I don't know anything about canning, how should I start?
- If you don’t know what you are doing, and don’t take the necessary precautions, canning can be dangerous. The best thing to do is to educate yourself. Look at information online or in books to see what is involved, so you can decide if canning is for you
- Once you decide you want to try canning, start out simple with a water bath canner. Buy a canning kit that has everything you need to get started. Start out with a small amount and see how it goes.
What are some of the benefits of canning my own food?
- Canning gives you the satisfaction of growing and processing your own food, so you know exactly where your food comes from and what has been added to it. You will save money and trips to the grocery store. Canned food tastes better than store-bought food, and is healthier, too.
How long will canned foods last?
- Properly canned food will retain optimum eating quality for at least 1 year. It is recommended that food is consumed within that period of time.
- Canned food stored in a warm place (near hot pipes, a range or furnace, in direct sunlight, etc.) may lose some of its eating quality in a few weeks or months, depending on the temperature.
- Dampness may corrode cans or metal lids and can cause leakage, so the food may spoil.
What canning recipes should I use?
- The only recipes that you should use are ones that have been tested and proven to be successful in killing all bacteria. Old family recipes that have been around for generations may not be safe (even if they have not been known to lead to any illnesses).
- The USDA updated their standards for canning in 2015, based on safety and quality. Any recipe dated before this may be unsafe to use.
- The Ball Blue Book® Guide to Preserving and the USDA’s “Complete Guide to Home Canning” offer up-to-date information and recipes.
What is the difference between Water Bath Canning and Pressure Canning?
- With water bath canning, jars are completely covered with 212°F boiling water at all times during processing. Pressure canning only uses 2-3” of water and the canner has a special sealing lid in order to build up steam and the temperature inside will reach a higher than boiling temperature.
- Low acid foods need to be processed at 240°F in order to kill all microorganisms, including Clostridium botulinum, which causes food poisoning. Water bath canners are not capable of reaching higher temperatures, so they are not safe for processing low acid foods.
- Similar to both types of canning is that the high temperatures kill harmful microorganisms, and drive out all air from the jars, which then forms a tight seal to preserve the food inside for an extended period of time.
When should I use a Water Bath Canner and when should I use a Pressure Canner?
- Water bath canning should be used for acid foods (pH below 4.6) such as tomatoes, fruits, berries, butters, and jams. The acid in these types of foods prevents Clostridium botulinum from forming so boiling temperature is enough to kill all other microorganisms.
- Pressure canning should be use for low acid foods (pH above 4.6) such as vegetables, red meats, seafood, and poultry. A higher temperature of 240°F is needed in order to completely kill all microorganisms, including Clostridium botulinum. A water bath canner is not capable of reaching higher temperature.
Can I use a canner on my glass top stove?
- It is not recommended to use any canner on a glass top stove. Canners retain a lot of heat for long periods of time, and are very heavy when loaded with jars and water, so they can crack the stove top. Because all stoves are different, it is best to contact the place where the stove was purchased before trying to can on it.
Do I need to make adjustments to processing time if I live at a higher elevation?
- Yes. The boiling point of water is less as altitude increases, and therefore it is less effective at killing microorganisms. As a result, longer processing times are needed to ensure that all harmful bacteria have been killed. Contact your local county extension office for information on your altitude and the necessary adjustments you need to make to your canning recipes.
Is it necessary to sterilize jars before canning?
- Jars do not need to be sterilized before canning if they will be filled with food and processed in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes or more, or if they will be processed in a pressure canner, because the processing will be enough to sterilize the jars.
- Jars that need to be sterilized first should be done so by putting them in boiling water for 10 minutes before they are filled.
What is the difference between hot packing and raw packing
- The hot packing method is when foods are heated or cooked and then packed into hot jars.
- The raw packing method is when foods are put directly into hot jars and then hot water is added.
What is headspace and how much is recommended?
- Headspace is the space between the food or water in a jar to the lid. If too little headspace is left, food and water will have no room to expand and may force its way out of the jar, which will prevent the lid from sealing. If too much headspace is allowed, the food at the top is likely to discolor, and the jar may not seal properly because there will not be enough processing time to drive all the extra air out of the jar.
- The recommended headspace is slightly different depending on what you are canning, foods expand differently. For soft spreads and pickles, leave about 1/4” headspace. For fruits and tomatoes, leave about 1/2” headspace. For vegetables, red meats, seafood, poultry and soups, leave about 1” headspace.
How tight should the bands be screwed on my jars for processing?
