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First time water bath canning

basicbatch

basicbatch

This was my first time water bath canning pickled jalapenos. Essentially 1 part water, 1 part vinegar, salt and spices. I sterilized the jars, boiled the brine, packed the jars and then topped with brine. I sterilized the lids and bands and screwed on the tops and water bath canned for 10 minutes and let sit to cool. 
 
Hours later as i was hearing the pings of sealing i noticed one jar had a bulging crease in it. Just wondering what caused it, and if it's still safe. 
 
It's been two weeks now and I opened one of the jars (not the creased lid one) and noticed some of the peppers/carrots were sitting above the brine. Is this safe that they were outside the brine for 2 weeks? Is it ok if it's properly canned? I'm assuming my issue was overfilling the jars with peppers, i'm still working on the proper ratio. Pics for both issues (note that i pushed the peppers down a bit in the opened jar) are below and any help/advice is appreciated! Thanks guys!
 
Bulging crease:
 
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Peppers sitting above the brine (note i did push them down a bit once opening):
 
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I would use the one with the odd lid more quickly and would refrigerate it just to be safe.
The ones above the brine will likely discolor in time and not be as appetizing to look at, but should be OK. Always watch for mold, or other odd colors and smells.
 
For the odd lid, maybe there was a bit of vegetable that got stuck on the rim and messed up the seal?  If the odd-lid jar has been unrefrigerated, I'd open it and be very aware if there is a seal on the jar.  It is possible that the jar did seal, even with the dent.  If the jar doesn't Pffft!, then it's up to you whether to use it or not.  It's in a good brine, but it's your call.  It looks like the jars a jalapenos and other veggies, so it doesn't look like a whole lot of money would be lost by pitching one jar.   
 
Nice looking Pickled Peppers!
 
So with the carrots above the brine, and your brine being part vinegar it should have been enough to lower the acidity but carrots can grow bacteria. With the carrots above the brine it may not have been kept in an acidic environment long enough so one could risk bacterial growth on them which is why carrots are usually canned in a pressure cooker not a hot water bath. That being said, maybe they are ok, maybe not. I would error on the side of caution but I worry. When I use carrots in a ferment, the ingredients are submerged but also pasteurized/cooked after I puree.
 
http://www.pickyourown.org/botulism.htm
http://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2015/05/12/botulism-case-highlights-need-to-follow-canning-directions/
http://www.cdc.gov/features/homecanning/
 
Good note on that, Student~
 
Another factor in pickling things is the mass of the vegetable.  The point of pickling is to have the brine/vinegar permeate all the veggies and get them donw to a safe pH level.  A thick cut slice of carrot will take longer to get permeated with the vinegar than a matchstick cut carrot. 
 
Wow very strange that jar lid was most likely damaged before processing and you just missed it never in my life have i had a lid do that. looks like it came in contact with something sharp. But as salsalady has mentioned id open first and listen and feel for that pop from good vacum seal.
Otherwise great looking pickles!!!! The floaters happen in my jars at times as well i try to pack them so they work against each other near the top to try and stop that works sometimes but always fantastic!!
 
Thanks for the replies everyone! I'll have to check the creased jar after work to see if it sealed properly. If anything is questionable i'm just going to chuck them. No use risking it over some peppers. I think next time maybe i'll pack less into each jar to ensure the brine stays above the peppers. Also i read somewhere that I may have tightened the bands too tight on the jar before canning which caused the bulge. Anyone hear anything about this? The info I found said that it shouldn't fully tighten the bands before the water bath but just get them tight enough to hold down the lid
 
Here's two links i found where people were mentioning the rings may have been put on too snug:
 
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=29418

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/1951327/helpbulging-jar-lid
 
I agree w/tightening them too much. It's happened to many of us. I've even had a jar break in the canning process years ago. It's something you don't forget!

Keep the liquid at 1/2" below the rim, and the contents below that. It's much better to have extra liquid to make sure everything's covered. Live and learn.
 
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