The Amish Canning Cookbook Read Online Free PDF Page B

beef and then placed the Tattlers on the jars according to the package directions, which read, “Screw band on jar loosely. Center lid on jar and hold in place with finger while tightening the metal screw band finger-tip tight. Do not overtighten . Product must be allowed to vent during processing.”
    Those directions seemed straightforward when I read them, but I quickly realized that “finger-tip tight” was subjective. What, I wondered, did “finger-tip tight” actually entail? Not easily daunted, I screwed the lids on, placed the jars in my pressure canner, and processed them. I was feeling pretty smug, thinking about all the money I planned on saving over the next twenty years.
    Processing complete. Screw bands immediately tightened, per instructions. Cooling period over. Now came the exciting part—to remove the screw bands and test for a seal. It never occurred to me that I could run into any difficulty…but I did. I had slightly more than a 40 percent failure rate. That amounts to four of my nine jars not sealing. I was flabbergasted and more than a little frustrated.
    So I researched some more. I called the helpful folks at Tattler and I got online and read blog posts about other people’s experiences. After a lot of input, I decided to try using Tattlers again. But for the next several loads, I only did half the load with Tattlers and half the usual way with the two-piece rings and seals. I had success, and I’m growing to like reusables very much.
    Tips for Success
    Basically you’ll either be using Tattlers correctly, or not. And there is a learning curve, so don’t get frustrated if you experience sealing failures in the beginning like I did. Keep tweaking your procedure and you’ll eventually figure out what works for your personal canning style. The crux of canning with Tattlers seems to come when tightening the lids on the jars before processing, so that is the step you should think about and change up slightly if you have problems. To help you get a feel for this step, here are different ways to say the same thing—that is, how to successfully tighten the band in order to produce a seal when using a Tattler:
• Put the lid on the jar and hold it in place with your finger while tightening the metal screw band finger-tip tight. Don’t overtighten as the food in the jar needs to vent during processing.
• Place the lid and screw band on the jar and screw it in place just like you do your regular two-piece lids. Then back off and loosen the screw band about a quarter of an inch so the food can vent during processing.
• Place the lid and screw band on the jar and tighten the band just until the grooves catch on the ridges of the jar. Don’t screw on tight because the food needs to vent during processing.
    Hopefully one of these descriptions will resonate and you won’t have a rocky beginning like I had.
    You might want to consider canning half your load with Tattlers and half your load with regular two-piece lids and bands until you’re comfortable using them. That way, if you experience seal failure while you’re learning you won’t have multiple jars of unsealed food to eat in a hurry.
    You can also practice using Tattlers by filling them with water and simply canning a few trial loads to see what your success rate is. That way you won’t be wasting food if the jars don’t seal. Keep at it until you have successfully canned several complete canner loads with all the jars sealed.
    Removing Lids
    When opening jars of food that have been canned with the regular two-piece rings and seals, it’s a simple matter to grab a bottle opener and pop the lid off the jar. But with Tattlers, you’ll need to do things a bit differently once again.
    Because you want to save and reuse the plastic lids and gaskets, you must exercise care when opening your jars. Here’s how Tattler describes the process: “When removing lid, gently insert table knife between rubber and jar to release seal— do not use