Canning two different things at once

Can I pressure can two different things at the same time? For instance if I have only 4 qts. of beans could I also place several jars of stew meat or ground beef in with them to fill the canner? I would use pressure and time requirements for the meat.

Judi
Bradon, Florida

Yes, you could but the food requiring much less processing time would become overcooked and possibly mushy. If you do this, plan on choosing two foods with like processing times instead. For instance, can up ground beef with chicken breasts or roast beef with stewing meat or chili con carne. — Jackie

Wire bale jars

Is it possible to pressure can using the old fashioned wire bail canning jars? If so, would you clamp down the wire bail completely before canning?

Bradley & Rhona Barrie
Strong, Maine

Sorry, but you can not pressure can in wire bale jars. These are for fruits, jams, and pickles only. You won’t be able to tell if the jars are truly sealed as you can when the centers of two piece lids indent firmly in the center. This lack of sealing, coupled with the possibility of the vacuum forming in glass-topped jars breaking the tops/jars, makes pressure canning in them very unsafe. — Jackie

2 COMMENTS

  1. I have been pressure canning with bale jars for years and my food has never spoiled. I was able to get the rubber rings from Lehman’s in Kidron, OH through their website and catalog. Excellent quality, and made in USA. My grandmother taught me the proper way of using the jars and they’ve never failed me yet. I do NOT use them for meat products, only veggies if pressure canning. Perfect for fruits, too!

  2. Canning Different Things Together: I often do combination canner loads during the harvest season so I can preserve at their freshest and not get swamped at the end. I created a spreadsheet with all my home-canned pantry items and then sorted it by processing time so I can mix-n-match as needed (sometimes pints of one thing and quarts of another).I laminated this chart and keep it in my canning cupboard with my cookbooks and supplies. Of course, much of what I put up contains meat of some kind, so those are easy to mix-n-match since they’re all processed for “meat”.

    Pressure Canning in Bale Jars: Older wire bale & rubber ring jars aren’t safe for pressure canning and newer bale & ring jars aren’t available in the U.S.; however, there are newer glass lid & rubber ring jars with clamps that are safe for pressure canning available from Europe (like Weck). The newer glass is able to withstand the higher temp & pressure, and the glass lid & rings function the same as the Tattler lids & rings.

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