- Bands should be screwed fingertip tight, or until resistance is met. If bands are too loose, contents may spill over in between the rim and the lid, and prevent the lid from sealing. If bands are too tight, air won’t be able to escape during processing and the food will then spoil. Bands may loosen during processing-this is normal, do not retighten.
Why shouldn't I use mayonnaise or other commercial glass jars for canning?
- Commercial glass jars used for things like mayonnaise and jelly are not recommended for canning. The glass used for these jars is thinner than standard canning jars, and usually cannot withstand the high temperatures used in canning. Therefore, these jars are very susceptible to cracking or breaking during processing. Also, the surface of the rim on commercial glass jars may be rounded instead of flat, which may cause lids to not seal properly.
What can happen if I don't use hte recommended processing time or if my jars don't seal properly?
- When canning, you should only use tested recipes. The processing times given should be followed exactly because they have been proven to be sufficient for killing all microorganisms that may be present. If you fail to do so, you run the risk of exposing yourself and your family to food poisoning and other food-borne illnesses.
Where and how should I store my canned foods?
- It is important to label all of your jars with the date, so you know how long the food has been sitting. Jars of canned food should be store at temperatures between 50°F and 70°F, and not over 95°F. It is important that they are kept in dry, dark places. If stored in a cold place, jars can be protected by covering with newspaper or covering with a blanket. If stored in a damp area, lids may begin to rust.
Can I use my Pressure Canner as a Water Bath Canner?
- Yes, it is possible to use your pressure canner as a water bath canner. However, it is important that the lid is not sealed during processing.
How should I test to see if my jars sealed properly?
- Jars need to cool naturally for 12-24 hours before the lids should be tested. You can press on the top of the lid to see if it springs back. If it springs back, the lid did not seal properly. You can tap on the lid with a spoon. If sealed properly, you should hear a high pitched ring; if you hear a dull sound instead, the lid did not seal properly. You can also hold the jar at eye level, and check to see if the lid is concave (or dipped in). If it is flat or bulged upward, the lid did not seal properly.
How should I test to see if my jars sealed properly?
- Jars need to cool naturally for 12-24 hours before the lids should be tested. You can press on the top of the lid to see if it springs back. If it springs back, the lid did not seal properly. You can tap on the lid with a spoon. If sealed properly, you should hear a high pitched ring; if you hear a dull sound instead, the lid did not seal properly. You can also hold the jar at eye level, and check to see if the lid is concave (or dipped in). If it is flat or bulged upward, the lid did not seal properly.
Why didn't my jars seal properly?
- Failure to follow exact processing time specified in recipe.
- headspace.
- Failure to wipe the sealing edge of the jar clean before placing the lid.
- Jar rim’s sealing surface has nicks or cracks.
- Band screwed too loosely before processing, allowing food or liquid in between the rim and the lid.
Can I try resealing jars that did not seal properly the first time?
- Yes, you can if the unsealed jar is discovered within the first 24 hours. However the quality of the food may not be as good. The food needs to be processed in the canner for the full, recommended processing time—do not shorten the processing time. Remove the unsealed lid and empty the contents into a pan, then heat to boiling and pack into clean, hot jars with new lids and reprocess.
What can I process in 1/2 gallon canning jars?
- The only processes that the USDA and National Center for Home Preservation recommend for 1/2 gallon jars are for very acidic fruit juices (not recommended for tomato juice).
- There is no other research-tested processes for 1/2 gallon jars. Boiling water processes for other foods for jars larger than those published with recipes (usually pints or quarts) cannot be extended by any formula to a larger jar. Historical recommendations for 1/2 gallon jars are not currently accepted or endorsed by the USDA for home canning.
What are some of the benefits of drying food?
- Food that is dried takes up much less space than food that is canned or frozen. This makes it more portable, so it can be taken when traveling, camping, etc.
- Food can be eaten in its dried state, or water can be added to bring it back to its normal state.
What makes the Excalibur better than other electric food dehydrators?
- While most electric dehydrators are round, the Excalibur is a rectangular dryer. The fan mounted in the rear allows all trays to receive the same amount of heat and prevents flavors from mixing from one tray top another. Round dehydrators have the fan mounted at the bottom, which causes flavor mixing. The rectangular shape also gives it 25% more drying space.
One side of my dryer seems to dry faster than the other, how can I fix this?
- Halfway through the drying cycle, rotate the trays 180°. This will speed up the drying process and conserve energy.
How do I know when my fruit leather is dry?
- Touch it—it should not be sticky. If it peels from the plastic and maintains its shape, it is dry.
