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Re-canning what was already canned
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Re-canning what was already canned
Just a couple of month ago, I finally got myself a pressure canner and was wondering if I could actually recann some jars that I canned in my water bath canner before I got the pressure canner. All the years before, I pretty much canned everything in my water bath canner with extra time and never had any problems with spoilage, etc. Then I learned about botulism and the fact that you can’t smell or taste if something went/is wrong with the food. I stopped using the jars that should have been pressure canned (there are several jars of beans, various soups, even turkey) but never got rid of them.
So, my question, could I actually recann the water bath canned jars in my pressure canner – from a technical point since they are already sealed, and, in case botulism already started in on jar, would this actually eliminate/kill the bacteria since the jar now could potentially be “invested” (so to speak) with the bacteria?
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15 Replies
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<div>You have a 24 hour window to re-process things according to the National Center for home food preservation preservation site. . I hate to say it but pitch it. You can talk with your state extension for proper disposal. Botulism spores float through the air and can cross contaminate. There is a procedure It involves a minor hazmat cleanup process. The extension may say to throw the jars out without opening it. You could also try contacting Rose red homestead. I’ve always had good luck with her getting back to me in a couple days. She also has a video on botulism. It’s been a while since I’ve seen it I can’t remember if she talks about disposal.
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OMG, I had no idea that stuff can float through the air ! 😯 I’m definitely going to check the food preservation web-site for more info. I’ve watched Rose red homestead before, but can’t remember anything on botulism, going back to check it out.
Thanks for the info !
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The ones that did not seal, go in the fridge and will be our first meal(s). Not sure go out, no risk taking.
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The jars are all perfectly sealed still after several weeks and even month . Guess I’ll better be safe than sorry !
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boiling will destroy the botulism toxin (not the bacteria, though).
if it is iffy, i would thow it out – where animals can’t eat it (or boil it for 15 min, then throw out)
I would think trying to pressure can already sealed jars would damage the seal.
only you are able to decide what risks you are willing to take with your life and health. if it were me, and ONLY me – i would probably boil it thoroughly and eat it anyway aslong as it didn’t seem off. but doing that has the potential to kill you if you got a bad jar in there somewhere and don’t boil it long enough.
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Thanks for your response, I haven’t had the time to sort out the jars yet or really decided what to do with them, but you have a valid point : “if it were just me”. I whish there would be some kind of way to test if the food is affected because I have to get rid of some good stuff. 😟 But then again, I may try to recan some soups where I used lots of ingredients like onions and garlic, though the beans and such will be history.
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good luck and be careful!
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Just a question.. How often has anyone heard that someone got botulism through home canned goods? I know it’s brought up a lot and is always a possibility, but I’ve never heard of anyone ever getting sick. What are the odds?
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Botulism Survivor Urges Safe Canning – YouTube
This is what Botulism can do. Note that she bought the canner at a garage sale but never looked up how to use it properly.
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Thanks for responding. I can actually keep my Water Bath canner at or just slightly above the boiling point of 212F (per my thermometer) for quite some time and remember letting some boil for twice the recommended time. All the jars are still in perfect condition, none spoiled. I have used some jars before I knew about Botulism, but could there be a chance though ?
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Botulinum spores are on most fresh food surfaces, but because they grow only in the absence of air, they are harmless on fresh foods. The conditions which favor the germination of these spores are low acidity (such as in vegetables and meats) and the absence of air (such as in a sealed canning jar). These Clostridium botulinum spores can be destroyed by pressure canning the food at a temperature of 240 F or above for a specific period. If you find timetables on recipes for processing low-acid foods in a boiling water bath canner, do not use them. Research has shown that these timetables present a very real risk of botulism. <div>https://extension.umn.edu/sanitation-and-illness/botulism
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Wow, thanks for sharing the web site.
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I dug this up as well. It as close as I could find for what you are asking. You can contact the CDC and any college extension that does home canning. The bottom line I get is throw it out as there is no … proof. I’m not sure if that is the word I want, evidence experiment? Anyway the motto from the books and CDC is when in doubt throw it out. https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/for_safety_sake.html
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Again, thanks for the website. They all have the same warning, so I guess I be rather safe.
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