Back: Yellow Champion juicing machine,cherry-pitting machine, pH meter, buffersolutions, and ridgelimeter. Front: M.C.P.Jelly-Making Set, one-half red prickly pear,and two glass jelmeters for testing the con-centration of pectin in juice.

Chapter 1

Processing Methods andTroubleshooting

There are several ways to hermetically seal a glass jar, but for the purposes ofthis book, the rolling water bath or RW B is the only type recommended for ashelf-stable product. W ax sealing or jar inversion is used for a couple of recipes forwhich the RWB method would cause the berries to bleed within the jar. For theseproducts, inversion or wax sealing, combined with refrigeration, is recommended.O ther methods, such as sealing by steam, sealing in a pressure cooker, sealing inthe oven, sealing in the dishwasher, and jar inversion without refrigeration, are leftout of this book on purpose, as they are not necessary or recommended for anyrecipes in this book.There are pros and cons for all the different sealing methods, but the Jamlady

and the USDA recommend the RW B for the type of recipes found in this book.Jamlady knows that some canners seal jam jars by inverting them after hot-fillingthe jars. While this will sometimes work, or seal the jar, it is not a recommendedprocess for a shelf-stable product. The reason the inversion method is not recom-mended is that a jar can become unsealed with temperature fluctuations, becausethe vacuum in the jar is probably lower than it should be. Any inversion-sealed jarmay become unsealed in a very warm location. The inversion-sealed jar will usu-ally unseal at a lower temperature more often than a RWB-sealed jar will.There are four primary factors that contribute to a proper vacuum seal on ajar. These are headspace, product-sealing temperature, air in the product, andcapper vacuum efficiency.Generally speaking, the headspace should not be lessthan 5 percent of the container volume at the sealing temperature. Insufficientheadspace means not enough steam is trapped in the headspace area to form a suf-ficient vacuum and not enough space to allow for product expansion when pro-cessing in a RWB. Theoretically, the higher the product temperatureat the timeof sealing, the higher the final package vacuum.The air in the product and theprocessing temperaturetogether also affect the resulting vacuum. Vacuum is lesswhere air trapped in the product is greater.Capper vacuum efficiency is an indi-cation of the ability of the top or cap to produce a proper seal and can be measuredby a vacuum gauge.Commercially, jars and cans are sealed in a variety of ways. Much of the time,

they are sealed in a retort. Retorts vary in type. There are still retorts, agitatingretorts,and hydrostatic retorts.A retortis a closed vessel used for thermal pro-cessing of foods. A still retort, a pressure vessel, accepts racks, crates, cars, baskets,

23

t

or trays of jars to be sealed and is stationary ornonagitating. The pressure inside a still retort isgreat. The processing takes place at around 250degrees F (121 degrees C) with fifteenpounds/square-inch pressure, or about ten tons offorce. A retort is a very big pressure cooker.A hydrostatic retortoperates at a constant

process temperature, and the product to besealed is transported through the retort on a con-veyor system, allowing for a constant flow ofcontainers. Hydrostatic retorts are often built ashigh towers, with the conveyor belt carryingproduct up and down the tower’s height severaltimes in a continuous flow of product. Agitatingor rotary retorts provide continuous containerhandling and additionally agitate the productintermittently. Agitating or rotary retorts are use-ful when processing thick products, as it allowsfor better heat distribution and even processing.

ROLLING W ATER BATH (RWB)M ost recipes in this book can be sealed by a

process called a rolling water bath or RWB.Any pot with a rack will work, but Jamlady rec-ommends you outfit a tall cylindrical stockpotwith a round perforated disc rack to serve as anelevation between the jars and the bottom of thepan. Jamlady is highly critical of the traditionalcanning pot, which is too short, in Jamlady’s opin-ion, to cook quarts. When the tops of the jars arecovered with water, as they should be, the waterboils all over the stove because the pot is too short.Even with a taller pot, there will be some waterfinding its way to the stovetop. A taller pot is def-initely recommended for quarts. For some of themodern home ranges, the short stocky canner isalso too large in diameter, as many ranges haveinsufficient BT Usthat do not properly heat upthe pot. W ith a low BTU burner, it takes foreverto bring a large and wide pot up to boil.Look for at least 10,000 BTUsin a range

