This problem has been plaguing me for some time. Being the macho type, I've
been trying to solve it myself -- with no success.
My latest venture was ten pints of peaches. I used the USDA canning
guide that calls for either hot water bath or pressure. I chose pressure (as
I have done in the past). My home is at 2,300, more or less, feet MSL. The
guide called for 10 minutes at 10 PSI, weighted gauge. I did the hot-pack
with 1/2 inch headspace, as directed.
The finished product came out sealed well -- all caps snapped down --
but with 1-1/2 to 2 inches less fluid (light syrup) exposing fruit at the
top. And, the fruit floats about an inch or more off the bottom of the jar.
The first time this happened, a couple or few maybe several years ago, I
had a pal run some culture tests in a lab. The tests were totally negative
for any bacteria.
After a few months, the fruit poking out of the syrup darkens slightly,
but not dramatically. It also tested negative.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

Regards,

Casey

Casey wrote:
> This problem has been plaguing me for some time. Being the macho type,
> I've been trying to solve it myself -- with no success.
> My latest venture was ten pints of peaches. I used the USDA canning
> guide that calls for either hot water bath or pressure. I chose pressure
> (as I have done in the past). My home is at 2,300, more or less, feet
> MSL. The guide called for 10 minutes at 10 PSI, weighted gauge. I did
> the hot-pack with 1/2 inch headspace, as directed.
> The finished product came out sealed well -- all caps snapped down
> -- but with 1-1/2 to 2 inches less fluid (light syrup) exposing fruit
> at the top. And, the fruit floats about an inch or more off the bottom
> of the jar.
> The first time this happened, a couple or few maybe several years
> ago, I had a pal run some culture tests in a lab. The tests were totally
> negative for any bacteria.
> After a few months, the fruit poking out of the syrup darkens
> slightly, but not dramatically. It also tested negative.
>
> Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
>
> Regards,
>
> Casey

I'll take a guess Casey. Looks like you had a pressure variation in your
pressure canner and some liquid from the jars was lost. I put up fruit
each year using the boiling water bath method as I live at sea level.
But have lost liquid in pressure canning tomatoes at sea level when I
slipped and let the pressure vary by a lb or more while trying to hold
at 11 lbs.

The latest USDA guide from the University of Georgia ag division, "So
Easy to Preserve," page 49 says that at altitudes above 1500 feet you
should pressure can fruit at 10 lbs using a weighted gauge canner. If
you have a dial gauge pressure canner you should pressure can at 7 lbs
between 1001-4000 feet. I take it you have a weighted gauge canner which
would lead me to believe you had some pressure fluctuations while you
were canning the peaches. HTH

"George Shirley" > wrote in message
...
> Casey wrote:
>> This problem has been plaguing me for some time. Being the macho type,
>> I've been trying to solve it myself -- with no success.
>> My latest venture was ten pints of peaches. I used the USDA canning
>> guide that calls for either hot water bath or pressure. I chose pressure
>> (as I have done in the past). My home is at 2,300, more or less, feet
>> MSL. The guide called for 10 minutes at 10 PSI, weighted gauge. I did the
>> hot-pack with 1/2 inch headspace, as directed.
>> The finished product came out sealed well -- all caps snapped down --
>> but with 1-1/2 to 2 inches less fluid (light syrup) exposing fruit at the
>> top. And, the fruit floats about an inch or more off the bottom of the
>> jar.
>> The first time this happened, a couple or few maybe several years ago,
>> I had a pal run some culture tests in a lab. The tests were totally
>> negative for any bacteria.
>> After a few months, the fruit poking out of the syrup darkens
>> slightly, but not dramatically. It also tested negative.
>>
>> Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Casey
>
> I'll take a guess Casey. Looks like you had a pressure variation in your
> pressure canner and some liquid from the jars was lost. I put up fruit
> each year using the boiling water bath method as I live at sea level. But
> have lost liquid in pressure canning tomatoes at sea level when I slipped
> and let the pressure vary by a lb or more while trying to hold at 11 lbs.
>
> The latest USDA guide from the University of Georgia ag division, "So Easy
> to Preserve," page 49 says that at altitudes above 1500 feet you should
> pressure can fruit at 10 lbs using a weighted gauge canner. If you have a
> dial gauge pressure canner you should pressure can at 7 lbs between
> 1001-4000 feet. I take it you have a weighted gauge canner which would
> lead me to believe you had some pressure fluctuations while you were
> canning the peaches. HTH


