canning applesauce

[k15n1]

I'm canning applesauce and I noticed that one of my jars (that I opened) had some apple pulp that straddled the seal. Is that an issue? Seems like it could be. I'm using Tattler lids but I don't expect that it'd matter which type you are using.

I guess this comes back to a much more basic question: how do you keep applesauce from boiling over when you can it? I regularly lose some from my jars. Should I plan on leaving 1.5" head space in a qt jar? What do you do? Have you heard of this kind of issue before?

I was looking into metal cans a while back and I talked to a guy about a sealer for quite a while. He ripped on pretty much everything, including my AA canner, which hurt my feelings a but. He said that the pressure changes when the weight rattles burps food out of the jars and into the seals. He suggested running the canner with a 15 PSI weight and using the stove settings to keep the pressure above 11 and below the point where the weight is constantly rattling. Maybe that strategy and more headspace would do the trick?

 

[Beekissed]

We leave plenty of head space and have never had any boiling over or swelling of the material up to the lids.

 

[~gd]

You are HOT packing aren't you? i once worked in a Mott's canning factory and even with close pressure control it was a minor problem one trick they used was a layer of filtered juice at the very top [about 1/8 inch thick]

 

[pepper]

You are pressure canning applesauce? I always just water bathed it.
Siphoning usually happens when the pressure is not stable. I had it happen often when I first started pressure canning. I finally learned to start turning the heat down almost as soon as I placed the weight on. I don't have an AA but I have read that they only need a gentle jiggle, 5 or 6 times a minute .

 

[Beekissed]

You are pressure canning applesauce? I always just water bathed it.
Siphoning usually happens when the pressure is not stable. I had it happen often when I first started pressure canning. I finally learned to start turning the heat down almost as soon as I placed the weight on. I don't have an AA but I have read that they only need a gentle jiggle, 5 or 6 times a minute .

Same here...we just water bath apple sauce and similar types of food, like tomatoes and even corn.

 

[moolie]

I've used Tattler lids for several batches of various foods over the past couple of years and have decided I don't like them. The rubber seal is too narrow and not thick enough, especially when compared to the Viceroy Rubber Fruit Seals that I use with my vintage glass lids. The Tattlers often look like they've sealed just fine the day after canning, and even weeks later when I check them, but I have found jars that later unsealed during long storage (various foods--jams, pickles, chutney, as well as pressure canned soups). I still have a few in storage and I constantly check them because of the problems I've found.

I've also never had applesauce bubble over or siphon out of the jars, but I've always done my applesauce in pints by the water bath method--I've never pressure canned it.

I would definitely say that food straddling the top of the jar under the seal is a real problem and that you'll likely have mould and/or spoilage fermentation occur over time in storage if you've got more than one of those in the batch. You'll know it's off by the smell when you open it (I had a truly beautiful bloom in a jar of peaches a few years ago that got put away not sealed), but it's not a botulism issue since applesauce is a high acid food.

 

[k15n1]

No, gd, I'm not properly hot packing. I usually quarter the apples, cook them with a little water, run them through the food mill, add liquid and other ingredients, then pack warm. So I guess I should do that correctly... Maybe in combination with better pressure regulation and more head space. I'd rather buy a few more jars than lose food randomly to spoilage.

I've seen that apples puff up as they cook. I think the fibers trap bubbles and steam as the liquid boils at the bottom of the pot.\

I've had some unexpected failures of tattler lids, too. Not many. I have 24 doz in use and have only lost vacuum on 5-6 jars over the past year. Not a hug number but more than I ever had with dome lids. I think the reason you can re-use seals is that they are quite hard compared to other rubber seals I've examined. A soft rubber might deform too much and not be reusable.

 

[moolie]

No, gd, I'm not properly hot packing. I usually quarter the apples, cook them with a little water, run them through the food mill, add liquid and other ingredients, then pack warm. So I guess I should do that correctly... Maybe in combination with better pressure regulation and more head space. I'd rather buy a few more jars than lose food randomly to spoilage.

Ah, that's probably a big problem right there--I quarter or eighth depending on size and cook my apples down with about 1/4 cup of water in the bottom of the pot to start till I have hot mush, then I run it through the food mill and back into the pot to heat up before hot packing

I've had some unexpected failures of tattler lids, too. Not many. I have 24 doz in use and have only lost vacuum on 5-6 jars over the past year. Not a hug number but more than I ever had with dome lids. I think the reason you can re-use seals is that they are quite hard compared to other rubber seals I've examined. A soft rubber might deform too much and not be reusable.

My Tattler failure rate is about the same, maybe a bit higher, but totally unacceptable to me as they are the only lids that have the "stealth failure" problem--if something is going to fail, I find out within 24 hours of processing and don't have waste.

Interesting thoughts about the hardness of the seal, I had never considered that. I'm not sure that idea mirrors my own experience. The Viceroy rubber seals that I use with my Gem jars are softer than the Tattler seals. They don't keep an indent the same way the Tattlers do either, by the time I want to reuse a Viceroy ring, the indent is gone--even when I reuse them within days of opening a jar. So based on what I've seen so far, my personal opinion is that it is the wideness (and perhaps even the thickness) of the seal rather than the hardness/softness--the Tattlers are very narrow compared to the Viceroys or the metal flat lids which seem to have quite a bit of leeway compared to the Tattlers. But maybe the fact that the Viceroys are softer has something to do with it too--I hope others chime in as well.

 

[moolie]

Curious why you pressure can applesauce though? I don't know anybody who has done that, wondering if there's some benefit I'm overlooking?

Doesn't take long to water bath, plus there isn't all the set up and babysitting, then waiting for the pressure to go down. The canning pot and jars come to a boil while I'm making the applesauce, then away we go once it's ready to bottle up. I only pressure can low acid foods, and do big batches (two layers) at a time because it isn't as quick as water bath.

 

[k15n1]

Curious why you pressure can applesauce though? I don't know anybody who has done that, wondering if there's some benefit I'm overlooking?

Doesn't take long to water bath, plus there isn't all the set up and babysitting, then waiting for the pressure to go down. The canning pot and jars come to a boil while I'm making the applesauce, then away we go once it's ready to bottle up. I only pressure can low acid foods, and do big batches (two layers) at a time because it isn't as quick as water bath.

I guess I'm just in the habit. Sometimes I'm canning broth or green beans at the same time. I have an electric stove for now and the water bath takes a while to heat up compared to the pressure canner. And I never know how much water I need to cover the jars by 2". I guess those aren't good reasons, are they?

I've noticed that I can sometimes open tattler lids with both thumbs. It's a more rigerous test than the lid holding up the weight of the jar, but it might reveal problems earlier.