burner; 12,000 or higher is better.If you havea 6,000 or 8,000 BTU burner, it will take too

long to bring the jar of product up to tempera-ture, and the contents will cook too long. Thisimprecision in the process time will not hurtmost jellies or jams, but it will make a huge dif-ference in pickles, which need to be cooked justenough to seal them safely. Many a mushy picklecan be traced to a low BTU burner.M any home canners will find that some range

salesmen have little information on the BT Us ofthe ranges they sell, and Jamlady cautions buyersto be informed by checking all of a model’s spec-ifications with consumer magazines and with themanufacturer directly. Many of the sheets dis-tributed on a specific model do not even list thisvital information. When buying a new range fora canning practitioner, consider that there will bewater coming out of the pot and on to the top ofthe range. A sealed-burner gas range, withrecesses to hold the water so it does not go allover the range (or range top and counter), is verydesirable. Look to Magic Chef and Maytag, aswell as other companies that might have newdesigns such as Jamlady describes. Special-ordera range with hotter burners, if possible.Commercial ranges have high BT Us, but

many have trays to catch the water, and thismeans sticky water gets all over the range grates,in places that are not easily cleaned. A sealed-burner range can be sprayed with oven cleanerand wiped clean in five minutes. Take your timeand ask the right questions when purchasing anew range. If you’re stuck with a low BTU range,then can in smaller jars in a smaller canner.Jamlady is frustrated to see all the ranges that

cannot properly heat up a canner. If you don’thave two, high-BTU burners next to oneanother, such that a huge canner can sit over thetwo burners, you may have a problem in makingjardinieres in quarts, for example, unless you optfor a smaller pot, holding less jars but tall enoughto take quarts. Since many home canners arecanning unique products and are not productionorientated, it may not be necessary to process

24 A THE JAMLADY COOKBOOK

twelve jars at a time. You can do two successivebatches of six or use two canners on two burners,with six in each and using a taller stock pot witha rack and smaller diameter.There are many books out there with illustra-

tive pictures of how to use a rolling-water-bathcanner,but Jamlady sees this as so much fussover nothing. If you have ever made spaghetti ina spaghetti boiler or steamed a fish in a fishsteamer, you can seal a jar using the RW Bmethod. Take your spaghetti boiler or fishsteamer (short jars only) with the rack inside.Place your filled 4-, 8-, or 16-ounce jars in thebottom. Fill the pan with water of the same tem-peratureas the product to be processed, so thatthe jar tops are covered by at least 1" of water.Put the pot on the range. Heat the pot until thewater starts to really boil. This does not justmean that bubbles are rising to the top of thepan, but that an actual rolling of the water is tak-ing place on the surface. The process time iscounted from the time the water starts to rollfrom boiling. When that time is up, remove thejars with canning tongs or lift the spaghetti rackout of the pan and set it on some pot holders tocool. You have just canned a jar of product.M ake yourself a cup of tea and sit near the jarsfor the final proof positive. As you sit in the areaof the jars, you will eventually hear a pop, a noiselike the clicking of your tongue on the roof ofyour mouth. A little voice inside Jamlady usuallyshouts, “Success,” and you will hear this voicetoo. This click or pop means your jar is vacuumsealed. Look at the top of the lid. You will see,hopefully, that it is sunken in. Push on it withyour index finger. If it is down and does not tim-ber up and down, it is properly sealed.When cool enough, hold the supposedly

sealed jar at eye level. You will see a depression inthe lid if it is properly sealed. If it is not sealed,then put the jar in the refrigerator for immediateuse or use a new lid and process again.