And another cause of loss of product from jars is cooling down the pressure
cooker too fast. If the pressure is reduced too quickly the product will
boil up and spill over the rim of the jar. My experience has been to turn
off the heat and leave things alone until the pressure canner "releases"
itself. Even though the wait seems interminable. Good luck.

Lamont

On Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:40:25 GMT, "lamont cranston"
> wrote:

>
>"George Shirley" > wrote in message
m...
>> Casey wrote:
>>> This problem has been plaguing me for some time. Being the macho type,
>>> I've been trying to solve it myself -- with no success.
>>> My latest venture was ten pints of peaches. I used the USDA canning
>>> guide that calls for either hot water bath or pressure. I chose pressure
>>> (as I have done in the past). My home is at 2,300, more or less, feet
>>> MSL. The guide called for 10 minutes at 10 PSI, weighted gauge. I did the
>>> hot-pack with 1/2 inch headspace, as directed.
>>> The finished product came out sealed well -- all caps snapped down --
>>> but with 1-1/2 to 2 inches less fluid (light syrup) exposing fruit at the
>>> top. And, the fruit floats about an inch or more off the bottom of the
>>> jar.
>>> The first time this happened, a couple or few maybe several years ago,
>>> I had a pal run some culture tests in a lab. The tests were totally
>>> negative for any bacteria.
>>> After a few months, the fruit poking out of the syrup darkens
>>> slightly, but not dramatically. It also tested negative.
>>>
>>> Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>> Casey
>>
>> I'll take a guess Casey. Looks like you had a pressure variation in your
>> pressure canner and some liquid from the jars was lost. I put up fruit
>> each year using the boiling water bath method as I live at sea level. But
>> have lost liquid in pressure canning tomatoes at sea level when I slipped
>> and let the pressure vary by a lb or more while trying to hold at 11 lbs.
>>
>> The latest USDA guide from the University of Georgia ag division, "So Easy
>> to Preserve," page 49 says that at altitudes above 1500 feet you should
>> pressure can fruit at 10 lbs using a weighted gauge canner. If you have a
>> dial gauge pressure canner you should pressure can at 7 lbs between
>> 1001-4000 feet. I take it you have a weighted gauge canner which would
>> lead me to believe you had some pressure fluctuations while you were
>> canning the peaches. HTH
>
>
>And another cause of loss of product from jars is cooling down the pressure
>cooker too fast. If the pressure is reduced too quickly the product will
>boil up and spill over the rim of the jar. My experience has been to turn
>off the heat and leave things alone until the pressure canner "releases"
>itself. Even though the wait seems interminable. Good luck.
>
>Lamont
>

From time to time I have finished a pressure canner at bedtime. I
just turn off the heat and open it the next morning. Works very well.
I am not tempted to rush things.
--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

