How to Sterilize Jars for Oven Canning Dry Goods & Vacuum Sealing 

You know, this seems to be my most asked question in home-canning. I even sterilize before pressure canning since John and I have experience behind an actual microscope. I have a Masters in Science and he was a lab tech for years in the army before going in to the actual medicine end of the business. He's examined a lot of 'poop', as he says! ROFL>> I only know that one pint of botulism can kill the entire globe of it's population...that is enough knowledge for me to sterilize everything in the kitchen! LOL>>>

Oh gosh yes! My dad would run behind my mom to make sure she sterilized everything too. Botulism is preventable in this day n age.

She's an attention getter, for sure! LOL

How did it go? Remember, if you get any moisture in jars it will re-absorb when it cools down a few hours later. So no worries there.

It went perfect. All sealed and no moisture was visible. I'm in dry area west coast so we don't have much humidity. I've seen many scare comments on preparedness pro about jars exploding and they can't handle the heat dry etc etc. also the heat destroying nutrition. Sorta all bunk in my opinion Considering you usually boil for quite a while before using so I don't see heat as an issue. Now the quest for a double wall with double wall dividers cardboard boxes. Iirc my grandmothers canning boxes came full height and had dividers in the box. The lehmans plastic boxes are nice but 25 bucks a case is a bit pricey. Anyhow thanks again I'll be doing more supplies for sure.

That is why I store the 'makings' for recipes instead of the recipes themselves. I can change it up ...

Hi! I have been canning for 32 years; my mother's side of family was Amish and preserved and long-term food stored in cellars and such ... hubby's side were farmers and they preserved and stored food long-term as well ... I was raised to prepare for Indiana droughts and bad weather situations. We get a few tornadoes each year...so we have a shelter. We also store long-term food for economic crisis, which we believe will happen again. We've got about 2 years of food stores and medical supplies stored up. I'll be at three years by mid-summer; I hope! LOL>>But the biggest reason I can is so that we can have chemical/GMO free foods from our own garden year round. I hope this helps you decide to grow a garden (if you don't already) and learn to can for your family (if you don't already). Subscribe! I've got loads of tutorials to help you on your homesteading journey! Blessings!!

Thank you. I agree with a lot of what you told me. I believe Christ is coming soon and lots of disasters are coming. H e wants his people to prepare. I was watching another canning video from someone else and she was saying that the lids for canning from BALL and Kurr are only good for one year. these companies have change the thickness of the rubber material around the lid. She said that it is best to use tatter lids.She also said that it is not necessary to sterilize the lids anymore, is that true? Do you know any of these kind of information and are tatter lids better now than the Ball lids? if you want I can send you her video. Thanks

I would sterilize the lids, your food is too precious n pricey to risk it. What happens, you're going to see a statement released that a mistake was made, sorry. Don't let it be you. Good luck:)

Well, since you have to cover the jars with at least 1" - 2" of water when waterbath canning, you might consider getting a 'taller' pot with a glass lid; exp if you add room for boiling/ bubbling water (an extra 2" or more is needed for boiling water not to pour and pop over the sides), I would say that if the lid does not fit, then the pot is too small for the amount of water you need to water bath can.... BUT ... If you are just steaming/boiling jars for sterilizing jars, then just put lid on part way. I do that all the time. It works as the steam cleans and still get to them. I just pile the jars in upside down or on their sides so they all fit. LOL! You can get a deeper stock pot for good deals on ebay. I bought mine off ebay from a married couple who got it as a wedding gift and it was so big, it did not fit in their little apt cabinets! I got a great deal on a 16quart pot that way! waterbath canners are nice, but I never owned one. I own a pressure canner as you HAVE to have a pressure canner to pressure can low acid foods, like meat and veggies. But I waterbath in a tall, iron clad bottom stock pot all my high-acid foods, like pickles, relishes and jams...etc... Remember, the completed process of sterilizing is done during the canning process. Boiling the jars just gets them clean and ready for the canning process (sanitized). I hope this helped. Blessings!

has helped tremendously. I was trying to get my jars sanitized for fermenting. I don't like chemicals and was looking for an alternative to rubbing it down with vinegar as the smell tends to linger. Yes definitely investing in a bigger pot for canning as that is also something im starting very soon. thank you for the wonderful video.

yes.

Our Little Homestead! Just so I do it right. After they are dry do you leave oven on while you take them out and fill them up then put them right back in

I'll do a video on that, thanks for noticing I missed something important...esp. since the jar lids have changed the way you heat them.

Just put your product in freezer for 3 days, remove, bring to room temp and place in bags...Remember, mice can chew through the bags so keep an eye on them; I would store in a foodsafe bucket with lid.

+JC Yes! Most ppl do get condesation; the rice or beans will reabsorb it; a percentage of moisture is still allowed. Might try adjusting your 'drying time' next time you give it a go. If the moisture is still showing up after 24 hours, then open lids, let air dry and vacuum seal. The job of killing the pest and larva is complete. You can deep freeze products for 3 or more days as well...this does the same thing.

+Janie Pendleton it appears after cooling all night the condensation was absorbed. I also did some jars with lids on and they had much more condensation... Either way I would predict that both jars are under 1% water by weight. I guess we will see how they are in a year or so.

Yes, you can not vacuum seal shortenings or oils. You have to leave that ingredient out. I just vacuum seal and date 8 months or so...I rotate my food stores, as everyone should. This way I don't have to keep a lot of food on hand. I have a large garden and herb garden as well.

Lorrie Lawler There is a list in this video, do a search on my channel bar and you'll find it on RU-vid: 'How to Oven Dry Can' with Janie Pendleton. Blessings! This will answer most of your questions as I teach you how to oven can dry goods only!

I've never done a partial jar but it should work for you either way...it's just about getting hot to the center long enough to kill any pests or larva and then it should seal when it cools down on it's own. It may or may not have a bit of moisture in the jar...that is normal...it will reabsorb when it cools down to room temps.

...and yes...you can do pasta as long as it has no 'oils' or shortenings in the pasta...or it will turn to mush and go rancid.

Sorry, one more thing...pasta is not dry canned as long as the beans and rice...only about 3/4 the time frame. Use a smaller canning jar if you don't enough beans...and cut 10 minutes off the time of the smaller jar.

Janie Pendleton So an hour for the pasta? I did it for 90 mins. but I think the bottom ones might have gotten a little brown, not burnt, close tho.. hoping they don't taste burnt.. if they did I'll have to do it all over again.. it sure is a bummer not knowing this stuff at my age..

I rechecked the smaller jars of pasta, the bottom ones are brown.. think that will make the whole jar taste burnt?