Caution: D o not assume if a jar of product

previously unsealed at room temperature sealsin the refrigerator that you can take it out ofthe refrigerator again. More than likely, it willunseal with room temperature and reseal againwhen it cools. So, just keep that product in therefrigerator until you use it. Some products failto seal on the first attempt. Jams can bereprocessed. Other products, such as pickles, willbe ruined by being cooked for a second time.You might wonder how sealing works. Basic

science 101 teaches us that hot things expandand cool things contract.A hermetically sealedjar of jam is a perfect example of this principle.When you heat the jar, the contents expand anddrive out the steam. When the jars are quicklytaken out of the hot water, they cool quickly, andthe contents contract, pulling the lid down andmaking a vacuum seal.

FILLING THE JARThere are steps to follow in filling your jar

of product that will be processed.1. Inspect each jar, new or old, to make surethere are no cracks in the jar or nicks in the lipof the jar.

2. M ake sure your jars are squeaky clean andsterilized. You can run your jars through thedishwasher or boil them in water to sterilizethem. If you are hand-washing the jars, a lit-tle capful of household bleach in the washwater is recommended.

3. M ake sure you have not overfilled the jars.The glass jar has a fill line on it, but basicallyfill to 3/4 or 1/2" from the top. Jellies can be filledhigher than pickles.

4. Check the rubber seals on the rings for imper-fections. Use no bent or rusted lids or rings.

5. Place the rubber seal down on top of the jarrim. Make sure the jar rim is clean after fillingthe jar to the appropriate fill level. Do notoverfill the jars. You cannot get a good vac-uum seal with an overfilled jar.

6. Place the metal ring over the jar, with the lid

Processing Methods and Troubleshooting A 25

and screw on the ring. Do not screw it ontightly, but adjust to the first bit of resistance.Your jar is now ready for the RW B.

PROCESSING TIMESProcessing times vary according to the size

of the jar and the thickness of the product.Thetypical bread-and-butter pickle would beprocessed 10 minutes for a quart and 5 minutesfor a pint. A chutney or preserves could beprocessed 10-20 minutes, depending on the sizeof the jar, which could be a 4-, 8-, 12-, 16-, 22-,24-, or 32-ounce jar. There are some 64-ouncejars out there, but Jamlady hardly believes anyonewould use that much chutney at one time, butyou never know. Maybe some of Jamlady’s read-ers own restaurants. In any event, Jamlady wouldnot recommend canning chutney or any othervery dense and thick product in huge jars, as it isdifficult for the heat to penetrate evenly into thecenter. The home canner has no agitating retort.Generally speaking, Jamlady would not can chut-ney in a jar larger than 24 ounces and usuallyseals chutney in a jar 16 ounces or smaller.If the processing time is insufficient, a proper

vacuum will not form to seal the jar. This can bedisastrous for a jar of pickles. The best you cando is refrigerate the pickles immediately.H appily, many of the jars do seal when placed inthe refrigerator and do not have to be consumedimmediately. If the jar is sealed in the refrigera-tor, leave it there and use when you wish to openit. D o not, Jamlady repeats, do not take thejar out of the refrigerator, believing it will staysealed! M ore than likely, the jar will becomeunsealed in a warm location, and it will reseal ina cooler environment. Needless to say, this is apotentially dangerous situation and one that youmight not be aware of at the time. The jar maybe sealed when you look at it on a cooler eveningand may be unsealed during the hotter part of aday while you are not around.Likewise, a rolling-water-bath-sealed jar,

intended to be stored at room temperature,should not be subjected to higher temperatureslike the front seat of a car on a hot, sunny day.O n a hot day, the seal could pop and, whencooled again, seal again, and you would have noidea anything had occurred. W ith jams, this sit-uation probably won’t affect much and probablyshould not stop you from refrigerating the prod-uct and perhaps eating it, assuming the time inthe car was only a very short time, but for otherproducts without high sugar, this could be amajor problem. Just don’t carry canned prod-ucts in the car in the summer or dead of win-ter without keeping them at roomtemperature. Freezing will also break a seal andruin your product. Be smart! In the summer,transport your jams in a cooler or keep the car’sair conditioning running at all times. In winter,keep canned products from freezing.

