It sounds like you had some syphoning. Last year almost half of my jars of peaches had some syphoning, but the seals held tight all winter. I used those ones up first.

Keep an eye on them and if the seal is weak when you open it, I would throw out the contents.

To avoid syphoning, I would be careful to not fill the jars too full, don't process under a raging boil, and let the jars rest in the water after processing, for about 10 minutes, before you remove them from the hot water.

Is it syphoning or siphoning? I can never remember the proper spelling...

Thank you. :)

Do you think it could have had anything to do with me being in a hurry to take them out of the pressure canner?

I pressed on the pressure release valve to empty the pot of pressure so I could open it. (I don't have any pressure canner instructions with my pot.)

Oh my yes, if you manually released the pressure that certainly could cause siphoning, among other problems. Please don't do that. :-)

Here's a link to the National Center for Home Food Preservation's section on the basics of canning, including the proper and safe way to use pressure canners. It's a great place to start.

LOL OK, Boss. I won't release the valve anymore. ;)

Thank you for the link!

Can these be boiling water bath canned instead? Takes less time and usually no siphoning will occur. Suggest that you rinse off the outside of the jars, and also remove the rings. any leftover stuck on the outside can cause mold.

If the seals are good, you can just wash off the jars. It won't seep into the contents. (Wait 24 hours before washing. Moving off the counter before the rest period elapses puts seals at risk.)

I'm confused about why you're pressure canning gooseberries. They're really high acid and unless you have a preference for pressure canning it's not necessary.

Be sure you look carefully at the pressure canner instructions robin _ d linked to. Vent a full 10 minutes before putting on the regulator, count time beginning when the canner reaches pressure and maintain an even pressure (as close as you can come). At the end always let pressure drop naturally and completely. Then remove the pressure regulator and let the canner sit another 10 minutes before removing the lid and the jars. This will reduce siphoning.

P.S. Both spellings are correct. One's American, one's British, like tire (American) and tyre (British). Canadians follow some British spellings and some American spellings, depending. They have their own style.

Carol

I am having incredible obstacles coming up in this whole endeavor.

I have a glass top stove. Canning on it seems to be very limited. All my water bath canners that I borrowed and bought are
A) too big and
B) don't have flat bottoms

The regulator prevents my stove top from getting hot enough. I just gave up on the jam. After an hour of boiling my fruit and sugar mixture in a SS soup pot, I could not get that temperature above 205 degrees. This explains why I could never get my caramel firm enough last Christmas.

My little pressure canner is the only thing small enough with a flat bottom that I can get to a high enough temperature to be effective. It holds 5 pint jars.

It looks like I am going to have to pack up untold amounts of berries, pots, canning equipment and child and drive 30 minutes to town to borrow someone's kitchen. :(

I have been looking at options for other things, but my DH left us a year ago and we have little money - hence gardening like a mad hatter and trying to learn to can. So I have to be careful.

Shopping on FreeCycle and Craig'sList and the thrift stores for burners, turkey fryers, a range I could put out on the patio - (augh, but I'm desperate). LOL

I wish I could say something that would make things instantly better. But of course that's impossible and would be insulting. I really admire you for being such a fighter. Hopefully your endurance will carry you through to better times.

OK, yeah. Look on Craigslist or Freecycle for a propane burner you could use outside. Or maybe you can work out a trade with someone. As you said, there's bound to be an old coil top range out there somewhere.

Also if there's a senior center or church in the area with elderly parishioners (doesn't have to be your church), you might see if there's someone who might like a little company or some home-canned food or fresh garden produce in exchange for use of their stove.

There are a lot of elderly people out there, especially in rural areas, who canned up a storm when they were young. They have basements full of jars and canning supplies. They have stoves that work, and they miss the flavor of home-grown, home-prepared food.

It may be a little uncomfortable to put yourself out there like that. But what the heck. It can't hurt and you may meet someone who knows a ton about canning and can help.

