5 ms·

We can jams with summer berry picking (strawberry, wild grape, black caps) to enjoy throughout the year, and just our inability to find lids was stupendous. Tho

We can jams with summer berry picking (strawberry, wild grape, black caps) to enjoy throughout the year, and just our inability to find lids was stupendous. Those little discs that cannot be reused after they’ve been sealed used to be everywhere, until they were nowhere early in the pandemic.

ianai 6y ago
Why can’t they be reused?
- BooneJS 6y ago
  They don’t re-seal. You can use them for dry goods storage or freezer jam, but if you need a seal for room temperature storage or cellar storage, they’re no good anymore.
  - Scoundreller 6y ago
    Nobody has DIY’d a layer of something that you could apply as a thin liquid layer that would seal up at boiling temperatures?
    - BooneJS 6y ago
      Not that I know of. The lids have been so cheap that no one cared.
      - wolco2 6y ago
        And the high cost of wasting jam makes local experimenting unwise.
        dragontamer 6y ago
        And if you mess this up, food poisoning can blind and/or kill you. Food sitting around at room temperature for 6 months or 2 years is not really a process you want to be experimenting with... I guess the cans have the "clicky click" to ensure safety. But this is actually life-or-death: you don't want to mess this up at any step of the process.
    - jrmg 6y ago
      Until recently (in the ‘humans making jam’ scheme of things, at least) melted paraffin wax was commonly used for this. It’s now considered unsafe.
      - Scoundreller 6y ago
        Ah, i didn’t mean as a food-covering layer, but applying a ring around the jar-lid mating surface. We’re just making a gasket here, no?
        oh_sigh 6y ago
        Just a gasket, but you need to be really confident it maintains its sealant properties for years, or else you get botulism and die when you eat your jam
        danielodievich 6y ago
        Very true. Years ago I tried canning italian plums. I didn't think anyone else in my househoold will like them, so I decided to experiment. I thought I'd try for a light syrup so I used 1/3 of the sugar - some recipes in the 1939 Kerr canning cookbook that I have called for that, with paraffin on top. Plus, I decided to reuse some of the previously used lids, being too cheap that specific year. They turned out beautiful to look at and went into my pantry Well, about a month later, I was awoken in the middle of the night by explosion from downstairs. 2 jars exploded, most of those jars were fermenting, some had really nasty organic growth scum on it, and the cleanup was quite terrible. I think it was the lack of sugar, not the lids, but lid reuse didn't help. Key takeaway - always use the right amount of sugar (1:1, even if it seems like you're pouring white death on), and never reuse lids.
        jelliclesfarm 6y ago
        I ferment garlic cloves in honey. You have to ‘burp’ them. Ditto with kimchi. Also..this is why I always preserve fruit in alcohol. Why not?
        6y ago
  - jrmg 6y ago
    Have you tried it? We have some we’ve been reusing for years for jam and chutney making and they always reseal.
- dragontamer 6y ago
  They're talking about the actual canning process. When you can using those lids: you melt the sealant due to the high temperature (boiling, or above-boiling using a pressure-canner). The sealant forms an airtight-seal for the can, protecting your jams for literally years even at room temperature. --------- For "normies" who don't can, use the grey plastic "Ball Leakproof Lid", which has numerous superior properties for non-canners. In particular: plastic does NOT rust, they're more eminently reusable. With that being said: cheap one-time-use bands + lids are good for dry goods and non-sealing purposes. If you simply put your cans in the refrigerator, they're sufficient to be reused (as long as they don't rust).
  - dehrmann 6y ago
    Adding onto this, the way you usually remove the lids is to pry them off, deforming part of the lid.
tgsovlerkhgsel 6y ago
I haven't seen how it's done today, but I remember my grandparents canning and they used (reusable, IIRC) rubber gaskets like these: https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41ANtsDx7tL._AC_UL600_SR591,600_.jpg https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41ANtsDx7tL...
brucetim 6y ago
I've been canning for many years. Learned it from my grandmother while I was growing up, but she did the super old-school wax seals. A game changer for me are Tattler reusable lids: http://tattlerproducts.com http://tattlerproducts.com I bought some big bags of both the "regular" and wide-mouth lids/gaskets several years ago and have never worried about the metal lids that come with the jars when they're new (got them saved in a separate box "just in case" and also use them occasionally when I'm gifting canned goods). There is a slight difference in the way to tighten the lids during processing, but the occasional "didn't seal" is usually my fault, and we just eat the contents of that jar sooner rather than putting it on the shelf. If you do any volume, or don't want to get stuck without metal lids, I cannot recommend the Tattler lids enough! Be sure to get the originals; there are some knock-off brands which are not made with the BPA-free plastic, don't last as long, etc.

ianai 6y ago

Why can’t they be reused?

