Water Bath Canning Explained - What, When, How
It may come as no surprise that I enjoy canning and preserving food! I love being able to take fresh, seasonal produce from our garden and making something with it, enjoying it later out of season.
That moment when you want to make your grandma's secret tomato sauce, but you don't currently have fresh tomatoes on hand. And then, lightbulb moment, you remember your stash of canned tomato sauce! Or you are craving something salty and you got pickled dill cucumbers to go. It is so convenient!
Bonus: Scroll down to the bottom, there are some fun free printables waiting to be downloaded!
What is Canning?
Canning involves processing food in glass ball canning jars at high temperatures. The heat destroys food contaminants and removes air from the jars and the food itself. As the jar cools down, the lid sucks down onto the jar and forms a seal.
Because all the air is sucked out, which bacteria and organisms need to survive, it prevents recontamination and destroys microorganisms that could spoil the food. This allows for your canned foods to be stored for long periods of time.
There are two methods to canning - water bath canning and pressure canning. Today, I will focus on water bath canning, which is my preferred method for most of my canned food.
Water bath canning is used for high acidic foods with a ph of 4.6 or lower. This includes most fruit except bananas, pickles, melon, papaya, and watermelon. Tomatoes have pH levels of between 4.2 to 4.9, so tomatoes can also be canned this way by adding an acidic solution like vinegar.
Other foods that are great to make include relish, pickles, apple slices and sauce, pickles beets & carrots (note that they need to be pickled first), jellies, jams, sauerkraut, and olives.
Pressure canning is used for low acidic foods with a pH of more than 4.6. These foods must be pressure cooked at high temps for long periods. This will ensure the risk of all foodborne illnesses is eliminated. Otherwise, you risk getting botulism which could be deadly. Low acidic foods include most veggies and meat.
Water Bath Canning
So what is water bath canning? It is the process where filled jars are covered in boiling water for a specific time determined by the type of food and size of the jar. Like bathing the jars in a can!
Water bathing will destroy inactive enzymes that might affect the color, flavor, and texture during storage. It drives your added acidic products such as vinegar into the food product itself, destroying any active enzymes and removing all air bubbles. Water bath canning is also the safest procedure between the two methods.
Water bath canning can never replace pressure canning, no matter how long you boil it. Low acidic foods require a temperature of 240 Fahrenheit degrees to kill all harmful bacteria. You will never get that through water bath canning, as it will only reach 212 Fahrenheit degrees. High acidic foods require less heating than low acidic foods, so it only needs to reach pasteurization temperature with water bath canning.
The most common type of spoils that you can get with high acidic foods that have not been sufficiently sealed is yeast or malt. You will see visible mold growth on top of the container, and yeast spoilage will cause a cloudy liquid. Avoid eating any of these canned products when you suspect spoilage.
I've got a free printable for you to download HERE on all the dos and don’ts on water bath canning.
Canning food products may seem like a difficult task left for experts, but I assure you it's easier than it sounds! Anyone can make these delicious pickled foods, jams, and so much more in the comfort of their home with only a few simple steps and tools.
If you would like to know the exact steps, you can have a read HERE. It details the 10 steps to successful canning, followed by a delicious garlic basil tomato sauce recipe.
HERE is an easy step-by-step printable you can download to quickly refer to when needed.
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