Drama in the canning community? This sounds serious. Especially now that it’s coming home to roost.
Or is that roast?
Yes, now that Hubby has enthusiastically taken up canning, there’s trouble brewing in Kensho paradise.
It’s not only that he dominates our small kitchen for hours on end, heats up the house with his fancy pressure canner, or is filling every conceivable space with his jars. It’s not even that’s he’s far better at it than I ever was.
No, I’m generous that way, perfectly willing to share in the glory.
I am, however, growing weary of his methodology. His modern, high-tech, USDA, strictly by the book, precision style is beginning to conflict with my laissez-faire, look how the old timers did it, just wing it attitude.
I suggested we try the ‘Open Kettle Method’, which for the record is taken directly from my 1933 Kerr Home Canning Guide.
He quips, “No way, it’s not approved.”
Huh?
And I’ve just learned we’re not alone in this clash. There’s some fiery online debate—wouldn’t you know it—as in politics, so in the kitchen.
They call themselves the ‘Rebel Canners’ and that’s got me quite intrigued. Those rascals are daring to question The Official Science! They must all have a death wish. Clearly they have they never heard of botulism.
It was no sooner than Hubby and I had a tiff over water bath timing that a YouTube video hit the top of my feeds.
How did they know?
A rebel canner, in the flesh.
She doesn’t look nearly as crazy as I thought she would. She brings up the Amish, who never pressure can.
Never! Not even for meat.
It’s positively scandalous.
Hubby tries to block out the insanity coming from the speakers. I tell him I want to try it. Meat, my dear, imagine, meat water bath canned!
Let’s go for it!
He looks at me with the same look as when I try a new foraged mushroom without proper identification. And I know just what that look means.
I can repeat the sentence for him, I’ve heard it so often.
“You go ahead, sweetie, someone has to live to tell the story.”
Kensho Homestead 
Rebel canners–for some reason I just imagined jedi knights using the force to can bantha meat
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I thought 4 hours was a really long time but 7 to 11 hours for water bath canning is really out there. Quite a difference in temperatures also.
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The following comes from the National Institute of Food & Agricultural (part of the USDA):
“The time needed to safely process low-acid foods in a boiling-water canner ranges from 7 to 11 hours.”
Those same low acid foods can be safely processed in a pressure canner ranging from 20 to 100 minutes.
The difference is in the temperatures. A boiling-water canner at sea level only reaches 212 degrees while a pressure canner obtains temperatures between 240 to 250 degrees. Botulism is destroyed more efficiently at these higher temperatures.
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Watched the video. I came away with the thought of being grateful for pressure canners. The thought of boiling a huge pot of water for 3 or 4 hours & using up my propane which is getting more expensive (if available) seems wasteful as opposed to the short time it takes to pressure can. I don’t doubt that their methods work it just seems there are better ways. In the long run it seems pressure canning is cheaper, less steam (definitely) in the kitchen & probably safer since botulism I understand can’t be seen, smelled, or even tasted. Haven’t researched that fact though.
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I’m suddenly hearing my grandmother’s jars do the “seal pop.”
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Cooking is an art, canning is science.
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