ALTITUDE CONVERSIONUnless you live on a mountain or in an airplane,

you do not usually have to worry about altitudeconversion. W ater-bath canner time does needto be increased as altitude increases.This chart isfor processing times of less than twenty minutes.Note: If using a pressure canner, increase thepounds of pressure for processing as the alti-tude increases. Processing at ten pounds at sealevel would need to be at thirteen pounds ofpressure at 5,000 to 6,000 feet.

26 A THE JAMLADY COOKBOOK

For a RWB, it is sufficient to increase the pro-cessing times.

Altitude in Feet M inutes Added to Processing Time

1,000 12,000 23,000 34,000 45,000 56,000 67,000 78,000 89,000 910,000 10

REACTIVE METALSPlease note that in canning, the canning

practitioner is advised to avoid iron, alu-minum, brass, copper, or zinc (galvanized)and opt for metals that cannot react chemi-cally with acids and salts. Jamlady uses eitherenamelware, stainless steel, ceramic, or glass ves-sels or pots. Check with a good restaurant supplystorefor a tall pot. Racks from pressure cookerscan be used in the bottom of cylindrical stain-less-steel stockpots, or a makeshift rack can bemade from heavy stainless-steel wire cut to fit thebottom of the pan and wooden slats or spacersattached to the wire. Alternately, very heavy wiremesh can be bent over to make a rack that willprevent jars from touching the bottom of thepot. Cooking pots for jelly making should have aheavy bottom core. Buy the best pots and pansyou can afford. You will not be sorry. Again, gofirst to your local restaurant supply store for aquality pot or pan.

AVOIDING PROBLEMSThe best way to deal with any problem is to

avoid it in the first place. Here are some sugges-tions for canning not only jams and preserves,but also other preserved products.

1. D o not use homemade vinegar for can-ning. Use only vinegar with a confirmed, 5percent or higher acidity.

2. D o not use hard water, especially forpickles.

3. D o not store canned goods in a warm orlight spot. Select a dark and cool location.

4. Get the processing times right. Cook on arange that takes the product to a rolling boilquickly.

5. Use fresh products without sprays orother chemicals. This directive includes notusing really old spices. Some powderedspices may cause pickles or jellies to bemurky, so try to use whole spices or freshherbs when possible. Don’t use hollowcucumbers in pickling. Discard any slimy orslippery pickles.

6. D on’t panic over pink pickled caulifloweror green garlic.It isn’t spoilage, but a chemi-cal change that is okay. Jamlady often picklescauliflower with beets, which naturally colorsthe cauliflower a beautiful fuchsia color andthe problem is eliminated. Sometimes garlicor shallots turn green or blue in pickling. Thistoo is not harmful. Immature and underdriedgarlic can turn blue or green in the presenceof an acid because of the anthocyanin in thegarlic. The green or blue color can also be dueto sulfur compounds reacting with traceamounts of copper in the water. If theenzymes in the garlic cloves are not inacti-vated by heat, blue sulfate can form. Somepeople say that temperature-controlling thegarlic cloves prior to use will eliminate theproblem. Don’t use immature garlic headsand store your garlic at room temperature forat least three weeks prior to using. Vegetablesthat turn brown were either overcooked oroverripe to begin with, or the cook usediodized salt instead of canning salt.

7. D on’t pack vegetables tightly in a jar-diniereor pickle jar, thinking you will get

Processing Methods and Troubleshooting A 27

more in there. Don’t pack a jar with veg-etables that block the neck of the jar.Atightly packed jar cannot expand withoutforcing some of the juice out of the jar. If thejar seals, you can still use the product, butJamlady always refrigerates these reduced-brine-level jars until opening day by layingthem down in the refrigerator and rotatingthem often so the juice touches all surfacesof the vegetables. Use smaller pieces of veg-etables toward the top of the jar so the liquidcan freely flow around. Sometimes the liquidwill travel out of the jar because of foodtrapped between the rubber of the seal andthe jar’s glass rim. Stray food pieces canlodge there due to the force of the steamleaving the jar. This is unavoidable in manycases and probably is not your fault. Justrefrigerate the jar and use it up first. Liquidboiling out can often be traced to cracks inthe jar rim or caps that were screwed on tootightly during the heating process.

