever, luckily my local market has room in their Gourmet Foods cold case, so it worked out. 
