Halfway there - squash

[Deena in GA]

Celebrating being over half-way done with canning squash. 54 quarts so far, along with several meals featuring squash along the way. I've lost 3 other quarts to jars breaking. Also, something weird...one jar blew it's lid in the canner. I heard a noise about half way through the process and wondered what was going on. When I opened the canner the lid was sitting on top of one of the other jars and the ring was in the water. I have no idea what happened. The jar was intact. Guess maybe I didn't tighten it enough, but normally I make sure they are tight. That's the first time that has ever happened to me. Like the saying goes...there's a first time for everything.

[Kathy in FL]

Congrats ... but my word! 54 QUARTS of squash?!! ROFL! Hope y'all like it some kind a good.

[summerthyme]

Are these new jars? Or is someone being overzealous in cleaning, or somehow otherwise scratching the glass? Minute scratches from metal utensils, or someone using a green metal scrub pad can weaken the glass, and result in breakage during the heating/cooling cycle.

Or, it could just be your year to lose some older jars... it seems to run in spurts sometime.

The "jar ring popping off" may be due to a deformed ring... just bent/warped enough to not really hold tight to the jar threads.

My squash isn't even planted!! We had such a weird May- everything from 96° to 22°- all in the same week, and more than once! I even lost tomato plants in the greenhouse to a hard freeze. I finally started planting as fast as I can... and now we're getting rain. Arrghhhh!!!

Summerthyme

[coloradohermit]

[Deena in GA]

No they weren't new jars, so I'm thinking it's just age. The really funny thing is, none of the ones that broke were the old mayonnaise jars. They were Ball. My dad swears I filled them too full - he's the family expert. I think I left enough room, but will make sure to leave just a bit more. I don't use metal utensils at all, so it's not that.

Sorry, you're having such a hard time with weather and your garden, summerthyme! Sure hope it works out well for y'all!

Kathy, our goal is to have enough to last at least two years, just in case we have a bad crop one year, which is exactly what happened last year. We weren't able to can any at all then. Fortunately, we still had some from the year before to get us through this year.

Coloradohermit, I admit to being a total non-techie. I actually still don't know how to load pictures on the computer. My future daughter-in-law is impressed though, and said they look pretty. She was asking how to can, which I take as a very good sign. We store them in computer paper boxes, so once they're put up we can't admire them.

[coloradohermit]

Darn! No pics. Oh well. Sounds like your son has chosen a keeper. Teach that girl how to can.