Once food is dried, do I have to eat it in that state? Or should the food be prepared in any certain way?
- Fruits and vegetable can be eaten in their dried state. However, food can be reconstituted by adding water. Foods should return to their normal state after a short period of time.
- For fruits, soak in water - room temperature. For vegetables, soak in water - boiling.
How long does food take to dry?
- Fruits can take up to 24 hours to dry completely. Vegetables usually take anywhere from 4 to 14 hours.
How are the steam juicers different?
- Our Best Steam Juicer has a 10 1/2 qt steam basket, and is made in Finland. The 8 1/4 qt is imported. Both are stainless steel, and both work using the same method.
How long does it take to process juice?
- It depends on the type of food, but generally the processing time for a full basket is about 60-90 minutes.
What preparations need to be done to the fruits and vegetables before processing?
- Most fruits can be put in the basket with stems, seeds, skins, etc. Foods like apples should be cut into halves or quarters first.
What other functions do steam juicers have?
- Steam juicers can also be used for blanching vegetables for freezing or steam cooking vegetables or meats.
Is it hard to use?
- Not at all! The "Apple Eater" grinder with stainless steel blades and the 18-lb. cast iron flywheel does the work. The special design of our cast iron "Apple Eater" grinder requires far less labor than any other grinder on the market.
- Our "Apple Eater" grinder will grind into a slurry a whole box (40 lbs) of apples in less than 5 minutes! It takes less than 10 minutes more to press the slurry into cider. One box of apples makes 2-3 gallons of cider. You can reasonably expect the Single Tub (Homesteader) to make 12 gallons of cider per hour and the Double Tub (American Harvester) to make 25-30 gallons of cider per hour because you can grind and press at the same time.
- Pressing whole fruit is hard on the operator and hard on the press. Juices are retained within the cells of fruit, so the fruit must be ground into a pulp to release these juices. No hand press is powerful enough to crush whole fruit to a pulp. Without the grinder, you would have to chop the fruit by hand.
- You bet! From mid-summer on, berries, grapes and other vegetables are ready for pressing. You can use your Happy Valley Ranch system for pressing cheese and stored fruit any time of the year.
- Almost. To abide by UPS size and weight requirements the press is packed in several large pieces and it requires only a few bolts to complete assembly.
- The seeds and stems of most fruits are small enough to pass through the grinder without being crushed, so they cannot alter the flavor of the juice. All particles are trapped by the cheesecloth or nylon pressing bag during the pressing process.
- Yes, but you do have to keep your fingers out of the grinder!
- Just hose it off with water and dab dry after use. Do not use soaps. All wood parts should be sealed to resist moisture. A light coating of vegetable oil on the cast iron grinder will help resist rust.
- The laminated mountain hardwood which is used will never twist or crack with age. Besides, it makes for a much stronger machine. Laminating with the proper glue makes the finished wood 50% stronger than a plain piece of wood.
- Since Happy Valley Ranch cider mills and presses are a handmade product, production is limited and it is wise to order early before the apple season begins. However, we build these presses all year long and try to keep a supply on hand so we can ship without delay. Shipping time is about 5-7 days to anywhere in the country.
- The tubs on both the Single and the Double Tub press hold approximately one box (40 lbs.) of pulped apples. Depending on the size of the grapes, the Large Tub (Homesteader) will hold approximately 3 gallons of non-crushed fruit, and the Small Tub (Yakima) will hold approximately 1 gallon of non-crushed fruit.
- Yes. Although our presses weigh quite a bit, they can easily be moved by two adults or they can be easily moved by one person with the retractable wheels attachment.
- This is no problem. Depending on the crush you want on your grapes, you can reverse the rotation of the grinder by simply cranking the other way. Our grinder does an excellent job of crushing grapes, so you don't need costly wine making equipment to produce delicious table wines.
- If you are only pressing soft fruit (not apples) or grapes in small quantities, you can do nicely with the Starter Fruit Press (the Yakima). If you are making apple juice or wine for your family for winter storage, then you should probably buy the Single Tub (Homesteader) press. If you have a roadside stand, a large family, or make cider for friends and neighbors, then you should probably buy the Double Tub (American Harvester) press.
- It is much better on the muscadines if you do not run them through the through the grinder first. You might try running the grinder backwards as the space between the back plate and the drum is much smaller. It should split the grape enough to allow for better pressing.
- The screw is made of cutting steel. The press is steel 37. The outside is powder coated.
- No, there are not any certifications or testing.