8. D iscolored pickles are often traced to ironutensils, inappropriate cookware, metal-lid corrosion, use of iodized salt (use onlypickling salt), too many or poor spices,and hard water.

9. Shriveled and tough pickles are oftentraceable to overcooking, too heavy asyrup, too-strong brine, unfresh fruits ordiseased fruits, or fruits that have beencooked too harshly in brine or sugarsyrup.

10. Cloudy jelly can be caused by insuffi-ciently strained juice, use of overly greenfruit, or allowing the jelly to sit for toolong prior to being packed into jars.

11. Crystals in jelly can be from using toomuch sugar, cooking too little and tooslowly, or cooking for too long. Crystals ingrape jelly can be tartrate crystals and canbe avoided by letting the extracted juice sitin a cool place overnight. Then strain

through two thicknesses of damp cheese-cloths to remove the crystals.

12. Jelly or jam can be too soft because theratio of sugar to fruits or acid is insuffi-cient. Doubling and tripling recipes cancause soft jelly, as the measure of the surfacearea is reduced and the amount of evapora-tion is significantly reduced. Jellies madewith no pectin can be cooked down furtherto affect a set. Other jellies can be cookeddown, or some liquid pectin might beadded.

13. Syrupy jelly indicates too little pectin,acid, or sugar.Sometimes syrupy jelly indi-cates way too much sugar.

14. W eeping jelly often occurs with fluctuat-ing storage temperatures.Too much acidcan cause weeping jelly. Jamlady doesn’tworry about weeping jelly. Just stir it all backtogether.

15. Stiff jelly is definitely a problem and iscaused by too much pectin or by cookingthe jam down too much. To try to make thejam usable, thin it with hot water in asaucepan. Use for basting meats or whatever.A resourceful person might put some stiffjelly in their tea instead of sugar (Russian tea).

16. Tough jelly indicates a mixture that hadto be cooked too long to reach jell pointbecause it had too little sugar.

17. M old on jelly indicates an improper seal.In the old days, people used to scrape themold off and eat the jelly anyway. Today, itis suggested the product be discardedbecause of toxins produced by the molds.M olds can also grow on jars of jam that hadno mold when they were opened. Some peo-ple, with their unsanitary jelly-dispensinghabits, contaminate the jam. Don’t expose aknife or spoon to the counter, the bread, andthe jar of jam, back and forth. Jamlady sug-gests you use a clean, large tablespoon totake out what jam will be needed with one

28 A THE JAMLADY COOKBOOK

scoop and then close the container. If a sec-ond dip is needed, use another, clean spoonor knife.

18. Faded jelly is caused by improper storageor storage for too long a time. Storecanned products in a cool, dark place.

19. Floating fruit in jam can indicate under-ripe fruits or fruits that are not properlycrushed or not sufficiently cooked.Jamlady does not see this as a big problem.Stir the jam after opening. To prevent fruitfrom floating in the jar, you might try lightlyshaking the jars of jam as they cool or turn-ing them upside down and back again asthey cool and set. Some books recommendstirring the jam for 5 minutes before puttingit in the jars, but Jamlady finds that thismethod makes it more difficult to load thesticky jam into the jars, and it usuallyincreases the evaporation to the point thatthe jam could actually set up too hard. Usingriper fruits is no answer either, because thepectin is then reduced as well.

20. Cracks in jars can occur when you put hotjam in a jar and place it in cool water.Anyhot product in a jar needs to be placed inwater of the same temperature. Even then, ifyou hermetically seal jars by canning fre-quently, you will eventually have a jar crackand destroy/lose all of the product. For thisreason, really dear product may be bestcanned in new, smaller jars. If one breaks,

you won’t have lost as much of your specialcreation.

21. Fermented product usually means thereprobably is a break or leak in the sealsomewhere, even though you may not beable to see it.