BooneJS 6y ago
They don’t re-seal. You can use them for dry goods storage or freezer jam, but if you need a seal for room temperature storage or cellar storage, they’re no good anymore.
- Scoundreller 6y ago
  Nobody has DIY’d a layer of something that you could apply as a thin liquid layer that would seal up at boiling temperatures?
  - BooneJS 6y ago
    Not that I know of. The lids have been so cheap that no one cared.
    - wolco2 6y ago
      And the high cost of wasting jam makes local experimenting unwise.
      - dragontamer 6y ago
        And if you mess this up, food poisoning can blind and/or kill you. Food sitting around at room temperature for 6 months or 2 years is not really a process you want to be experimenting with... I guess the cans have the "clicky click" to ensure safety. But this is actually life-or-death: you don't want to mess this up at any step of the process.
  - jrmg 6y ago
    Until recently (in the ‘humans making jam’ scheme of things, at least) melted paraffin wax was commonly used for this. It’s now considered unsafe.
    - Scoundreller 6y ago
      Ah, i didn’t mean as a food-covering layer, but applying a ring around the jar-lid mating surface. We’re just making a gasket here, no?
      - oh_sigh 6y ago
        Just a gasket, but you need to be really confident it maintains its sealant properties for years, or else you get botulism and die when you eat your jam
        danielodievich 6y ago
        Very true. Years ago I tried canning italian plums. I didn't think anyone else in my househoold will like them, so I decided to experiment. I thought I'd try for a light syrup so I used 1/3 of the sugar - some recipes in the 1939 Kerr canning cookbook that I have called for that, with paraffin on top. Plus, I decided to reuse some of the previously used lids, being too cheap that specific year. They turned out beautiful to look at and went into my pantry Well, about a month later, I was awoken in the middle of the night by explosion from downstairs. 2 jars exploded, most of those jars were fermenting, some had really nasty organic growth scum on it, and the cleanup was quite terrible. I think it was the lack of sugar, not the lids, but lid reuse didn't help. Key takeaway - always use the right amount of sugar (1:1, even if it seems like you're pouring white death on), and never reuse lids.
        jelliclesfarm 6y ago
        I ferment garlic cloves in honey. You have to ‘burp’ them. Ditto with kimchi. Also..this is why I always preserve fruit in alcohol. Why not?
        6y ago
- jrmg 6y ago
  Have you tried it? We have some we’ve been reusing for years for jam and chutney making and they always reseal.
dragontamer 6y ago
They're talking about the actual canning process. When you can using those lids: you melt the sealant due to the high temperature (boiling, or above-boiling using a pressure-canner). The sealant forms an airtight-seal for the can, protecting your jams for literally years even at room temperature. --------- For "normies" who don't can, use the grey plastic "Ball Leakproof Lid", which has numerous superior properties for non-canners. In particular: plastic does NOT rust, they're more eminently reusable. With that being said: cheap one-time-use bands + lids are good for dry goods and non-sealing purposes. If you simply put your cans in the refrigerator, they're sufficient to be reused (as long as they don't rust).
- dehrmann 6y ago
  Adding onto this, the way you usually remove the lids is to pry them off, deforming part of the lid.

tgsovlerkhgsel 6y ago

I haven't seen how it's done today, but I remember my grandparents canning and they used (reusable, IIRC) rubber gaskets like these: https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41ANtsDx7tL._AC_UL600_SR591,600_.jpg https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41ANtsDx7tL...

brucetim 6y ago

I've been canning for many years. Learned it from my grandmother while I was growing up, but she did the super old-school wax seals. A game changer for me are Tattler reusable lids: http://tattlerproducts.com http://tattlerproducts.com I bought some big bags of both the "regular" and wide-mouth lids/gaskets several years ago and have never worried about the metal lids that come with the jars when they're new (got them saved in a separate box "just in case" and also use them occasionally when I'm gifting canned goods). There is a slight difference in the way to tighten the lids during processing, but the occasional "didn't seal" is usually my fault, and we just eat the contents of that jar sooner rather than putting it on the shelf. If you do any volume, or don't want to get stuck without metal lids, I cannot recommend the Tattler lids enough! Be sure to get the originals; there are some knock-off brands which are not made with the BPA-free plastic, don't last as long, etc.