- The oil that is pressed is also used as a lubricant. There is hardly any wear and tear because the pressed oil lubricates the inside constantly. This is also the reason why normal steel is used: it is always protected by oil. For this reason, we advise customers not to use it for pressing juices.
- It can be used without the lamp, but that is not recommended. It is almost impossible to turn and the extraction rate will drop by 60% to 80%.
- We don't have data on how warm the pulp/oil/seeds are heated by the candle. The press body gets too hot to touch. It's warm enough that we can't call it "cold pressed" but we don't believe it is hot enough for significant nutrient loss. There are many variables: candle height, drafts in the room, etc. You can control some of the heat by trimming the wick and keeping it low.
- No, if soot is formed it will not get in contact with the oil. Keep the wick trimmed and short to prevent soot formation. It is important to follow the instructions in the manual.
- The wick is too long. Do not increase the length of the wick over 1 mm. In this manner full combustion takes place and this will result in a clean, round flame.
- No, fresh olives cannot be pressed. It is possible to press the dried olives (without kernel).
- Filtering is often unnecessary. Keep the oil a couple of days at room temperature, until all the contaminants have settled. After this, the oil is clear.
- Before first use, clean the oil press thoroughly using detergent, such that the industrial oil for conservation is removed.
- The seed contains too much moisture, therefore there is no solid plug of press cake in the cap
- The slit is blocked
- The seed is too dry
- The oil content is lower than 25%
- The press is preheated insufficiently
- The seed is too dry
- The seed is too wet
- The oil content is lower than 25%
- The oil content is lower than 25%
- The press is preheated insufficiently
- The expeller screw has a tolerance of approximately .6 inch. When the press is filled and as soon as the first seeds are compressed in the cap, this tolerance disappears. This is because the press pulp keeps the expeller screw in the correct position.
- Press the final seed without the terminal adjustment bolt, such that the pressure decreases. It is now easier to remove the press cake.
- Remove the cap from the press and push the press cake with a large bolt approximately .6 inch out of the cup by putting it in a vice and pressing the bolt through the cap.
- Soak the press cake in the cap in warm water in order to soften. A disadvantage is that the cap will rust.
- Do not remove the press cake, instead heat the press (including the cap) 30 minutes before usage. When the cap is warm, the freshly pressed seed oil will push out the old press cake.
- The press is not painted, but powder coated. This is an environmentally friendly, protective layer that does not contain any solvents and is food graded. The coating is not soluble in oil and can resist high temperatures (this is necessary because of the small oil burner).
- Unscrew the cap from the press and remove the expeller screw and the wear washer at the end of the shaft of the expeller screw. Clean the inside of the press with paper towels. A bottle brush can be a very useful tool as well. Leave some oil in the press and on the expeller screw to prevent corrosion.
- Use methlyated spirits (denatured alcohol).
- Some seeds allow pressing without adding external heat to the press. When the seed is warm enough a burner might not be necessary, therefore put the seed in a closed plastic bag in the sun, in order for it to heat up. Make sure the seeds do not dry out. Press the seeds while warm.
- The pressed oil cannot be used as it is too thick to be transported through the wick. The pressed oil will cause more soot, and the flame will provide insufficient heat.
- Colored lamp oil provides more energy than colorless lamp oil, so it will heat up the press quicker. Also, this will help you to not confuse it with the oil that is being pressed.
- The washer is not greased.
- Wear is the result of pressing seeds and nuts that are too dry. The press cake becomes rock solid and the pendulum can hardly rotate. The pressure is extremely high, while the cells containing the oil do not burst. This is because the cell wall is too strong. The solution is to add 40-60 ml of water per kilogram of seeds or nuts. Keep this for 2 days in a closed plastic bag and try to press again. The cell walls have become more soft and can burst under much lower pressure.
- Figure 1 gallon crock for every 5 pounds of vegetables.
- Brine is a solution of water and salt, used to preserve vegetables in the fermentation process.
- Stones are used to keep the vegetables from floating and being exposed to oxygen during the fermentation process by keeping them submerged in the brine.
- Scum formation is common. Skim off the scum and recover the crock. Submerged food will not be harmed because harmful microorganisms can’t survive in the acidic brine. Scum is caused by the brine level being too low or oxygen exposure, so try not to remove the lid more than necessary.
- This could mean that the Vitamin C level is dropping, and your brine level might be too low or there has been too much exposure to oxygen.
- This is most likely a yeast issue or you could have mold.
- Yes. Pickling salt or natural sea salt works best. Do NOT use iodized salt as this prohibits fermentation.
