When You Know Better

Oct
15

Post by community member:

“When you know better, you do better” — Maya Angelou

There was a quote posted in the forum a few days ago in the General Canning Questions topic. This really got me thinking of the different processes of canning and how they’ve changed throughout the years through scientific studies so “we’d do better”.

I have five different Ball or Kerr canning guides ranging from 1947 through the latest of 2009. It was very interesting to read through them to see the differences as years and science progressed.

1961 Copyright Top Secrets by Kerr Glass Mgf. Corp.

In 1961, Kerr was giving times to process meats and vegetables in the boiling water bath.

1947 Ball Blue Book

But as far back as 1947, Ball was not recommending it, but still showing times for processing meats and vegetables.

1975 Copyright Kerr Home Canning & Freezing Book

By 1975, Kerr had updated their processes of using the boiling water bath only for fruits, pickles and tomatoes.

1983 Ball Blue Book, cover no longer in tact

By this time open kettle canning was recommended for jellies only.

“Obtaining a seal on jars will not prevent botulism. Food must be adequately processed (sterilized) to be safe.”

2009 Ball Blue Book guide to preserving

By now, there are only TWO recommended canning processes — boiling water bath for high acid foods and pressure canning for low acid foods.

While many people may not know better, it has been many years (at least 27 years documented by the canning books I have in my possession) that open kettle canning was only recommended for jellies (now no longer recommended) and proven that just because a jar sealed, the food wasn’t safe. There are resources all over the internet and in the latest Ball Blue Book for safe canning methods. Do research on creditable websites, ask questions, be a safe canner for your family and friends.

Suzanne is on a quest to get the most recent distributed Ball Blue Book in more hands with The Ball Blue Book Project, so everyone will know better and do better.

Happy and Safe Canning!


Cindy blogs at Chippewa Creek ~ Our Life Simplified.

Interested in contributing a guest post to the Farm Bell blog? Read information here for Farm Bell blog submissions.

Want to subscribe to the Farm Bell blog? Go here.




Comments

  1. Dede ~ wvhomecanner says:

    Excellent post Cindy and SO true about the evolution of safe food preserving. So many think that if ANY BBB ‘says’ something is ok, they can do it. The Ball Blue Book keeps up with the safest methods. And so should WE.

    Dede

  2. Connie says:

    My paternal grandmother used to water bath can everything on a woodstove. She even canned deer meat, chickens, pork and beef that was butchered on the farm. It’s a wonder no one died from eating this stuff but she must of known what she was doing.

  3. Jennifer Martin says:

    Thank you soooooo much for posting this! A co-worker and I were having this discussion yesterday concering safe canning methods. He still uses the kettle method of canning(although until I read this post, I didn’t know what it was technically called) and I almost passed out when he said he didn’t pressure cook anything. I made him look the word botulism up!! I love your posts and this website. There is nothing greater in the morning than my fresh cup of coffee and reading my favorite blog!

  4. Patrice says:

    Good post! I can’t believe there are still people who open kettle can things. It’s dangerous. Still, folks won’t listen. “We’ve always done it that way and we’re still okay…”

  5. Vicki in So. CA says:

    Thank you, Cindy, for this post. Being new to canning, I’m careful to follow the new BBB canning guidelines. (Bought one – couldn’t wait to win one.) I’ll make sure my daughter has one when she starts canning.

  6. Jim in Colorado says:

    Mt parents can all kinds of foods,even bread. My dad canned meat also.
    My wife is a wiz at doing jelly, jams, and other yummy goodies. I have the belly to prove it, lol.
    The BBB is really a good source of info.

  7. Wendy says:

    Wow. After reading everything…I’ve now bought a pressure canner. I always cold packed tomatoes in a hot water bath for years. Now maybe I can try green beans again. I canned them once–they were so mushy, we mixed them with catfood for the barn cats. One cat ended up a housecat and always loved green beans leftovers from the table. LOL

Add Your Thoughts



Search Farm Bell Recipes

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Filter by Categories
All Recipes
Appetizers & Snacks
Bagels
Bean Soups
Beans
Beans, Grains & Rice
Beef
Beverages
Biscuits
Blog
Boiling Water Bath
Bread Machine
Breads
Breakfast
Brownies
Budget
BWB Condiments
BWB Fruits
BWB Jams, Jellies, Butters & Preserves
BWB Marmalades & Conserves
BWB Other
BWB Pickles & Pickled Stuff
BWB Salsas
BWB Sauces
BWB Tomatoes & Combos
BWB Vegetables
Cakes
Candy
Canning
Casserole
Casserole
Casserole
Cereals
Cheese
Cheesecakes
Chilis
Chowders
Cobblers
Coffee Cake
Cold Remedies
Condiments
Cookery 101
Cookies & Bars
Cream Soups
Crisps
Crock Pot
Crowd-Size
Crusts
Cupcakes
Cure & Smoke
Dairy
Dehydrating
Desserts
Diabetic
Dips
Doughnuts
Dressings
Egg Dishes
Eggs
Entertaining
Fat-Free
Featured
Fermenting
Fillings
Fish
Food Photography
Freezing
Frostings & Icings
Frozen
Fruit Breads
Fruit Cakes
Fruit Salads
Fruits
Gift Basket Goodies
Giveaways
Gluten-Free
Goat Cheeses
Gourmet
Gravies
Griddles
Grill-Outdoor Cooking
Hard Cheeses
Herbs & Spices
Holiday
Homemade Cheese
How To
Ice Creams
Ingredients
Ingredients & Mixes
Jell-O
Jell-O Salads
Kid-Friendly
Kitchen Gadgets
Kosher
Lactose-Free
Lamb
Leftovers
Lettuce & Greens
Low-Carb
Low-Fat
Low-Sodium
Main Dish
Marinades
Meat Salads
Meet the Cook
Muffins
Non-Dairy
Old-Fashioned
One Dish Meal
Other Breads
Other Breakfast
Other Condiments
Other Dairy
Other Desserts
Other Main Dish
Other Salads
Other Side Dishes
Other Soups & Stews
Other Special Diets
Pasta
Pasta
Pasta Salads
Pastries
PC Beef
PC Chicken
PC Meats
PC Other
PC Poultry
PC Soups & Stews
PC Veggies
Pets
Pickling
Pies
Pizza
Pizza Crusts
Pork
Potato Salads
Potatoes
Potluck
Poultry
Presentation
Preserving
Pressure Canning
Pressure Cooker
Puddings & Custards
Recipe Requests
Relishes & Chutneys
Rolls
Rubs
Salads
Salads
Salsas
Sandwiches
Sauces
Scones
Seafood
Side Dishes
Soft Cheeses
Soups & Stews
Sourdough
Special Diets
Special Occasions
Steam Juicer
Stocks
Stuffings
Substitutions
Syrups
Tarts
Tips & Tricks
Tortillas & Pitas
Using FBR
Vegan
Vegetable Breads
Vegetable Salads
Vegetables
Vegetarian
Wild Game
Yeast Breads


If you would like to help support the overhead costs of this website, you may donate. Thank you!





Thanks for being part of our community!