03 Feb Wed 2010
Hosting the Warren County Herbal Guild
The Warren County Herbal Guild enjoyed a bit of jam last night as they met in our cannery. I gave basic canning guidelines, but most women were experienced canners and had great questions:
Q: Can you can with the store-bought pasta sauce jars that look like Mason jars?
A: Yes! They are really canning jars. But avoid other jars like mayo and pickle jars. Their glass walls aren't strong enough to withstand high heat.
Q: What is the shelf-life of canned goods?
A: About 2 years. Some say only one, but I find that the flavor is good until the 2 year mark. However, some recipes won't hold long. I open curds within 4 months, and juice within 1 year. If the product is dark on top, the acid in the fruit has waned (like sliced apples that haven't been dipped in Fruit Fresh or lemon juice). Still edible, but some flavor is lost.
Jan Carrier (our favorite Norwegian) gave background on the cheese I served. Norwegian Gjetost cheese was thick, rich, and caramel in color. Cheese with warm baguette and fresh jam was wonderful. Jan said Gjetost is a Norwegian staple.
Not much clean-up because there was no food left! Not one slice of baguette - and most of the jam jars were scraped dry! My kind of foodies... Thanks, ladies, I had a spectacular time...
We had such a lovely time. Sonya is a font of interesting info. her jams and jellies are do die for. I hope we can all play again soon. Thanks for such a grand evening!!
I'm so glad you had a "grand evening!" Miss Wendy! I truly enjoyed speaking with such an experience group of canners and foodies. Keep me posted on your meetings. I really enjoyed reconnecting with these lovely ladies!
I too had a great time. Sonya has inspired me to to try canning again, which I haven't done for a long time. What a great way to extend the enjoyment of local grown produce and know where your food is coming from. I'll be seeing her at the farmers market and always enjoy buying a jar of jam once in awhile. Thanks again.
If you are referring to the "Classico" pasta sauce jars, they state on their website that their jars are not to be used for home canning. It is the first question on their FAQ:
http://www.classico.com/FAQ.aspx
First of all, thanks, Ernest, for reading this blog! No, I should have been more specific, as we were in our meeting. Some pasta sauces (very few) are actually canned in canning jars. Five Brothers (which I believe is now Bertolli) was sold in a true Mason jar: thick walled and ready to be used for personal canning. Their CS reps assured me of this. Thanks for the question!
Thanks! That is good to know ... I'll look for that brand. Classico ticks me off, since their jars say "mason" and look like they could be used. I think they should have "not for home canning" embossed on the side, like the canning jar drinking mugs do.