LCBO Food & Drink Autumn 2021

BATCH WORK

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How-to

01 Always begin by sterilizing your canning jars (see “Keep Clean” on page 158). Thirty to 45 minutes before you’re ready to fill jars, add enough water to the canning pot to cover filled jars by 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) when the rack is lowered. Bring water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and keep the lid on the pot to reduce evaporation. 02 About 15 minutes before filling jars, place the flat disc parts of the lids in a small pot and cover well with water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat to soften sealing compound. Cover pot, turn off heat and keep lids in warm water until ready to seal jars. Unused lids may be dried off and stored for another time. 03 Fill canning jars, leaving the amount of headspace (the space between the top of your preserves and the rim of the jar) spec- ified in the recipe. Use a ruler or headspace gauge—yes, it’s that important! If you fill jars too full, preserves may seep out and interfere with a good seal. Leaving too much headspace may leave more air in the jar than can be forced out during the process-

ing time, preventing a vacuum and possibly resulting in spoilage. Any partially filled jars should be cooled and refrigerated right away, then eaten first. 04 For pickles and chunky sauces, insert a bubble remover tool, narrow spatula or chopstick into jar to gently remove any bub- bles. Once bubbles are released, you may need to add more sauce or liquid to correct the headspace. 05 Wipe the rim and threads of each jar clean, then top with disc part of lid, using a magnetic lid wand, if you have one. Place metal ring on jar and twist until it is only fingertip tight. If the ring is too tight, it may interfere with air escaping and result in a poor seal or cracked jar. 06 Return the water in your canning pot to a boil over high heat. Place filled jars upright on rack, making sure they are covered with 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water (add boil- ing water as necessary, pouring between jars, not on them). Cover pot with lid and return water to a boil. Start timer for processing

when the water in the pot has come back to a boil. Adjust the heat as necessary to main- tain a boil without letting jars bump around in the pot. 07 Carefully remove jars from canning pot, without tilting, and set on a cutting board or dishtowel to cool. You should hear slight pings as lids pop down to seal. Let stand without moving for 24 hours. After jars have cooled, check to make sure lids are concave and do not move when you press down on the centre. Any jars that have not properly sealed themselves can be kept in the refrig- erator and used within a few weeks.

Tip If you have hard water, scrunch up a piece of foil and float it in the canning pot along with the jars. The foil attracts the minerals so they don’t cling to your jars.

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AUTUMN 2021 FOOD & DRINK