I hate to say this, but to qualify as a "canner" a pressure cooker has to be big enough to hold 4 1-quart jars. Otherwise it heats up and cools down too quickly to assure a safe processing time. I just want to be sure you and your kids aren't at risk.

Carol

Another twist to the pie filling. Did you thicken it before canning it ? Unless you have a safe recipe, and uses Clear Jel as the thickener, it would be unsafe to use flour, regular cornstarch, or tapioca and then process it.
Clear jel is a special modified food starch for canning high acid foods only, like the pie fillings or jams.
Yes, for sure, that would explain why you could not make the jam.
Carol is correct, that is a cooker and not a canner. It is not suitable for pressure canning foods in.
I think you may need to check further to be sure that pie filling is safely processed.
Siphoning here in the US, with an "i".
Unless the element stove has a special canning element, I would not use it. It can destroy the enamel on the stove and also short out the element and wiring. There is a special element for canning on.
A gas stove would be ideal for canning on, though, if you can find soemone with a gas stove.

Dear Gooseberryfool: I can't see where you're located -- but I wish you were in Western Washington. We love gooseberries; we have a separate kitchen just for canning; and we have two gas stoves!

I agree with the suggestion to try an find an experienced canner and see if he/she would be able to help you out with a gas stove or cooktop ... and share experience and jars. We who are experienced in home canning love to share our "art" with others -- and I bet we have jars and equipment to share as well!

I made a wonderful Gooseberry Conserve with the few cups of fruit I had one year -- wonderful!

Good luck, and keep us informed.

Kathy

You guys are so kind and welcoming. Thank you!! :)

Boy, that's another new one for me! The cooker is not a canner? Aye-yai-yai-YAI!

Can't use cornstarch???? AUGHHHH! LOL

Kathy, about now I WISH I lived in western Washington. LOL I'm a California transplant to TN.

Looks like I better use the pie filling quickly. I ended up going to my parent's house, thinking I was going to use the kitchen. But my mom, who has alzheimer's, would have been upset so dad went to the thrift store, found a coiled range top, rewired it, put it in a frame and we canned outside. In the rain. No counter space, I worked out of the back of my mini-van.

I'm grateful but.... never again. LOL

Even on that stove I boiled and boiled and boiled and never could get the temperature up past 218. WHY? It's like it gets to 212 and then keeps itself there no matter what you do. I had boiling jam splashing all over me, stirring constantly to keep it from burning on the HIGH heat setting for 20 minutes. No progress. I hope I am at the worst of the learning curve right now. :)

I basically boiled until it evaporated down enough to be thick, I think.

I really like to try to do things naturally, so the thought of using not pectin or Sure-Jell appeals to me. After all, what has more natural pectin that unripe gooseberries, anyhow? But I am thinking of buying some, just so I can process them at a lower temperature. I'm having no luck in getting it up there.

Oh, If you'd like to see the stove top my dad made and framed my blog is http://lemonadeadventures.blogspot.com

:)

Have you calibrated your thermometer? It may be your jam was at the jell point but the thermometer is reading low.

Also, if you double or triple the batch size, it can take darned near forever. Typically these traditional preserves are made in small batches.

I think you should win "Canner of the Year," for preserving under adverse conditions!

Carol

My batches were 5 pint jars' worth, twice, and 10 pints worth the last time. I thought I remembered vast pots of produce ready to go in my mother's jars... maybe they were not jellies or jams, though.

Yay! I will wear my title with pride! :-D

I used 3 different thermometers, and they all read about the same, though two were at 210 and one made it all the way to 218 finally. This was where it was boiling like the dickens but not progressing.

There are outdoor options. Northern Tool offers a 3 ring propane burner that has a lot of heat control for any canner type. The 3 ring burner requires a high pressure regulater and hose, which are also easy to get. This kind of burner is perfect for pressure canners too, as it can be lowered in heat way down to a simmering temp. It should not be used indoors without good ventilation. Another option is to set up a small 'kitchenette' with a small gas stove with two big burners. This can also work well as can a regular electric stove burner. The smooth tops can crack and fail if they are running at very high temps for a long period of time. Clear Jel is the home canners choice right now. Its far more stable for home canning compared to cornstarch.

