Many people have asked me what to do to solve the problem of their jars leaking after water bath processing. Below are some simple tips to reduce the risk of overflow.
- Make sure that you fill to the appropriate amount of head space. For most canned fruits and tomatoes, the head space is usually 1/2 inch, or right where the rings start on the jar. The head space is necessary because the foods will expand under the pressure of the water bath. If there is not enough room for them to expand, they will overflow. Jams and jellies require very little head space, and for this reason rarely overflow.
- Make sure that the jars are covered with an inch of water. If the jars are not covered in the water bath, the pressure will be unequal, and this can cause overflow.
- Make sure that you get out any bubbles. Use a plastic knife or one of the canning spatulas that come with some kits. Run it around the inside of the glass while pushing inward to remove any bubbles that are in between the fruits.
- When the jars have completed their water bath for the suggested time, turn the burner off and remove the lid. Let the jars sit in the water for 5 minutes, and THEN remove them.
- In my experience, I’ve had a lot more problems with overflow when I use a cold pack method of canning. Hot pack canning requires very little extra effort and is worth it for the added security against overflow.
Example—Cold Pack for canning tomatoes—remove skins and core tomatoes, clean and sterilize your jars. To your quart jar add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid (or 2 T. bottled lemon juice) and pack your tomatoes. Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and fill to 1/2 inch headspace. Remove bubbles and adjust liquid as needed. Add 1 teaspoon of canning salt. Place lid and ring on jar. Boil in a water bath canner for 45 minutes.
Hot Pack for canning tomatoes--remove skins and core tomatoes, clean and sterilize your jars. To your quart jar add 1/2 teaspoon citric acid (or 2 T. bottled lemon juice). Place the peeled and cored tomatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a gentle boil and boil for 5 minutes. Place hot tomatoes and liquid in the jar and fill to 1/2 inch headspace. Remove bubbles and adjust liquid as needed. Add 1 teaspoon of canning salt. Place lid and ring on jar. Boil in a water bath canner for 45 minutes.
Go here for information on how to know if food has spoiled in canning jars in case you are worried about that possibility.
Hi Gabrielle, I just stumbled across your website today looking for answers. I canned tomatoes for the first time yesterday. My process was exactly what you did, but I had some water evaporate from my tomatoes after canning and there's more head space then I had originally planned on. Think it's anything to worry about?
ReplyDeleteHello Gabrielle,
ReplyDeleteI've been canning tomatoes or several years with the hot pack method with little trouble. I was trying to save myself a step today and chose the cold pack method. Just removed my first set of jars from the water bath and everyone of them had leaked. As I'm sitting here typing they are sealing, but I am concerned about a proper seal and spoilage??? Any advice is much appreciated!
Thanks,
Amy
The ball blue book says that if the tomatoes have sealed they are probably still ok. (If you have the Ball Blue Book there is a section in the back that addresses what to watch for if you want more specifics).
ReplyDeleteThings to watch for:
Signs of spoilage--discoloration of the liquid or tomatoes, fizzing, bubbles, sediment
Foul odor when the jar is opened
Make sure that the lid has sealed. Check if you can easily remove the lid with your fingers to make sure there is a tight seal. Make sure that the lid indentation is in the sealed/down position.
If in doubt, the book says that you can boil the food. If the food has a foul odor at that point, then you should not use. If in doubt, you can store the jars in the fridge or freezer (the later pending that there is enough head space for expansion). Or you can remove the contents into a zip lock bag and freeze.
I have almost always used the cold pack method in the past, but since I started using the hot pack method, I'll most likely continue with that method from now on. I hope this helps!
Happy Canning!
Yesterday I was making canned apples in red hot cinnamon syrup, a recipe out of the Ball book. I made sure to have appropriate head space, although the apples weren't completely covered in liquid because they were floating a bit and I couldn't get them to stay down completely. When I opened the water bath after 15 mins of boiling (recommended time) the water inside had some of the red food coloring in it, indicating there was some kind of leak. There was also air bubbles coming up from 2 of the jars. I waiting the 10 mins before removing them and when on the counter the red syrup started leaking out of them onto the towel. THey still sealed OK, but now I am concerned about just how good that seal is if there was liquid coming out. I put them in the fridge overnight. I had hoped to server them this thanksgiving, so now I don't know if they will keep that long in the fridge. Anyone have any suggestions? I think if I reprocess the apples will be total mush.
ReplyDeleteWhen you unscrewed the bands and tried to lift the jar lid with only your fingers, did it come off easily? Is the top indented, indicating a seal? If so then you are most likely ok based on my understanding of what I have read in the Ball Blue Book. I've had pears overflow before and they still sealed fine. We ate them without any problem. I think I would check them periodically to see if the seal is still intact (sometimes the seal can come loosened if bits of food had come in contact with the rubber part of the seal). How many do you have that had this problem? If there are only a couple out of the batch, you might want to just keep them in the fridge until Thanksgiving. At that time, you could check them and make sure they still look ok. Alternately, you could freeze them in a different container. Please e-mail me if this didn't answer your problem or you have any follow up questions couponingincriticaltimes@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteOf course with anything, if you are fearful about the safety of it, do not risk it. Use your judgment and do what you think is best. I hope this was helpful though. The apples sound divine, btw.
;)
The bottom of my water bath canner is not flat on the bottom and therefore, when it is sitting on the stove burner, the bottom edge of the canner is almost touching the stovetop and makes a mess. Is this common? Is there a way to correct this?
ReplyDeleteCan you explain more of what you mean by "makes a mess"? I have never seen that problem with canners before--mine, friends' or relatives'. If yours is a Ball, I would call the company and explain the problem. Since it doesn't sound like something common, there might be a problem with your canner and they would most likely be happy to replace it. Feel free to email me with other questions, and I'm happy to help couponingincriticaltimes at gmail dot com
ReplyDelete