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how long can I leave newly canned tomatoes before checking seal?

12 years ago

I am planning on canning my tomatoes tomorrow morning. It's my first time canning. I am canning whole tomatoes in tomato sauce with a newly purchased pressure canner. I hope to finish by the afternoon, then leave town until Monday evening. I read the instructions, which say to check jar seals 12-24 hours after processing. Is it OK to wait 48 hrs before checking?

Featured Answer

readinglady

12 years ago

Yes, it's OK to wait 48 hours; however, if there's an unsealed jar, after 48 hours it's not retrievable.

I would check just before leaving. Any jars not sealed at that point should be refrigerated. With dense product sealing can sometimes take a while, especially with quarts where the cooling process can be lengthy.

A jar not sealed at the last check may still seal in the fridge before you return. But regardless, the contents are useable with no waste or risk.

Carol

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Comments (8)

pixie_lou
12 years ago
I don't know if this is the official "right" answer, but here's what I do. . .
2 or 3 hours after I take anything out of the canner, I check the seal by gently touching the middle of the lid. If there is any give, I know that that jar has not sealed. So I take my sharpie and put a little dot on the lid. The next night (I do all my canning in the evening), when I take off my rings and wash my jars, any jar that has a dot on the lid, I check those jars extra carefully for the seal. Anecdotaly I have found that if a jar doesn't seal within an hour or 2, most likely it isn't going to seal. Based on the system I use, I would feel comfortable letting my jars sit an extra day or 2 before removing rings, washing and putting away for storage.
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Quite normal to see that clear liquid. Its common when your using tomatoes that contain a lot of water in them. I like using a meatier tomato type, and scoop out some of the liquid and seeds before they are either canned or are put through the Villware strainer. Skins I hate, as they even show up after 'digesting them', if you know what I mean. High fiber they are, but how useful to our digesting I have no clue.. They just don't look appealing when you see them in the bottom of the spagetti. Tip- give those jars a quick shake before selling... Heres a quick way to enjoy them too. Slice some whole tomatoes and place on several layers of paper towels to soak up some liquid, while you sprikle salt on them. Make a batch of bread dough, spread out to the shape of a big pizza, spread it with olive oil and oregano and/or basil, then add the drained tomato slices close together, sprinkle with mozzarella or other favorite italian cheeses and bake. OUT OF THIS WORLD!!
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They aren't on a clock, Bob. They don't punch time cards. ;) Like I said above - "assuming proper soil and air temps and adequate light..." So watch yours and take notes and then you'll know how soon it happens given the conditions you have provided for them. ;) Since most of us start our plants no more than 6-8 weeks before transplanting date I would be worried about plants that still had no true leaves after 30 days and were supposed to go in the ground in 2 weeks! But that is just the experience of that one person - whomever they are. We have no way of knowing what starting mix she used, how fresh her seeds were, how she germinated them, how she watered, whether she heated the soil or not, whether she had transplanted them yet or not, air temps, light provided, etc. etc. etc. So all I can offer is that based on my experience, something she had or had not done resulted in slow growing seedlings. Dave
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michelelc
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you Carol and Pixie Lou. This is helpful!
ltilton
12 years ago
When I find a jar that looks like it doesn't want to seal after about 5 minutes, I pour boiling water over the lid. This sometimes convinces it to pop.
digdirt2
12 years ago
5 mins. isn't nearly long enough to wait for all the air to be evacuated from the jar so you are creating a weak artificial seal, not a safe one. If a lid doesn't form a true seal within 10-12 hours then there is something wrong that needs to be fixed and the jar reprocessed or refrigerated.

Dave
ltilton
12 years ago
The strength of the seal can be checked once the jars have cooled. What I find is that if the other jars in the batch have popped, the boiling water is a test. If it doesn't work, then I figure without waiting that there is something wrong with the seal and I will have to reprocess the jar.
Jacqueline Jeanson
5 months ago
how long in the fridge can you leave the jar that didn't seal?
canfan
5 months ago
Treat your unsealed jar of tomatoes like you would any other unsealed food item that you have in the fridge. I'd probably use it up within the week and make a batch of spaghetti or stew or soup.

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