Bulging lids
I’m noticing that many of my canning lids are bulging this year whether I’m canning in a water bath or pressure cooker. They seal just fine. What is causing them to bulge?
Geryl Gilbert
Graham, North Carolina.
Bulging jar lids are one indication that there is spoilage going on. Jar lids should remain sucked down by the sealing and remain so. I’d re-read your canning book and see if there’s a step you may be doing incorrectly; often wrong processing times or pressures. Especially read the altitude info; if you’re at an altitude above 1,000 feet, you need to adjust your pressure (pressure canning) or time (water bath processing) to suit your altitude. I’ll bet there’s something amiss with your processing. — Jackie
Black speck disease on tomatoes
My four Roma tomatoes appeared to get black speck disease, based on internet photo and the MN Extension Service response. I pulled and tossed the tomato plants (darn — they had a lot of green speckled tomatoes). I used a diluted bleach solution on the cages and sprayed some on the top of the dirt. Do I need to do anything else in order to garden in that spot next year? It was new bagged Miracle grow dirt on a 4 inch high raised bed. I hate to throw it out if I don’t have to.
Katherine Jordahl
Fergus Falls, Minnesota
Here’s what I’d do: If you can, don’t plant tomatoes in that raised bed next year. Rotation of crops may help stop the reoccurrence of this disease. I hope you didn’t put the infected plants on your compost pile. Burn them, instead, to get rid of the bacteria before it can spread more. Don’t throw out your soil. When you plant tomatoes again, water only with a drip hose as overhead watering can easily spread this infection. If it shows up, immediately spray your crop with copper sulfate. That usually will halt it in its tracks. Tomatoes like a deeper soil than 4 inches. I’d advise adding another 4 inches or more to your beds. Stress, such as shallow soil for the roots, can make crops susceptible to diseases. — Jackie
Regarding the bulging lids: It might be the lids. I tried the Mainstays brand of lids from Walmart last year and had several instances of bulging, deformed lids right off the bat, as they came out of the canner, before any spoilage could have occurred. Switched back to Kerr lids and everything was fine again. Whatever the cause of the bulging, obviously the goods should be immediately reprocessed using better lids, used, or discarded.
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