Well-Preserved
Pressure Canning Safety
The Well-Preserved news
column is prepared by Lan
caster County Cooperative
Extension. It includes food
preservation information and
questions.
A question we often hear at
the cooperative extension office:
“Is it safe to use a pressure can
ner?”
If you have never used a pres
sure canner, using it for the first
time can be an intimidating ex
perience. One senses that the
questioner visualizes the canner
blowing up as the pressure in
the canner increases or that
she/he has had the experience of
seeing a pressure plug blow.
Today’s pressure canners are
designed for safety. They are
lightweight, thin-wall kettles.
Most of them have tum-on lids
fitted with gaskets that expand
during heating to give an air
tight seal. However one style is
made of a heavier metal and has
screw-down knobs around the
canner but does not have a gas
ket. All the canners have remov
able racks, an automatic vent/
cover lock, a steam vent, and a
safety fuse or plug. This metal
or rubber plug acts as a safety
release.
If the canner gets above 25
pounds of pressure, the metal
plug melts or the rubber plug
pops out to release excess pres
sure. The pressure canner may
have a dial gauge for indicting
TIMONIUM, Md. The 2003
Maryland State Fair is a sure bet
for summer food, fun, and cele
bration. In its 122nd year, the
11-day festival will feature thou
sands of home arts and agricul
tural exhibits, daily livestock and
horse shows, a wide variety of
midway rides and games, and
thoroughbred horse racing.
The Maryland State Fair opens
Friday, August 22 and runs
through Monday, September 1,
10 a.m.-10 p.m. at the Timonium
Fairgrounds in Baltimore Coun
ty.
Early risers are welcome to at
tend livestock and horse shows at
9 a.m., exhibit halls are open
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the pressure or a weighted
gauge for indicating and regu
lating the pressure. Newer
model canners have a lid lock
that prevents you from opening
the canner while there is still
pressure in it. These added safe
ty features should give you extra
confidence when using a pres
sure canner. Also look for the
UL (Underwriter’s Laboratory)
Seal of Approval.
Pressure canners come in var
ious sizes. Some hold only one
layer of quart or smaller jars,
while others are deep enough
for two layers of pint or smaller
size jars. A pressure canner
should be large enough to hold
at least four quart jars. Smaller
kettles are referred to as pres
sure cookers and are not recom
mended for canning because
they cool down too quickly to
maintain the higher tempera
tures needed to destroy harmful
bacteria.
A pressure canner should not
be confused with a steam can
ner. A steam canner does not
operate under pressure and can
not heat foods above 212 F. The
use of a steam canner is not rec
ommended as a safe canning
procedure even for high acid
foods by the USDA because pro
cess times for use with current
models have not been adequate
ly tested, heat distribution inside
a steam canner is uneven, and
pockets of air trapped between
jars or under the dome can
122nd Maryland State Fair To Run Aug. 22- Sept. 1
from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., and the
Midway opens at 10 a.m. on
weekends and 12 noon on week
days.
Admission is $5 for adults and
children under 12 are admitted
free. Rides are individually
priced.
The 4-H Livestock Show will
begin Friday, August 22 and run
through Sunday, August 24. The
4-H Livestock Sale is on Sunday,
August 24 at 7 p.m. A variety of
Open Class livestock shows will
begin Monday, August 25 and
run through Labor Day.
Thoroughbred Horse Racing
begins Saturday, August 23 and
runs throughout the Fair with
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800-346-8319
110 South Railroad Ave.
New Holland, PA 17557
Monday thru Friday 7:30-5:00 as
Saturday 7:30 - Noon
cause cold spots where tempera
tures are below 212 F.
Learning to use a pressure
canner properly will ensure its
safety for both the user and the
food canned. Watch the pres
sure dial or weighted gauge to
avoid excess pressure. Adjust
burner temperature to maintain
a constant temperature. This is
not the time to get distracted.
Two important procedures
are adjusting pressure canner
temperatures for altitude and
venting the canner. The internal
canner pressures and tempera
tures are lower at higher alti
tudes. Canners must be operat
ed at increased pressures to
adjust for these temperature
changes. Check a USDA can
ning guide for adjustments
needed for altitudes above 1000
feet. Air trapped in a pressure
canner lowers the temperature
obtained for a given pressure
which results in under process
ing. All pressure canners must
be vented 10 minutes before the
petcock is closed or the weight
ed gauge is placed over the vent
port. To vent a canner heat the
sealed canner on high with the
vent port uncovered until the
water boils causing a visible fun
nel of steam that is continuously
escaping the canner. After 10
minutes of continuous steam,
live and/or simulcast races from a
variety of other tracks around the
country. Admission to the race
track is included in the admission
price of the Fair.