H OW REGULAR PECTIN W ORKSPectin is a fibrous carbohydrate containing

entrapped water molecules. Some fruits havemore pectin than others. Ripe apples, blackber-ries, crab apples, red currants, gooseberries, andcranberries all have a lot of pectin—unripe, evenmore. Citrus fruit, especially the rinds, contain alot of pectin, as do raspberries and grapes. Whenthe fruits containing pectin are cooked in thepresence of acid, the pectin changes its molecu-lar structure and physical properties so that it isless possessive of its water and more attracted tothe other pectin molecules.Sufficient acid is essential for fruits to gel

or thicken. Putting Food By (Ruth Hertzberg,Beatrice Vaughan, and Janet Greene [New York:Bantam Books, Inc., 1976], 54-55) recommendsa comparative taste test for judging the amountof acid in a substance. The tartness of the fruit iscompared to 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 3 table-spoons water, and 1/2 teaspoon sugar. If your juiceis not as tart, you need more acid for a gel toform. Jamlady recommends a pH meter or pHpapers with testing ranges for 2.0 to 3.0, 3.0 to4.0, and 4.0 to 5.0 as opposed to a pH paper thatcovers the entire range. In short, this will require3 different sets of pH papers, which are relativelyinexpensive. Jamlady believes any serious cannerwho is creating his or her own recipes shouldinvest in a pH meter and use it.When sugar is heated in the presence of an

acid, it breaks down into simple sugars glu-cose and fructose. These sugars accept thewater molecules from the pectin chains. Thepectins then bind to one another, forming aweb of pectin and a jell is formed. This jell

Processing Methods and Troubleshooting A 29

web holds the fruits together. The amount ofpectin in a fruit juice correlates to the viscos-ity of the fruit juice. The relative viscosity of afruit juice can be measured with a viscometer,jelmeter (if you can find one), or homemadeviscometer. (See Science-Projects.com for howto make one for seventy-five cents.) LM pectinworks differently and does not need added sugarfor the chemical reactions or jelling process totake place.

H OW DID THEY SEAL JARS IN 1899?Before jars were sealed with glass lids, “rub-

bers,” or metal lids with rubber seals, othermethods were used.

“For small families it is advisable to putthe fruits into pint jars. If jellies are put intotumblers, fit a round piece of paper dippedin brandy over the jelly, then cut anotherpiece of half an inch larger than the top ofthe tumbler, dip it in unbeaten white of eggand paste it over the tumbler; this will makeit air-tight and will protect the jelly frommolding. Another way is to pour meltedwhite wax over the jelly, then put on a tight-fitting cover or paste paper over. The waxmay be washed and laid aside when the jellyis served and used again. Still better way is todissolve one tablespoonful of salicylic acid inhalf a cup of alcohol, dip round pieces ofpaper in this and fit it neatly over the jelly,then paste another piece of paper dipped inwhite of egg over the top. But the best andsurest way is to put all jellies and mar-malades in pint or half-pint glass jars whichare perfectly air-tight, as fruit that is not air-tight will either ferment or mold” (GesineLemcke, Preserving and Pickling [New York:D. Appleton and Company, 1899], 1).

“Covering for Preserves. — Whitepaper, cut to a suitable size, dipped in

brandy, and put over the preserves whencold, and then a double paper tied over thetop. All preserves should stand a nightbefore they are covered. Instead of brandy,the white of eggs may be used to glaze thepaper covering; the paper may be pastedround the edge of the pot, instead of tied—it will exclude the air better; and may bepasted and tied too” (Mrs. M. E. Peterson,Peterson’s Preserving, Pickling & Canning—Fruit Manual [Philadelphia: G. Petersonand Company, 1869], 52).

Lemcke further states:

“H ow to put Fruit into Jars.— A goodway to put hot fruits into jars withoutcracking is to dip a towel into cold water,wring it out half dry, fold double and lay iton the kitchen table. Have the jars cleanand dry, set them on the wet towel, put anew rubber on each one, set the preservingkettle with the hot fruit near the jars and fillthem to overflowing.As soon as one isfilled put on cover (close tightly) and set thejar upside-down till cold. When all are filledwipe them off with a damp towel, examineeach one if perfectly air-tight, put them in acool, dry place; two days later examineagain and see if air-tight. Sometimes it isdifficult to get the jars tight. One or twoextra rubbers put on will in most cases rem-edy the fault” (Gesine Lemcke, Preservingand Pickling [New York: D. Appleton andCompany, 1899], 2).