The Cook wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:40:25 GMT, "lamont cranston"
> > wrote:
>
>> "George Shirley" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> Casey wrote:
>>>> This problem has been plaguing me for some time. Being the macho type,
>>>> I've been trying to solve it myself -- with no success.
>>>> My latest venture was ten pints of peaches. I used the USDA canning
>>>> guide that calls for either hot water bath or pressure. I chose pressure
>>>> (as I have done in the past). My home is at 2,300, more or less, feet
>>>> MSL. The guide called for 10 minutes at 10 PSI, weighted gauge. I did the
>>>> hot-pack with 1/2 inch headspace, as directed.
>>>> The finished product came out sealed well -- all caps snapped down --
>>>> but with 1-1/2 to 2 inches less fluid (light syrup) exposing fruit at the
>>>> top. And, the fruit floats about an inch or more off the bottom of the
>>>> jar.
>>>> The first time this happened, a couple or few maybe several years ago,
>>>> I had a pal run some culture tests in a lab. The tests were totally
>>>> negative for any bacteria.
>>>> After a few months, the fruit poking out of the syrup darkens
>>>> slightly, but not dramatically. It also tested negative.
>>>>
>>>> Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Casey
>>> I'll take a guess Casey. Looks like you had a pressure variation in your
>>> pressure canner and some liquid from the jars was lost. I put up fruit
>>> each year using the boiling water bath method as I live at sea level. But
>>> have lost liquid in pressure canning tomatoes at sea level when I slipped
>>> and let the pressure vary by a lb or more while trying to hold at 11 lbs.
>>>
>>> The latest USDA guide from the University of Georgia ag division, "So Easy
>>> to Preserve," page 49 says that at altitudes above 1500 feet you should
>>> pressure can fruit at 10 lbs using a weighted gauge canner. If you have a
>>> dial gauge pressure canner you should pressure can at 7 lbs between
>>> 1001-4000 feet. I take it you have a weighted gauge canner which would
>>> lead me to believe you had some pressure fluctuations while you were
>>> canning the peaches. HTH
>>
>> And another cause of loss of product from jars is cooling down the pressure
>> cooker too fast. If the pressure is reduced too quickly the product will
>> boil up and spill over the rim of the jar. My experience has been to turn
>> off the heat and leave things alone until the pressure canner "releases"
>> itself. Even though the wait seems interminable. Good luck.
>>
>> Lamont
>>
>
> From time to time I have finished a pressure canner at bedtime. I
> just turn off the heat and open it the next morning. Works very well.
> I am not tempted to rush things.

I use a dial gauge canner and I don't do anything until the gauge shows
zero pressure and is cool to the touch.

On Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:30:02 -0500, George Shirley
> wrote:

>The Cook wrote:
>> On Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:40:25 GMT, "lamont cranston"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>> "George Shirley" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> Casey wrote:
>>>>> This problem has been plaguing me for some time. Being the macho type,
>>>>> I've been trying to solve it myself -- with no success.
>>>>> My latest venture was ten pints of peaches. I used the USDA canning
>>>>> guide that calls for either hot water bath or pressure. I chose pressure
>>>>> (as I have done in the past). My home is at 2,300, more or less, feet
>>>>> MSL. The guide called for 10 minutes at 10 PSI, weighted gauge. I did the
>>>>> hot-pack with 1/2 inch headspace, as directed.
>>>>> The finished product came out sealed well -- all caps snapped down --
>>>>> but with 1-1/2 to 2 inches less fluid (light syrup) exposing fruit at the
>>>>> top. And, the fruit floats about an inch or more off the bottom of the
>>>>> jar.
>>>>> The first time this happened, a couple or few maybe several years ago,
>>>>> I had a pal run some culture tests in a lab. The tests were totally
>>>>> negative for any bacteria.
>>>>> After a few months, the fruit poking out of the syrup darkens
>>>>> slightly, but not dramatically. It also tested negative.
>>>>>
>>>>> Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
>>>>>
>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>
>>>>> Casey
>>>> I'll take a guess Casey. Looks like you had a pressure variation in your
>>>> pressure canner and some liquid from the jars was lost. I put up fruit
>>>> each year using the boiling water bath method as I live at sea level. But
>>>> have lost liquid in pressure canning tomatoes at sea level when I slipped
>>>> and let the pressure vary by a lb or more while trying to hold at 11 lbs.
>>>>
>>>> The latest USDA guide from the University of Georgia ag division, "So Easy
>>>> to Preserve," page 49 says that at altitudes above 1500 feet you should
>>>> pressure can fruit at 10 lbs using a weighted gauge canner. If you have a
>>>> dial gauge pressure canner you should pressure can at 7 lbs between
>>>> 1001-4000 feet. I take it you have a weighted gauge canner which would
>>>> lead me to believe you had some pressure fluctuations while you were
>>>> canning the peaches. HTH
>>>
>>> And another cause of loss of product from jars is cooling down the pressure
>>> cooker too fast. If the pressure is reduced too quickly the product will
>>> boil up and spill over the rim of the jar. My experience has been to turn
>>> off the heat and leave things alone until the pressure canner "releases"
>>> itself. Even though the wait seems interminable. Good luck.
>>>
>>> Lamont
>>>
>>
>> From time to time I have finished a pressure canner at bedtime. I
>> just turn off the heat and open it the next morning. Works very well.
>> I am not tempted to rush things.
>
>I use a dial gauge canner and I don't do anything until the gauge shows
>zero pressure and is cool to the touch.


