Some Home Canning Clarification

Last night, I attended a Relief Society activity for my ward. The topic was Provident Living; I had been asked to give a presentation on home canning. This was a topic I know something about: as you can see by this post, and this post, I do a fair amount of home canning, and I enjoy the work. It's hard work, but it's very spiritually fulfilling; you get a wonderful sense of accomplishment when the job is done well.

However, there are significant gaps in my knowledge: I've never done any pressure canning before, and I have had my share of failures in canning (most notably some orange marmalade I made this spring that just didn't solidify at all; yuck). And then, as I was preparing my presentation, I discovered something that really made me question whether I was qualified at all to be giving a home-canning presentation:

Apparently, the USDA and the National Center for Home Food Preservation do not recommend steam canning for home use, primarily due to lack of extensive research on its effectiveness.

Just take a guess as to what I was getting ready to load into the car for my presentation:

That's right, my steam canner, which I've been using to can food for several years now!

Several years ago, Utah State University released a small clarification on the subject. They stood by the USDA's recommendation; however, they did suggest that certain foods could be steam-canned as long as certain specifications were closely followed. I won't go into the details here; just follow the link if you have any questions.

So...for anyone reading this blog (all three of you), I wanted to lay this all out on the table, so you know exactly what you've been reading here. What I'm going to say next is based purely from my own experience, and I truly do not intend to frighten anyone or be a "devil's advocate."

If you want to eliminate any possible chance of botulism/faulty sealing/any other canning issue, and you want to try home canning for yourself, then get yourself a full-immersion water bath canner. They can be bought for less than $20 on Amazon.com; they can also probably be found at your local Wal-Mart or kitchen supply store. Or, you can ask around and see if you have a nearby friend or family member who will lend you their own canner.

As for steam canning: I have been using my steam canner for 4 years now (before that, I used a water bath canner borrowed from a friend). Before that, I grew up helping my parents can food on their steam canner for 20-plus years. In all that time, I've never had a jar fail to seal, and I've never contracted food poisoning. In addition, I've never had any food spoil or develop mold. And, having used both methods of hot-water canning, I have noticed virtually no difference in quality, color, flavor, or length of preservation between the foods canned with either method.

So there you have it; that's the best information I have to give on the subject. I'm speaking solely from personal experience, but I hope this advice will help you, gentle readers, make the decision on what type of home canning to use that is best for you and your family. Good luck!