Lemcke discusses the rolling-water-bathmethod, although she does not call it by name.

“How to can Fruit and Vegetables. —The best way for canning fruit and vegeta-bles is to have a canner, and if not handy aboiler will have to answer the purpose,

30 A THE JAMLADY COOKBOOK

which is filled half full of water and placedon the side of the stove. Some put two orthree layers of paper in the bottom of thekettle and lay something heavy on it to keepit in position; and others put hay or straw in.When the jars have been filled with fruit andsirup, they should be closed tightly, eachwrapped separately in a towel, hay or straw,and placed in the kettle; the jars should be atleast two inches under the water, and if bot-tles are boiled the water should reach oneinch below the cork. The kettle is thenplaced over the fire to boil. The time for boil-ing depends entirely on the fruit. Peachesshould boil from 20 to 30 minutes; apricots,20 minutes; pineapple, 45 minutes; berriesof all kinds, 5 minutes; cherries 5 to 10 min-utes; and quince about 25 minutes. Whenthe time for boiling is up, the jars should beremoved and set upside down till cold. Careshould be taken to put the jars when firsttaken from the water bath on a dry board ortowel, and not on a wet table, for the leastdrop of cold water will crack the jars. In casethe jars should not be quite full when takenfrom the bath, have ready some hot sirup,open the jars one at a time and quickly fillwith the sirup, close at once. As soon as thejars are cold wipe them clean, examine eachone if air- tight, and set in cool dry place”(Gesine Lemcke, Preserving and Pickling[New York: D. Appleton and Company,1899], 2-3)

Any food historian can readily see that thecanning concept is only partly understood byLemcke, as she recommends the jars be filled tothe very top, “overflowing.” Through the over-filling of the jars, the rate of nonsealing jars andexpiring jars increases. Present-day canning jarshave a fill line, indicated by the protruding glassridge approximately 3/4" from the top of the jar,allowing for a proper vacuum to be achieved.

An 1869 citation in Peterson’s Preserving,Pickling & Canning Fruit Manual suggests seal-ing-wax for fruit cans.

“Sealing-Wax for Fruit Cans — Takerosin, eight ounces; gum shellac, twoounces; bees’- wax, one-half ounce, and ifyou desire it colored, English vermilion,one and a half ounce. Melt the rosin, andstir in the vermilion, if used. Then add theshellac slowly, and afterwards the bees’-wax.This will make quite a quantity, and needsonly to be melted to be ready at anytime.”

Peterson also gives a recipe for cement for jars.

“To Make Cement for Jars. Common.— Take one-third bees’-wax and two-thirdsrosin, according to the quantity of cementrequired. Pound the rosin fine, and put itwith the wax to melt in any old vessel fitfor the purpose. When it is melted, take itoff the fire, and add powdered brick-dust,till it is as thick as melted sealing-wax.Then dip the bottle necks into the cement,and in a few minutes, the mixture will bedry” (Peterson, Preserving, Pickling &Canning [1869], 52).

As you can see, the history of canning isonly about two hundred years old, yet manyof the products canned now were still madeprior to 1810.M any pickles, such as mangopickles, were kept in vinegar and lasted up to twoyears. Heavily salted, spiced, pickled, or driedfoods, sugared syrups, or brandied fruits and fer-mented products were also quite common, aswere minced-meat formulations. As the conceptof vacuum-sealing and seal integrity was betterunderstood, canning evolved to sealing glass jarswith a metal lid and a rubber seal, the processnow used in home canning. Likewise, commer-cial metal cans are traceable to Napoleon’s era,

Processing Methods and Troubleshooting A 31

when the cans were sealed with lead, which sub-sequently caused lead poisoning in some ofNapoleon’s soldiers.

