If you are using the standard 2-3" of water in the pressure canner then you shouldn't have to worry about jars falling over. I have never had a jar lay over on its side even if processing only 1 jar.

So no, there is no requirement for filling the empty spaces. I suppose you can if you wish but the jars would be to be filled with water and capped.

Of more concern would be if you have 3 already filled jars sitting on the counter, cooling, while waiting on the pressure canner? They need to be filled and capped only when they are ready to go into the canner so they are still boiling hot when they go into the canner or the processing time isn't sufficient.

Dave

Thanks Dave. I keep the ones waiting in the oven set at 250. I process (not intentionally) at 14 pounds pressure. I couldn't get the pressure down to 11 pounds, so I just let it go for 35 minutes at 14. Do you think that is sufficient?

Because I wasn't sure, the second batch is going for 40 minutes at 13 and a half pounds of pressure. Each jar also has a tsp. of lemon juice.

I guess I don't understand why not just resolve the issues you are having so it can be done the right way? Pressure canning has a learning curve to it and takes time and practice - preferably without using foods. But it can be done with patience and practice.

What pressure are you supposed to use for your altitude? What canner are you using? Why does your canner get up to such a high pressure? Why can't you get your canner down to the proper pressure? Is it your stove that is causing the problems?

Why not fill the jars properly and skip the oven warming (which isn't recommended anyway)? Do you want lemon juice in your peppers for some reason? It isn't required.

Variations from the instructions just creates potential safety problems as well as more work. And guessing at ways to cover the problems is even more risky. There is no way to know if adding 5 mins. or 10 mins. or lemon juice, etc. will resolve those problems.

So what can be done to resolve the issues that are keeping you from just doing it the normal, tested and approved way?

Dave

The lemon in the jalapeno peppers may have come from me. I used the uga.edu instructions that did call for it with my hot peppers and passed that on to her a few days ago....not insurance she is trying to provide on her own.

uga.edu instructions were approx. 10 years older than the nchfp website, not the other way around so I don't know if lemon was once recommended and no longer is or just what.

Here is a link that might be useful: uga.edu Peppers canning article I was referencing for my own

I'm at sea level, and the pressure should be 11 pounds. I bought a Presto 23 quart pressure cooker/canner this year. I have a Viking gas range. I AM trying to do it the normal tested way. I didn't want the canner to go below 11#, then have to start over again, and it was touchy. I have read everything, and anything I could on line, and in books. The lemon juice was recommended by another poster on here a week or two ago, when I was thinking of doing this.

I added the extra 5 minutes because you made me doubt keeping the jars hot in the oven, and I don't want to make anybody sick.

Consider this my "learning curve". Thanks for your help.

Ok, have you read about the recommendation to convert the Presto to weights? Easy and cheap to do and that will eliminate you fighting the gauge which has to be tested before use anyway. That alone will solve many of your problems.

Trying to peg a gauge right on 11 is very difficult and takes lots and lots of practice balancing the stove heat and the gauge and in the process you get siphoning. That's why we recommend several practice runs first using nothing but a couple of jars of water with some food coloring in them before trying to can food. With practice you can determine which number on your stove dial will get you up to 11 and hold you there without making lots of adjustments.

Then rather than running your pressure up so high to begin with, bring it up more gradually with a lower setting on your stove. With the Presto 23 once you have vented for the 10 min. and place the weight on it should take approx. 2 min. for the gauge pressure to begin rising. As it does very slowly drop the heat level in small increments. When it hits 11 drop the heat a smidge (I love that word) more and wait. If it stays right at 11 great! note that setting on your stove. If it continues to rise, drop a smidge more and keep doing that until it hits 11 and and stays at 11-11.5. That will be your stove setting.

Now as to the pre-filled jars. The processing time is calculated on the jars going into the just filled and canner boiling hot. If they aren't then part of the processing time is used just bringing the jars and food back up to temp. The result is under-processed food. So rather than just guessing at a time to add on, follow the jar filling guideline. I know it can be a pain at times but it is worth it to avoid under-processed food.

Dry oven heat isn't the same as wet heat and jars can break. So the guideline is you never fill the jars until ready to go into the canner. Set the pot of food aside and when the first run is finished and those jars removed. Then reheat the food to boiling and fill the remaining jars and put them into the canner.

Since peppers can only be canned in pints or half pints don't forget that you can stack jars in the 23 qt. too so they might all fit in one batch.

The lemon juice is your choice. As morz said it is apparently an old guideline from one source and the current ones don't call for it. I would think it might affect the taste but then I have never added it so I can't say. But the important point it don't count on it to provide a safety measure to make up for not following the other directions, ok?

If you choose to skip the weights and just stick with the gauge then don't forget it has to be tested. They have been found to be as much as 4 lbs. off new from the box. But do consider the weight conversion. It is so much easier and accurate.

Hope this helps.

Dave

PS: just incase you haven't read the step-by step PC instructions at NCHFP I linked them below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Step-by-step to using a pressure canner