Q and A: new lids and making jelly

New lids

I would like your opinion on the new lids. On the back of the new lids both Ball and Kerr on the box of lids and the new cases of jars with lids state that the lids are now only good for one year. I know as a canner of many years the old lids lasted years. The new type lids are thinner and have less gasket and I have had them buckle when using. I am not a new canner but have been canning over thirty years and have never had that happen before I water bath and pressure can. I will now be only using Tattler lids as I feel that they are the only lids I can trust for long term. I know that there are a lot of new canners just starting out and they are not aware of the change.

Sherry Obermann
Waukesha, Wisconsin

Yep, I’ve noticed that too. Bad move for the company, in my opinion. I’m sure it was to save money on their part. Have you noticed that on the boxes of new jars that it says food is “best” used within a year? I’m not going to toss my year-old food to be “safe!” I do feel that the new lids will hold a seal MUCH longer than a year but if the company can get you to toss your year-old food and buy new lids when you can another year’s worth of food, they’re selling more lids and that’s where they make a bigger profit. Sort of like the freshness dates on canned store foods; it’s simply a marketing ploy. One caution, though: On the company’s website, it advised again against boiling the new lids as this thins down the sealing compound and may cause seal failures. So if you do heat your lids like I still do, DON’T boil them. — Jackie

Making jelly

I have questions about making jelly. I’ve always made jam, except a batch of crabapple jelly 30 years ago or so. I looked at all the pulp it took out, and the little bit of juice, and being really cheap, I just stuck with jam after that. Does your juicer give you a lot more jelly? What do you do with the pulp? I know it would be a great treat for the animals. But I have recently heard of remainder jam, where the pulp is used to make a small batch of jam. Have you ever made it? I have grandkids who have fallen in love with my blueberry jam, and I made quite a bit this year. Next year I was thinking of jelly and jam, jelly just because it’s so pretty, lol. Gotta admit, those blueberries are awfully good – they make a slice of toast into dessert!

Barb Mundorff
Youngstown, Ohio

YES! My Mehu Liisa gives me about five times more juice from the same amount of fruit that I used to get using the cooking down/jelly bag method. That’s HUGE as I’m cheap too. With crab apple and apples, I often extract two quarts of juice from each batch, then run the remainder of the pulp through my Victorio tomato strainer and harvest great, thick applesauce from the apples. You can do the same with plums or other fruit, but of course with plums you have to remove the pits first or use a sieve to smush the meat through. With blueberries, I only make jam as it’s such a waste to extract the juice and toss the remainder! Same with most other small fruits like strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries. — Jackie