TW O SNIPPETS OF INFORMATIONJamlady just had to include the two last snip-

pets on canning techniques. Both are no longerdone for one reason or the other, but Jamladythought some of you younger people would liketo know about them . . . just because lots of peo-ple get lots of ideas. Always make sure you checkout the safety of any processing method you usebefore proceeding.The first method is that of preserving rhubarb

or other high-acid fruits in cold water, using atechnique known as cold-water canning.Jamlady has never done this and has never seen itperformed by someone who knew what theywere doing but would really like to talk to some-one who has practiced the technique successfullyor who may still be practicing the technique. Ofcourse, this method is not recognized as safe bythe USDA, and Jamlady is not recommendingits use, but it is interesting from a historicalaspect. Despite the air left in some of the fruittissues, this process apparently did work so longas the fruits were kept cool. Only high-acid fruitswere being “cold-water canned,” and the fruitswere not expected to be canned for as long asheat-canned products. Fruits most generallycanned in this manner were lemons, cranberries,green gooseberries, and rhubarb.

“Rhubarb Canned Cold — W ash andcut rhubarb in 1/2" pieces. Pack in cans. Placeunder cold water faucet and let the waterrun in and out for 20 minutes, filling thecans. Fasten cover on tight. — Mrs. C. H.W oolsey” (De Ne Paltz Keuken Boek, [NewPaltz, New York: Committee of the Ladiesof the Reformed Church, 1923], 59).

“Canned Rhubarb — Pare rhubarb andcut into small pieces. Pack in a jar, put undercold water faucet, and let water run 20 min-utes, then screw on cover. Rhubarb canningin this way has often been known to keep ayear” (What to Cook and How to Cook It—abooklet given out by the Kingston SavingsBank, 273 W all Street, Kingston, New York,n.d. [value on top: 25 cents]).

The last snippet of information came toJamlady’s attention when a professor, Dr.ZoeAnn Holmes of Oregon State University,showed Jamlady a small 4" x 6" booklet entitledThe Romance of Jelly Making and How to MakeJam without Cooking or Boiling Using M.C.P. Jamand Jelly Pectin. This booklet shows the M.C.P.Jelly-Making Set and Process and cites theirpatent numbers as 2231273 and 2235028. Thiskit contained a forked holder for holding a jellybag, an M.C.P. jelly bag, a metal holder, a sam-ple of a pure cellulose tissue, and the littleromance book. What the jam maker was to dowas to cook 10 sheets of pure cellulose (ordinary,white, unscented, cleansing tissues) in two quartsof water and to beat them up. After a couple ofsteps of beating, and cooking it with more water,the pulp was ready to put into the jelly bag withthe fruit for extraction. W ild, right? This was themethod of fruit-juice extraction. The bag wassqueezed with the tool provided, and there wasno twelve-hour wait for your extracted juice. Thecompany touted their product as providing morejuice per extraction: “The Extra Juice you get

32 A THE JAMLADY COOKBOOK

with the M. C. P. Jelly Set, more than pays forthe Pectin.”

“IMPORTANT NOTE—In preparingfruits, the finer you crush them before addingthe cellulose pulp, and the more thoroughlyyou mix this pulp with the crushed fruit, theeasier and more completely you can press outthe juice (using the method described onpages 4 and 5)” (The Romance of Jelly Makingand How to Make Jam without Cooking orBoiling Using M.C.P. Jam and Jelly Pectin[Anaheim, California: Mutual CitrusProducts, Co., Inc., 1953], 5-6).

Again, Jamlady would love to talk to someone

who has actually done this method. She can onlyassume that it is no longer practiced because (1)no one liked the idea, (2) the formulation of cel-lulose tissues changed, or (3) the company wentout of business. Jamlady’s mother, Doris, neverheard of the process. Her first utterance uponhearing of the technique was “Disgusting!”Jamlady’s Aunt Grace, upon hearing a descrip-tion of the technique and being asked if she everused the method, replied, “Never!” So, Jamladydoesn’t think too many women liked the idea.Still, Jamlady is curious. Has anyone out thereworked for the Mutual Citrus ProductsCompany, Inc., in Anaheim, California, or usedan M.C.P. Jelly-Making Kit? If so, Jamladywould like to talk to you.

Processing Methods and Troubleshooting A 33