Return to the Harvest Forum | Post a Follow-Up

o
Canned tomatoes and headspace

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings
Posted by redstar57 none (My Page) on
Sat, Aug 30, 14 at 20:17

Although filled for 1/2 inch headspace, a number of the quarts of tomatoes I've canned over the past few days have one inch headspace when cooled.

I was careful to release any trapped air before processing.

Tomatoes had been cooked down to sauce consistency and were hot at time of filling.

Two questions:

1) Any idea why this is happening?

2) What is the best way of handling these quarts? Can I re-process them? Should I just dispose of them? Or can I keep them as-is but assume reduced shelf life? If so, what would be a safe estimate of that reduced shelf-life?

Thanks in advance for your help,

Mike (NJ)

Follow-Up Postings:

o
RE: Canned tomatoes and headspace

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings
  • Posted by digdirt 6b-7a North AR (My Page) on
    Sat, Aug 30, 14 at 21:49

So you canned sauce rather than tomatoes. BWB processed or pressure canned?

Assuming they were properly acidified and processed for the full length of time including venting and proper cool-down then they are safe and will store normally.

The recommended headspace for canning sauce in 1/4" per the guidelines so 1" is a bit extra but it does happen - usually from siphoning if pressure canned or boil over if done in BWB - both are most often tied to ring/band not tight enough and/or fluctuations in temperature settings.

No need to reprocess or adjust the liquid in the jars.

Dave

o
RE: Canned tomatoes and headspace

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings

They were canned using BWB. I added two Tb lemon juice per quart so I believe they are properly acidified. Also, they were processed an hour (recommended time was 45 minutes at my elevation). Nice to know I don't have to worry about them, I'll have to be more careful with band tightness. Also, I was unable to find my rack after not caning for a number of years and have been setting the jars directly into the canner...I wonder if that could be causing issues with temperature fluctuation.

Thanks much for the response.

Mike

o
RE: Canned tomatoes and headspace

clip this post email this post what is this?
see most clipped and recent clippings
  • Posted by digdirt 6b-7a North AR (My Page) on
    Sat, Aug 30, 14 at 22:41

.I wonder if that could be causing issues with temperature fluctuation.

Definitely. Causes boil over. Must have something so if no rack put a folded tea towel in the bottom of the pot for them to sit on.

Dave

o Post a Follow-Up

Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum.

    If you are a member, please log in.

    If you aren't yet a member, join now!

Return to the Harvest Forum

Information about Posting

  • You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
  • Please review our Rules of Play before posting.
  • Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your post, make changes and upload photos.
  • After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
  • Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
  • We have a strict no-advertising policy!
  • If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
  • If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.


Learn more about in-text links on this page here