The newer American Harvest canners have both gauge and the weight. The
weight jiggles to keep the pressure correct and I can look at the
gauge to see if it is getting too hot too fast and when the pressure
is down. If it starts jiggling too fast it time to turn down the
heat. I stay within ear shot. I am usually in the kitchen cleaning
up or getting ready for another batch.

After I got my last AH canner I called a dealer and asked if I could
modify mine. All it took was 2 parts:

All American Pressure Re 15.99

All American Vent Pipe 6 6.99


--
Susan N.

"Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral,
48 percent indignation, and 50 percent envy."
Vittorio De Sica, Italian movie director (1901-1974)

The Cook wrote:
> On Sat, 29 Aug 2009 11:30:02 -0500, George Shirley
> > wrote:
>
>> The Cook wrote:
>>> On Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:40:25 GMT, "lamont cranston"
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> "George Shirley" > wrote in message
>>>> ...
>>>>> Casey wrote:
>>>>>> This problem has been plaguing me for some time. Being the macho type,
>>>>>> I've been trying to solve it myself -- with no success.
>>>>>> My latest venture was ten pints of peaches. I used the USDA canning
>>>>>> guide that calls for either hot water bath or pressure. I chose pressure
>>>>>> (as I have done in the past). My home is at 2,300, more or less, feet
>>>>>> MSL. The guide called for 10 minutes at 10 PSI, weighted gauge. I did the
>>>>>> hot-pack with 1/2 inch headspace, as directed.
>>>>>> The finished product came out sealed well -- all caps snapped down --
>>>>>> but with 1-1/2 to 2 inches less fluid (light syrup) exposing fruit at the
>>>>>> top. And, the fruit floats about an inch or more off the bottom of the
>>>>>> jar.
>>>>>> The first time this happened, a couple or few maybe several years ago,
>>>>>> I had a pal run some culture tests in a lab. The tests were totally
>>>>>> negative for any bacteria.
>>>>>> After a few months, the fruit poking out of the syrup darkens
>>>>>> slightly, but not dramatically. It also tested negative.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Regards,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Casey
>>>>> I'll take a guess Casey. Looks like you had a pressure variation in your
>>>>> pressure canner and some liquid from the jars was lost. I put up fruit
>>>>> each year using the boiling water bath method as I live at sea level. But
>>>>> have lost liquid in pressure canning tomatoes at sea level when I slipped
>>>>> and let the pressure vary by a lb or more while trying to hold at 11 lbs.
>>>>>
>>>>> The latest USDA guide from the University of Georgia ag division, "So Easy
>>>>> to Preserve," page 49 says that at altitudes above 1500 feet you should
>>>>> pressure can fruit at 10 lbs using a weighted gauge canner. If you have a
>>>>> dial gauge pressure canner you should pressure can at 7 lbs between
>>>>> 1001-4000 feet. I take it you have a weighted gauge canner which would
>>>>> lead me to believe you had some pressure fluctuations while you were
>>>>> canning the peaches. HTH
>>>> And another cause of loss of product from jars is cooling down the pressure
>>>> cooker too fast. If the pressure is reduced too quickly the product will
>>>> boil up and spill over the rim of the jar. My experience has been to turn
>>>> off the heat and leave things alone until the pressure canner "releases"
>>>> itself. Even though the wait seems interminable. Good luck.
>>>>
>>>> Lamont
>>>>
>>> From time to time I have finished a pressure canner at bedtime. I
>>> just turn off the heat and open it the next morning. Works very well.
>>> I am not tempted to rush things.
>> I use a dial gauge canner and I don't do anything until the gauge shows
>> zero pressure and is cool to the touch.
>
>
> The newer American Harvest canners have both gauge and the weight. The
> weight jiggles to keep the pressure correct and I can look at the
> gauge to see if it is getting too hot too fast and when the pressure
> is down. If it starts jiggling too fast it time to turn down the
> heat. I stay within ear shot. I am usually in the kitchen cleaning
> up or getting ready for another batch.
>
> After I got my last AH canner I called a dealer and asked if I could
> modify mine. All it took was 2 parts:
>
> All American Pressure Re 15.99
>
> All American Vent Pipe 6 6.99
>
>
My old Sears canner also has a jiggler, it only jiggles at 17 lbs
according to the manual that came with it. Probably for the same purpose
your AH has one. I've never seen mine jiggle. I've been using the same
canner since 1965 (reckon we've gotten our money out of it) and know
just about when to crank the heat down or up.

