'Tis the Season for Canning - Methods of Packing

Whew! When I began this month of canning, I didn't realize how in-depth things would have to be explained. For those of you who have canned before, please excuse the simplicity of how it is done. For those of you who have never canned before, I hope this helps. Please know that I do not claim to know everything about canning. There may be a better way to do things. This is the way I learned. Let me know if you do know a better/simpler way.

There are two methods to packing (simply put: the putting in of stuff into jars):

1) Cold Pack Method - The raw food is packed cold into the jars, then processed or cooked in its container. At the end of the processing period the jar is completely sealed immediately.

In simple terms:
~Place your food in the jar and pour in the liquid (not hot). (Example: Peaches with white grape juice) Process by using a hot water bath (details on how this process works to come another day).

*The cold pack method works best on fruits.


2) Hot Pack Method - A short preliminary cooking period precedes the packing into jars. The hot food is immediately packed into the jars and sealed at once.

Grandmother's method of hot packing:
~Place the hot food in the jars. (Example: hot spaghetti sauce) The heat from the food will seal the jars. If the jars do not seal, then you will manually have to seal them (details to come another day).

Information in part from the 1942 Woman's Home Companion Cook Book