I'd say looking at it that your batches were just too big. Especially if your experience is limited (and your stove is uncooperative) a 5 half-pint batch would be about right.

A 10-pint traditional preserve batch is HUGE. Avoid that. It just takes forever because to jell what you have to do is evaporate enough water to hit about 65-68% sugar (including the natural sugar in the fruit). By the time you drive off that much liquid it's likely the batch tastes caramelized or overcooked.

I grew up in a canning family and my mother, step-mom and MIL would all make very big batches of traditional jams and jellies. Sometimes on a wood stove, no less. But they had years of jam-making experience. It comes with time.

Carol

I agree. Never double recipes for jams ! They will not gel properly, or if they do,it takes too long to cook them. Jams should only be made in single batches.
Goodness, what a site you must have been ! I do applaud your determination.
Pomona's Universal Pectin is natural. It is amazing. Do a search online for it. I use it. Can be all sugar, no sugar, Splenda, stevia, honey, any kind of sweetner. It does allow double batches or triple. It is totally different than any other pectin available. I think you would be please with the results.
You can even make up your own recipes with the stuff.

Pomona pection WILL work even if you use a whole box to make 30 cups of jam in a single batch. It has never failed me yet!

gooseberryfool wrote:
"I used 3 different thermometers, and they all read about the same, though two were at 210 and one made it all the way to 218 finally. This was where it was boiling like the dickens but not progressing."

I ran into the same problem last weekend while making peach/habanero jam. The thermometer just wouldn't go past 210 even though it definitely got to the jel stage. I know the thermometer is accurate because I also use it to take cinnamon candy to the soft ball stage, 240 degrees. It was as if the jelly coated the thermometer and prevented it from reading higher. I'm guessing though that I just didn't heat the jam rapidly enough. Thoughts anyone?

Sometimes (especially with a large batch) the jam will seem to do "nothing" for quite some time and then the temperature will rise rapidly.

I have never had much luck leaving a thermometer in the pan. If it's a small batch the jam isn't deep enough to get an accurate reading. If it's a large batch, once the jam coats the bulb and sets on the glass, who knows what the temperature is?

I use the plate test with a Thermapen as my "verifier." It's a wonderful instant-read thermometer, but it's also a significant investment. Realistically for a lot of people it's not affordable. Frankly, the plate test will work as well or better.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Thermapen Sale

Gooseberry, you sound to be pretty resourceful, I have a feeling you can find someone to help you out with a stove and full-sized canner, or canner to fit on your dads cooktop. The first time I canned tuna, I didn't own a pressure canner, but a friend and neighbor each came over with theirs and the two of them taught me the steps on my electric range. That day was also the first, and last, time I ever brought whole tuna here to the house to loin and cut up for canning, but thats another story completely.

"I even got this, but I'm not sure what it is anymore" from your lemonadeadventures - it's the frame to a jelly strainer for prepping fruit/berries for jelly juices, minus one leg. Flipped around the other way, the three legs fit over the rim of a large bowl and the strainer bag attaches (ties or may be elastic) to the round ring. The juices are then allowed to slowly strain into the bowl for clear jelly juice.

OK, I'm going on a hunt for Pamona pectin!

Yeah, I think I'm about to say goodbye to thermometers here. I'm glad it's not just me having trouble with them.

Wow, what a nice thermometer! It's officially on my wish list. :)

TUNA? Impressive. Especially a whole one. LOL

Yes, I finally remembered what that was when I was looking for a place to hang my jelly bag... "oh.... yeah.....!" But it's missing a leg. What a treat it will be to can if and when I get all the supplies I need and have my brain all organized. :)

I wish mail was free; I'd send you all a sample for you to critique and offer suggestions on. LOL

Thank you for the response Carol. I was leaving the thermometer in the small batch while stirring, so it either got coated, or was too little contents to be accurate, or both.

