Enrichment · Cultural Studies

Canning safely starts
with the right method.

Home canning is a tradition worth keeping, and the safety rules are short. Record each batch: the food, the recipe source, the method, your altitude, the time and pressure you used, and eight checks. The navigator applies the USDA and National Center for Home Food Preservation rules and tells you plainly when a batch needs fixing, reprocessing or the refrigerator instead of the shelf.

Check a batchWhat you get

Canning batches

The worked example is made up: peaches, green beans and a family tomato sauce, all at 2,400 feet. Saved on this device only.

Loading the batch form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Cultural StudiesFree

What you finish with
A record per canning batch: food group, recipe source, jars, method, altitude, jar size, processing time, recipe base time, canner pressure, added acid and eight checks. Shows the altitude minutes and the pressure your gauge needs; flags oven, open-kettle and multicooker canning, a low-acid food without a pressure canner, tomatoes without acid, an untested or mixed recipe, low pressure, short altitude time, an untested dial gauge and unsealed lids, each with what to do.
Who it is for
Home canners from beginners to experienced, families keeping a food tradition, 4-H and FFA members, and teachers of food science or family and consumer sciences.
Format
Browser reference with a saved record per batch. Prints one batch with the safety notes, all batches in a table or a blank log; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Cultural Studies space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Before you start, pick a tested recipe and enter the food and method.
  2. Enter your altitude to see the time and pressure you need.
  3. After processing, enter the time and pressure you used.
  4. The next day, mark which lids sealed.
  5. Fix anything flagged before the jars go on the shelf.

Check a batch

Why the method matters

Which method for which foodFoodAcidityMethodFruit, jams, jelliesHigh acidBoiling water or atmospheric steamPickles (vinegar recipe)AcidifiedBoiling water or atmospheric steamTomatoesBorderlineEither, with added lemon juice or citric acidVegetables, beansLow acidPressure canner onlyMeat, poultry, seafood, soupLow acidPressure canner onlyWhich method for which foodFruit, jams, jelliesAcidity: High acidMethod: Boiling water or atmospheric steamPickles (vinegar recipe)Acidity: AcidifiedMethod: Boiling water or atmospheric steamTomatoesAcidity: BorderlineMethod: Either, with added lemon juice or citric acidVegetables, beansAcidity: Low acidMethod: Pressure canner onlyMeat, poultry, seafood, soupAcidity: Low acidMethod: Pressure canner only
The line between the top three rows and the bottom two is a pH of 4.6. Below it, botulism spores cannot grow; above it, only the higher temperature of a pressure canner (about 240°F) destroys them.

Botulism, in brief

Clostridium botulinum spores survive boiling. In a sealed jar of low-acid food at room temperature they can grow and make a toxin you cannot see, smell or taste. A pressure canner reaches about 240°F, which destroys the spores when the tested time is used.

Altitude changes the numbers

Water boils at a lower temperature as altitude rises, so boiling-water times go up (for most recipes, 5 extra minutes from 1,001 to 3,000 feet, 10 to 6,000, 15 to 8,000 and 20 to 10,000), and pressure canners need more pressure: a weighted gauge goes from 10 to 15 pounds above 1,000 feet; a dial gauge from 11 pounds up to 14 by 8,000 feet. Your recipe’s own table comes first.

When in doubt

Do not taste food from a jar that bulged, leaked, spurted when opened or smells off. Discard it carefully. Signs of botulism, such as double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech or trouble swallowing or breathing, need emergency care: call 911.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Agriculture (2015). Complete Guide to Home Canning, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, revised.
  2. National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia (nchfp.uga.edu): general canning information, tomato acidification, altitude adjustments, and the position on electric multicookers.
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Botulism: home-canned foods (cdc.gov/botulism).
  4. Andress, E. L., and Harrison, J. A. (2014). So Easy to Preserve (6th ed.). Cooperative Extension, University of Georgia.

The worked example is made up. This navigator applies general USDA and NCHFP rules; always follow a tested recipe’s own times and altitude table, which come first. It is not a recipe and cannot tell whether a particular jar is safe. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.