Reusable canning lids & tasty treats

We invested in some Tattler canning lids this summer and I have canned my first batch of goodies using them. I found the process no more bothersome than the Ball/Mason lids** although I have to say I kind of miss the "ping!" sound of the metal lids sealing. The jars all sealed properly so I suppose there isn't much else to say. For something as exciting as a reusable lid I'd expected to have a lot more to chatter on about! When a jar of food gets opened I can examine the rubber rings and such. They get washed and dried and put away until the next time you need to use them.

Bought some corn from a local farmer and put up a dozen pints of sweet corn. And today I'm making peach jam. I bought Pomona's Pectin which is a citrus pectin activated by calcium so I can use as much or little sweetener as I wish. I've not used it before... the worst that can happen is the end consistency won't be jam-like. Still edible and delicious though! I'll be adding a splash of rum and possible a dash of vanilla.

Also on my list of preserving projects is making something out of the rosehips. I have old roses, the sort people plant for the big flowers, which set crab-apple sized hips. I'm pondering a syrup as we don't actually eat a lot of jams and jellies. A rosehip syrup could go on pancakes & waffles, or be added to tea for a little extra flavor & vitamin C & sweetness. Hm..

My compost+potting soil-in-buckets tomato growing project is working well, except for the calcium levels not being what they should. I've seen some signs of blossom end rot which is most likely because the watering method was essentially just washing nutrients right on by the roots and out the buckets into the ground. Which was facilitated by my lack of properly mixing all the bucket ingredients prior to transplanting my seedlings. Learning curves, and am I ever thankful that my literal survival hasn't been dependent upon getting it right, right now.

**I feel I should elaborate about this. I -personally- don't find this more fiddly. Many people, however, probably would. With the metal disposable lids, you have them waiting in boiling hot water while you fill your jars. You put the tattler lids & rubber rings in scalding hot water while you fill your jars. Pretty much the same so far.

Next, you wipe the jar rims clean (very important step, if you skip it, don't expect 100% seal rates). For metal lids you put a lid on, and then a metal screw band gets put on and tightened (not wrenched super tight, just hand-tightened), and then the jars go in the canner.

For the tattler lids, you put a gasket on the plastic lid and then put them on the jars, put on a metal screw band just like you would for the metal lids, hand-tighten, and then *back off 1/4 INCH. In other words, you tighten it all the way and then loosen it that 1/4" smidge. Then the jars go in the canner.

After canning, jars with metal lids get taken out and set to cool on the counter and when cool the metal bands come off. Tattler lidded jars, however, as they come out of the canner you need to tighten the metal band the rest of the way, and then set them to cool.

The tattler lidded jars need to cool completely (12-24 hours) before you take off the metal screw bands.

So, yes, a bit more fiddly, on a literal level. Mentally for me, it isn't that big a deal. I am a fiddly canner. The lid stuff is a lot less hassle than monitoring a pressure canner! (Which isn't too bad if you have a chair or stool to sit on and a good book to read, and remember to look at the gauge every couple of pages in your book).

And then too, there will be the extra fiddly-ness later what with needing to be careful in removal so as not to damage the gaskets or lids or jar rim (use the backside of a butter knife to gently pry them open); and to not stretch the rubber gaskets when washing them.

I guess a lot of people prefer to just hurry through everything and anything which adds steps to a process is something they strive to eliminate. Canning for me is a Slow Process. If I wanted to hurry I would just go to the store and buy cheap tinned food.

Anyhow, I had realized that my post about the lids might be misleading regarding the amount of "bother" involved with the reusable lids. Hence the addendum. I'll report back over time about this product as I am actually rather curious to see how well it keeps a seal over time, if removing lids causes a lot of damage, how well actual reusing of the lids works and so forth.