Will botulism growing in my home-canned vegetables pop the lid?

Question

I remember that in my biology class in high school the teacher told showed us a puffed up can of pineapples which he claimed had botulism in it.

Is that remotely true? and if so, can I tell if my canned ketchup has botulism in it through the same "method"? and if so how long might that take?

Answer

One reason botulism is so scary is that you can's see, smell, or taste the bacteria growing in there. The only way to know for sure if botulism is growing in food is to have it tested by a laboratory.

Fortunately, though, you can see its evidence.

Yes, a puffed-up can or a jar w/ the lid popped up means something's growing in there. Discard the material; do not consume it.

Discard a metal can if there's any visible opening, no matter how small, if the ends are bulging, if the seam doesn't look intact, or if there's a leak.

Discard a jar if the jar appears cracked at all, if the pop-top doesn't pop when opened (meaning there's no longer a vacuum inside), or if the seal appears damaged.

As for how long it takes for a problem to arise, I'm not sure; I've had the same question.

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How long should I wait until I put new jars in?

Question

Currently canning some banana peppers. I have a large stock pot set up with a 3 jar canning rack. I just finished a round of jars in the stock pot and the water was boiling. How cool should I let the water get before I put the next round of jars in to start heating up? I don't want to break my jars by putting them into the pot when its too hot.

I realize this is an inefficient way to do this, but I don't have another pot big enough to heat my jars (the only other one that is close currently has my hot vinegar solution in it).

Answer

Preheat the jars with hot tap water, and then just dump them in the boiling water (with tongs or other appropriate utensil, of course).

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I wanted to make homemade pickles, does it matter what type of salt I use?

Question

I've got the spices, jars, etc. I was wondering if there is a special salt, or can I just use table salt?

Answer

One thing you also might want to consider when making pickles is the process of heating versus not. I recently learned that the crispy store bought pickles are pickled at low temps (my preferred method), where as softer pickles were most likely heated first. Not sure which method you are using, but this may help as you move forward. My step-mother recently made some awesome pickles with chilies and dill and garlic but heated them first in the canning process and they turned out a bit too soft for my liking.

Regarding salt... I happen to agree with Adam's comment on the brine. I usually confirm salt is dissolved before it goes into the pickling solution, so it's not a problem. In that respect, a good quality salt, regardless of shape and size should be used (feel free to grind it in a mortar with a pestle if you think it should be finer). I happen to use coarse Kosher from Morton for most things...

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Method of canning without pressure canner?

Question

I'm debating canning but I don't have a pressure canner. I was just wondering what the best method to can would be since I don't want to get botulism and I want the canned food to last for a long time.

Answer

Without a canner you are limited to canning high-acid foods.

Botulism spores don't die at 212F, the boiling point of water. A pressure canner boiling water at 15PSI raises the boiling point to 250F or so which will kill the spores.

Acid will also kill the spores and so high-acid foods such as fruit and pickles do not need to be processed in a pressure canner. Look for recipes for such foods. As use2199 said they will involve boiling the jars for a while to kill things.

An excellent resource is the Ball Blue Book that can often be found near the canning supplies in grocery stores. It always calls for Ball products of course but it has a ton of good canning recipes and instructions.

Don't experiment. Botulism is not a fun thing. Your lips get tingly and then you die shortly aftwards.

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