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Canning Failure Help.


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Some months ago I canned some Chilli with meat. All went well (or so I thought). Last night I took a jar out of storage for supper but the seal had released, no trouble, I'll get another one, well this one had also released. By released I mean there was little resistance when I took the lid off. The contents had started to go a funny colour but as yet had not 'gone off'. I have one final jar from this batch that seems to be fine.

Has anyone any idea why I could have suffered this problem and should I err on the side of caution and bin the last jar too?

Edited by Wychwood
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I think it is the fault of the lids... are they the lids that should not be

boiled or should they be . Sometime, just when who knows, there was a change in the rubber.

I am sure you do check your jars for any chips.

 

But I will say that ever so often I go through and check all my lids on all of my canned good...

I do NOT like to lose my canning!!

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I saw this thing whether to heat the lids or not as well and yes they are Ball lids. Believe it or not it is actually cheaper for me to buy Ball canning lids from USA and have them shipped over than buy the English brand Kilner lids. Also I have had some dubious quality Kilner lids, quality control is not their forte!

 

Jars are checked as are the lids before each session. Like you, I hate to lose my canning too. It is a vital part of my food cupboard and diet.

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Chili is hard for me to can. I have too many jars that don't seal and I have to reprocess them. It is usually my fault by either not having the correct headspace or not getting the rims oft the jars clean. My take is if the jar is sealed tightly then it is safe to use, but if the lid comes off too easily, I would toss it.

 

 

 

:wormie2:

John

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Yes John you are right about that more so due to the tomatoes.

 

Checking jars every two weeks is not too often and I do not

always get it done within that time frame. I have lost more

this year than ever before... And thorough check of jars, lids,

contents, leads me to thinks it has been the lids 90% of the time.

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A good way to end up with weakened seals is to "tip" the jars when removing from the canner, a common habit in order to drain off the trapped water on top. Tipping will bring the contents in contact with the rim and lid before a full seal is achieved. If there is oil in the solution from something like ground beef there is even more chance of seal contamination. Consider boiling meat in water to reduce excess oil.

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Haven't had too many failures, but I'm thinking like the rest...not enough head space, not wiping the jar rims clean, and tipping jars when you remove them from your canner. The newer lids are NOT gummed like the older ones (see BexarPrepper) and are not only not supposed to be boiled but also "dent" very easily when handling which includes when they're placed on the jars then vacuum sealed & placed on store shelves. BexarPrepper says to totally discard the ones that are on your new jars and pressed down with rings because they've been damaged. I have started my change over to Tattler lids, even though more expensive they're re-useable. I purchased a few extra lids to allow for failure until I learn the new way. Right now I'm not canning so I've got the time to stock up on the Tattler's. I have A LOT of the Mennonite lids and their gummed surface is so much wider than Ball etc., so I'm confident that is why I haven't had but one or two sealing failures. I've not used Ball or Kerr and don't intend to.

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Did you have beans in the chili. Over the years, I have lost more jars of beans than anything else. Don't know if it is the gases or swelling or what. Many years ago, I had lots of seal loss from the Kerr brand only-not Ball not Golden Harvest. Wrote to Kerr and they wanted to give me a lesson in canning. Didn't buy Kerr for a while, even though I knew they and Ball were made by the same company.

 

Seems like sometimes there is no explaining it. I do agree that if a jar is sealed enough that I cannot pop it off with hand, it should be fine.

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  • 4 weeks later...

If anyone is curious about the 'not tilting' issue I'm sure it is mentioned somewhere on the National Center for Home Food Preservation website, which is where most of my knowledge comes from. In fact I opened their 'So Easy To Preserve' book and there it was on page 31 at the top of the page, very first sentence.

 

But I totally agree it is a hard habit to break even in knowing. :)

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I've read it in a book, on line and here. But I still have to catch myself from doing it. I see that water and think, "Just a little tip and I can get rid of it". Yep, by the time the jars have cooled that little bit of water has evaporated. After it's all said and done, I remove the bands, wash the jars with soapy water and then dry them. But that one little half-teaspoon of water on the top of the lid makes me want to tip it off. Every.Time. :misc-smiley-231:

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Don't tilt the jars, just straight out of the canner and set to cool. In my case, after 24 hours, I take the rings off and wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water, rinse, dry and store.

 

By the time the jars have set 24 hours, I have a little spot where the water evaporated. I would much rather see a little bit of water on the lid than lose the contents because the jars didn't seal right. I have to take my jars a few feet to set them down, so I take the jar out of the canner and hold the canner lid under it over to where I set them down. No drips on the floors.

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