We have an infrared laser thermometer (link below) at the shop. I'm going to borrow it next time to see how well it works, just for grins. :)

Here is a link that might be useful: infrared laser thermometer

You can do away with the jelly bag if you look at the Villaware/Roma/ food strainer. They offer an optional berry screen that can prvent most seeds from passing through. MUCH faster, compared to a jelly bag.

That will make a seedless jam, not jelly.

Jelly uses just the clear juice. In fact, one of the hallmarks of excellent jelly is its clarity. However, jelly as traditionally made is difficult and wasteful since so much of the fruit is discarded. Yield is low and unless you have fruit vinegar or something else in mind for the pulp, there's a lot of it that will end up in the compost pile.

You can strain for jelly by using a pillowcase over a bowl. Suspend it from a cabinet knob. Don't squeeze the bag as that clouds the juice.

Another traditional option is to turn a tall 4-legged kitchen stool or chair upside down. Put a large bowl on the underside of the seat and tie a muslin to the four legs, creating a bag. Then place the fruit in the bag and just wait.

Carol

Ah! Thank you! I will try that. :)

I love my Thermapen !! I wish I had the waterproof one now. Oh well.
They are worth the money.

I am still wondering if you can speed up your process for plain gooseberries by using BWB instead of pressure.

Any large pot will do as long as the water covers the jars by an inch or two. You can put an old kitchen towel in the bottom for a "rack". You can use your pressure COOKER as a BWB, just don't seal it.

I admire your determination to take care of your family!! Well done!

But, geez, you're makin' me tired!!! :-)

Deanna (who's ONLY made Cherry Bounce, maraschino cherries, cherry pie filling and pickled asparagus and helped "eyeball" in 30 fence posts today!! It's 2:30. LOL)

Deanna,

You GO, girl! LOL I'm trying to take a day off and it's driving me crazy.

Yeah, I'm going to go with the BWB as much as possible from now on.

Great rack idea, thank you!

Sometimes cloudy juices will clear up once heated. I made apple jelly with cider and it started out very cloudy, but once boiled and pectin added, it was crystal clear, amber color. It was store bought fresh, and unpasturized. Thats why it needs a cooking or it will quickly turn hard.

Another stove top option you might consider if you only have an indoor electric stove or a stove with small burners, is an outdoor BBQ grill with an attached burner that accommodates a pot or pan. Since you are in Washington, it would have to be under a cover because of rain.
I use mine all the time for canning as it is too hot out here in the desert of So. Calif. to run a caner in my kitchen. I believe it has a thermal output of 15,000 or 20,000 BTUs so it is much hotter than most kitchen burners. It is fueled by propane which is also a very hot fuel source. I almost always run my burner on a low setting as it is so hot.
You may find a used BBQ in Craigs List or at a local garage sale for little money. In my area, they are plentiful and would range used from $50.00 to $100.00 with a side burner (my neighbor has a side business of selling just used BBQs).
If you buy one, just make sure the additional outside burner is placed far enough outside the grill cover that your pot will actually fit on the side burner grill. Some side burners are placed too close to the hood that covers the grill to accommodate a large pot. On mine, I can bring a 20 quart pot with 5 batches of jam to a boil in just minutes without burning (assumes pot has a multi-thickness bottom).
Just another suggestion that you might find locally. The BBQ grill can have other purposes also in canning. All my eggplants, tomatoes, onions, etc. that I want a little carmalization go into a perforated grill basket for a quick outside browing when needed prior to canning.
Regards - Jim in So. Calif.

Northern Tool offers the ultimate in propane burners. The link is for a 3 ring type, but you also need to order the regularor and hose.

Here is a link that might be useful: Northern Tool 3 ring propane burner