To clear up some confusion about water bath canning versus pressure canning we just want to go over some basics. This is especially important because you are preserving food that you hope will increase your chances of survival in some kind of life-changing event. Therefore you want to make sure what you are preserving will be just as healthy and safe the day you eat it as it was the day you canned it.
Also known as “boiling water canning” this method performs by boiling the jars of food for a specified amount of time. Here are a few basic guidelines:
As the name implies pressure, as in steam pressure, is used to process the jars of food, using a pot with a lid that fastens securely allowing pressure to build up as that water inside heats. Here are a few basic guidelines:
Open kettle canning is basically heating up the food to boiling, then placing it in hot jars and immediately putting a lid and ring on. However, instead of then processing the jars in some type of canner, you leave the jars sitting out and allow the heat of the food to “seal” the jars. You’ll get that satisfying ping when the lid seals, BUT…
Without processing either by water bath canning or pressure canning, the temperature doesn’t get hot enough to kill off all bacteria. Therefore you are basically canning up jars of painful death. It is NOT worth it.
Remember the whole reason for preserving food is for survival. Opening a jar of food you canned in this dangerous method is a gamble, and in a future where medical care might not be guaranteed its a sure dance with death.
Again only water bath canning and pressure canning produce enough heat to kill the bacteria that cause botulism, so despite what you see on YouTube don’t experiment with other canning methods, such as:
Also avoid using:
While it may appear that danger is everywhere with home canning, whether by water bath canning or pressure canning, by following a few simple guidelines for safety you can be enjoying healthy preserved food well into the future. A lot of it is common sense and trying not to cut corners.
Return from Water Bath Canning to Survival Food Storage
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