BOILING WATER BATH CANNING Boiling water bath canning is the method used for home canning of acid foods, because boiling point temperatures of 212 degrees F are sufficient to destroy yeasts, molds, enzymes, and bacteria in them. You place jars packed with hot food on a rack inside a water bath canner and cover them by at least one inch of boiling water, then cover the canner and boil - from the time the water reaches a full rolling boil - for the time given in the recipe. Since foods high in acidity tend to resist the botulism bacteria, they are the easiest to can. tomatoes are popular with home canners. Rhubarb, which is grown like a vegetable, but usually served in sweetened pies, is high enough in acidity to be processed as an acid food. Although prepared from cabbage fermented in salt, sauerkraut is so much higher an acidity than raw cabbage that it also becomes an acid food. And, although often prepared from low acid vegetables, pickles and relishes are also processed like high acid foods because they are combined with acid rich vinegar. All of these foods cn be canned with boiling water bath method. If you live at high altitudes, you must remember to add additional processing time for every altitude above 1,000 feet above sea level. Make adjustments according to the chart below. Altitude adjustment - boiling water bath canner If the total processing time is 20 minutes or less; increase processing time by: ALTITUDE IN FEET INCREASE BY 1,000 1 minute 2,000 2 minutes 3,000 3 minutes 4,000 4 minutes 5,000 5 minutes 6,000 6 minutes 7,000 7 minutes 8,000 8 minutes 9,000 9 minutes 10,000 10 minutes If total processing time is more than 20 minutes; increase processing time by: ALTITUDE IN FEED INCREASE BY 1,000 2 minutes 2,000 4 minutes 3,000 6 minutes 4,000 8 minutes 5,000 10 minutes 6,000 12 minutes 7,000 14 minutes 8,000 16 minutes 9,000 18 minutes 10,000 20 minutes You can use your steam pressure canner as a boiling water bath canner when the lid is not locked in place. The canner is a big pow, usually 20 to 21 quart capacity with a lid and a special rack that fits down inside the pot to hold jars off the bottom and away from each other. Often this rack has handles and special ridges so that you can lift it out of the water and hold it in place while putting in the jars. If you already own a very large pot, you can probably turn it into a water bath canner by finding a rack that will fit down in the pot, covering the bottom. The pot must be deep enough to allow a minimum of two inches of space above the jars as they sit on the rack. The jars must be covered by at least one inch of water, two inches is better, with another inch or so for boiling room. To help you estimate, pint jars need a pot of a minimum of 8 to 10 inches deep, and quart jars need a pot of a minimum of 9 to 12 inches deep. Source: Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia Typos by Dorothy Flatman 1995 Submitted By DOROTHY FLATMAN On 10-04-95