I do wish I had kept track of how many jars of whatever we put up in
that thing over the years. While we were in Saudi Arabia we left it with
our daughter and she put up a lot of food for herself and her three kids.

A dozen decades ago, more or less (mostly less) on or abouts:
28 Aug 2009 18:00:31 GMT, "Casey" <( - redacted - )> wrote:

>This problem has been plaguing me for some time. Being the macho type, I've
>been trying to solve it myself -- with no success.
> My latest venture was ten pints of peaches. I used the USDA canning
>guide that calls for either hot water bath or pressure. I chose pressure (as
>I have done in the past). My home is at 2,300, more or less, feet MSL. The
>guide called for 10 minutes at 10 PSI, weighted gauge. I did the hot-pack
>with 1/2 inch headspace, as directed.
> The finished product came out sealed well -- all caps snapped down --
>but with 1-1/2 to 2 inches less fluid (light syrup) exposing fruit at the
>top. And, the fruit floats about an inch or more off the bottom of the jar.
> The first time this happened, a couple or few maybe several years ago, I
>had a pal run some culture tests in a lab. The tests were totally negative
>for any bacteria.
> After a few months, the fruit poking out of the syrup darkens slightly,
>but not dramatically. It also tested negative.
>
>Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?
>
>Regards,
>
>Casey

1) Processing: Mr. Wilson almost certainly was not doing anything wrong.
2) Quality of stuff to can: Yup, that.
Hey, sometimes you've no choice in what you put by.
'Kay, tired of that format.
-
It was the peaches. The trees didn't get enough water and filled the peaches
with air instead of the much better water
If eaten, the peaches would have been mealy in texture, and most certainly
not juicy.
An eating type peach should call to you (smell wise) from twenty feet away
and leave you saying "[that was better than sex and (for females) almost as
good as chocolate]" with peach juice running down your chin.
When picked up a peach (and most tree fruit) should feel heavy, should feel
to the hand as the same weight as a potato of the same size.
Should be mostly water.
-
Me:
I had this problem with apples in a dry year, read up and learned that all that
I could do was make apple sauce or apple butter and that I'd have to simmer
the mashed apples for (length of time) to get the air out.
I did so and I canned up some apple butters and some apple sauce.
I made sure that there weren't any bubbles of air in the jar and learned that
perhaps I'd had a drier year than the people who said what to do:
As the air leaked out of the plant cells and rose to the top inside the jars what
Mr. Wilson described happened.

>After a few months, the fruit poking out of the syrup darkens slightly

Yup. Perhaps this is the oxygen left in the jars, or maybe the black angry looks
we do at the jars doing some kind of quantum coupling effects thing.
-
-
Perhaps someday I'll get me one of those new fangled vacuum out the bag seal
things, some mealy peaches and check to see whether paring the peaches and
blanching them and vacuuming would be useful.

As Casey "said," safe to eat, and IME the slight discoloration does not effect the
taste.l
Shawn Turner
Ohio, USA