BLOG Canning in Small Packages

[Illini Warrior]

A canning question...

Since the new rings corrode so easily, I've decided to start removing them from the jars after I've canned something. I am wondering is there a certain length of time the rings should be left on the jars before they are removed? Overnight? one or two days? A week? ????? I plan to clean them well and maybe lightly oil them for storage, as I think I remember Summerthyme once mentioning.

If anyone knows, thanks much.

you can remove the rings after they cool enough - they are either sealed or not at that point ....

in regard to the rings - rinse & clean them if there's any chance of canning residue gunk .... store them dry in a container with a gasket rubber lid - toss in a desiccant pack for any moisture on the rings or any that creep in .... extra lids also .... no moisture - no rust

wouldn't be putting "oil" on them - especially if not food grade - something like veggie oil won't only attract dust - it's a medium for mold growth ...

 

[Weft and Warp]

I generally leave the rings on mine until the following day (or when they have completely cooled down). I then take the rings off , wash the jars with soapy, warm water, thoroughly dry them and then label them according to what the contents are--along with the canning date-- before placing them in my pantry for storage. I wash the rings too, but they can rust (very quickly ) if not dried thoroughly.

A friend of mine used to work at a factory that manufactured jar rings among other things. They came up with and sold to the public an alternate ring made of a type of plastic instead of metal--and it turned out to be so well made and durable that the company eventually decided to quit making them since it cut into their profits on their metal rings. She and the others that worked there bought up the discontinued cases of the plastic rings when they heard that the company would no longer make them any more. This was years ago and she is still canning with those rings today.

 

[Martinhouse]

Thanks for all the good replies!

If I oil the rings, it would probably be with mineral oil. I've found any type of vegetable oil gets rancid fast plus it attracts pantry moths.

 

[Grimace]

A canning question...

Since the new rings corrode so easily, I've decided to start removing them from the jars after I've canned something. I am wondering is there a certain length of time the rings should be left on the jars before they are removed? Overnight? one or two days? A week? ????? I plan to clean them well and maybe lightly oil them for storage, as I think I remember Summerthyme once mentioning.

If anyone knows, thanks much.

Once the jars are cool and the seal is good, you can remove the rings. I usually let mine sit for 24-36 hours, then remove the rings and test the seal on each container, just because i'm paranoid.

This post reminded me, it's about that time to start planning for my yearly soup canning project. YUM!

 

[summerthyme]

I don't *think* I suggested oiling canning jar rings... might have suggested it for canned goods (in cans) or possibly even using vaseline on the jar lids if they must be stored in a very damp area.

Anyway, you can remove them any time after the jar is cool. In practical terms, I usually take them off after letting the jars sit overnight.. I'll also clean the jars at that time if necessary.

What I do with jar rings (and dear Lord, I have a TON of them. I think I'm on my 6th Sterlite container of them!) is clean them in warm, soapy water. I set them out on a towel after rinsing, and then stack them on a broiler pan or other pan with at least a shallow rim. I heat the oven to 200°, and put the pan of rings in for 30 minutes. This dries them *thoroughly*, and allows them to store without rusting.

I then put them in Rubbermaid type containers (I'm using some which are maybe 25" long, 16" wide and 6" deep? Very approximate, as I've run up and down the stairs about three hundred times in the past 2 days, and I'm not doing it again to measure them tonight! LOL) which seal well enough to exclude moisture. If you want, you can put them into heavyweight ziploc bags (although those are SUCH awful quality these days, I hesitate to recommend them for anything important).

If you have a nice, dry area for storage, you could string them on lengths of string and hang them along a wall or from the rafters. My cellar is a bit too damp for that.

Toss out any which have gotten bent at all... it's vital for a good jar seal that the rings press evenly and firmly on the lids during the canning process. Also toss any which have gotten rusty enough that they are difficult to screw onto the jar, for the same reason. Every once in awhile, it seems I'll get a bad batch in a case of new canning jars. That's not a real problem, given my crazy inventory of the things (and boy, if you have some like I do from 40 years ago- or longer- you can REALLY see how cheap they've gone on the newer ones!), but it's frustrating anyway. Quality control just doesn't exist these days.

Summerthyme

 

[Martinhouse]

Well, maybe it was someone else who mentioned oiling the rings for storage. It was so long ago I barely remember it at all.

I like the idea of totally drying them in the oven and then getting them packed away while they're still clean and dry. I just shared this idea with my sister who also does some canning.

I'd love to have had a basement all these years in Arkansas, but if I had stairs now, I'd have to sell and move to a downstairs apartment. (shudder) I have had ONE STEP down into a back porch for nearly 40 years now and my stair-climbing muscles are non-existent.

Thanks everyone for sharing all the info and experience. Who needs instruction books! (Kidding. Sort of.)