The Maryland State Fair fea
tufes daily exhibits and presenta
tions for visitors of all ages. New
this year: University of Maryland
Agriculture Fair Tours; The
Toyota Concert Series featuring
three concerts free with paid ad
mission to the Fair by national
artists Jars of Clay; The Rock
and Roll Army (including Rare
Earth, Mitch Ryder, Spencer
Davis, and Mark Lindsey) and
Brad Paisley. Seating is on a
first-come, first-served basis.
RT 283 toward Lancaster (Past HBG Airport) to 30E to RT 23
(New Holland Pike) turn left onto 23E towards New Holland, go
about 12 miles. Once in New Holland turn right onto South
Railroad Avenue.
Go 1.5 blocks, look for white 3 story building on right before
railroad tracks.
the petcock or vent port can be
closed to begin pressuring the
canner. The canner will pressur
ize in the next 3 to 5 minutes.
Have the dial gauge checked
yearly at you local Cooperative
Extension office. If the gauge
reads high or low by more than
one pound, it should be re
placed. If the gauge reads low
by one pound or less, add that
amount to the recommended
pressure.
Processing procedures also af
fects safety. Constantly monitor
the pressure during the process
ing. Loss of pressure at any time
can result in under-processed
and unsafe food. If at any time
the pressure goes below the rec
ommended amount, bring the
canner back to the correct pres
sure and begin the timing pro
cess over. Start from the begin
ning and use the total original
process time. Quick and large
pressure variations may cause
unnecessary liquid losses from
jars. This may occur during pro
cessing because of burner ad
justments or cooling the canner
too quickly.
When the processing is com
pleted, the canner should be re
moved from the heatset it off an
electric burner. The heat in the
canner at this point is part of
the processing needed to destroy
bacterial spores. Let the canner
cool down naturally. The canner
is de-pressurizing while it is
cooling. Do not cool the canner
under cold running water or
open the vent port before the
canner is fully depressurized.
These are forms of forced cool
ing and will cause loss of liquid
from jars and seal failures.
Back by popular demand: the
XTREME Air Ultimate Stunt
Show; The Birthing Center where
fairgoers have the opportunity to
witness the birth of calves and
piglets under the-supervision of
veterinarians. and veterinarian
students; the NASA/FIRST High
School Robotics Display and
Stack Attack Robotics Competi
tion; and more.
Fairgoers are invited to explore
the Farm and Garden, 4-H/Home
Arts Buildings, the Cow Palace,
Horse Show Ring, and other agri
cultural buildings and displays as
well as the Exhibition Hall. For
nature lovers, join the Depart
ment of Natural Resources in the
Direction from Harrisburg:
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 16, 2003-B5
These procedures may also
warp the canner lid. Older
heavy-walled canners require
about 30 minutes to depressur
ize when loaded with pints and
about 45 minutes when loaded
with quarts. The newer then
walled canners cool more quick
ly and are equipped with vent
locks that are designed to open
when the pressure is gone. At
this point the vent lock drops to
a normal position. Then remove
the weight from the vent port or
open the petcock and wait 2
minutes as a safety precaution
before unfastening the lid. Al
ways lift the lid with the under
side away from you to direct
any steam coming out of the
canner away from your face.
Jars will be extremely hot when
removed from the pressure can
ner. Avoid placing these hot jars
on a cold surface or in a cold
draft as the temperature ex
tremes may cause the jars to
break.
By following canner and pro
cessing directions exactly, you
can have safely canned foods
and be safe while you are doing
it. Remember, pressure canning
is the only safe method to pro
cess low acid vegetables such as
com and green beans, meats,
and combination foods such as
soups and tomato sauces with
meat.
If you have food preservation
questions, a home economist is
available to answer questions on
Wednesdays 10 a.m.l p.m., call
(717) 394-6851 or write Penn
State Cooperative Extension,
Lancaster County, 1383 Arcadia
Rd., Rm.l, Lancaster, PA,
17601.
State Fair Park for a chance to
see native animals (such as owls,
snakes, and turtles) at the “Scales
and Tales” exhibit and learn
about conservation, recreation,
stewardship, and the protection
of Maryland’s natural resources.
Parking on the Fairgrounds for
a minimal fee and free parking at
the Park and Ride location on
Deereco Road are available on a
first-come, first-served basis. The
Fairgrounds encourages use of
the Light Rail with an easily ac
cessible Light Rail stop at the
Fairgrounds’ Cow Palace Gate.
For general information, call
(410) 252-0200, ext. 227; or visit
the Maryland State Fair Website
at marylandstatefair.com.
II
Pre-Season
Sale
Aug. l to
Sept, is
1060 Division Highway 322 East,
Ephrata, PA 17522
1 Block East of Rt 222
(717) 733-4973
800-642-0310
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Mon , Tins, Wad 10 to 6, Thurs ,