Canning question

[rile]

We finally might have enough tomatoes this year to start canning tomato juice again. My wife and I are at a disagreement though. She always seems to fret over the jars not sealing. I've said that she fills them too much. I claim that she needs to leave some air at the top, at least to the bottom of the lid edge. She disagrees. Any ideas?

[GA Pinhead]

Headspace is VERY important, otherwise you get tomato bits under the rubber.

is the place for learning how to keep food. I do cooperate with the professionally, but *I* use it all the time. Curing pork loins is my next project.

John!

[STEPHEN PEEK]

[Lynn]

Yes she needs to leave some air space. I normally just toss the tomatoes in a bag and freeze them whole. The skin comes of easy once thawed and great for soup and such Lynn

[Kathy]

Take canning questions to your local county extension; they're usually big on canning info. County extension out here says that the current bible for safe canning is the Ball Blue Book, conveniently cheap from this site:

Next best is the old standby "Putting Food By," but you must have the latest edition. The old editions (like mine, unfortunately) document practices no longer considered safe. I didn't believe it until I found that my own canning by that book didn't satisfy state fair exhibitors' canning requirements.

The blue book is great for explaining proper practices and noting why certain old practices are no longer considered safe. It isn't a very big book but I always find what I want there, with clear instructions including how much headroom is required (it seems to vary depending on food and jar size.)

OT: As a dill pickle fancier, I can recommend the blue book garlic dill recipe, and as a gardener, the cuke variety called "Home Made Pickles" to go with it.

Kathy