# Canning with Well Water



## ganesa_9 (Aug 15, 2010)

My wife has been using our well water to sterilize canning jars by immersing the clean jars in a large pot of boiling water to heat and sterilize the jars. When the hot jars come out of the water bath and the water evaporates off the glass, there is always a patchy film of somewhat sticky 'stuff' on the jars... sometimes a little and sometimes a lot. I'm sure it's minerals and gunk that are still in the water even after it's been softened.

My concern is that even if this stuff has been boiled, can it promote spoilage of the produce in the jars? I know when I make wine that everything I've ever read about sterilizing bottles for winemaking says that any stuff that remains in the bottles even after sterilizing can still cause the wine to go bad... would this also apply to food canning?

Has anybody out there had any 'bad' experiences with canning using their well water to sterilize the jars? Would we be better off sterilizing the clean jars in an oven like the Brits do?

Thanks!


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

We've only canned using well water. Our water is very hard. When the mineral deposits cloud the glass, we fill the dishwasher up with jars that need cleaning and add lots of vinegar to the rinse water. They come out looking crystal clear and any chalky material that is left wipes off easily with a rag. As far as I know, the dishwasher sterilizes the jars.

We have not had any negative experiences, although I hear that veggies canned with distilled water do turn out prettier.


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## strawberrygirl (Feb 11, 2009)

If you add a splash or two of vinegar to your canner (right before you process), it will eliminate the cloudiness. I have tried this and it works!


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## ganesa_9 (Aug 15, 2010)

Maybe I'm being too fussy if you're just running them through the dishwasher to sterilize them! I'd think they'd be clean at that point but no longer sterile. I might be over-thinking this whole thing, or worrying too much...



fffarmergirl said:


> We've only canned using well water. Our water is very hard. When the mineral deposits cloud the glass, we fill the dishwasher up with jars that need cleaning and add lots of vinegar to the rinse water. They come out looking crystal clear and any chalky material that is left wipes off easily with a rag. As far as I know, the dishwasher sterilizes the jars.
> 
> We have not had any negative experiences, although I hear that veggies canned with distilled water do turn out prettier.


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## JanO (Jun 17, 2003)

I can't speak for the well water. I use well water all the time and have never had that problem. However, when it comes to sterilizing my jars I just run them through the dishwasher, and I've never had a problem. The heat dry eliment on my dishwasher is going to be hotter then anything else I can do.


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## PaulNKS (Jan 11, 2009)

Hard well water will not inhibit the canning process. 

My question is: If you have clean jars why do you feel the need to take the extra time, water, energy (electric, propane, etc) to sterilize the jars. When you put them in the canner and they get pressured, you are sterilizing them at a higher temperature than you ever can by boiling.

By boiling the jars, you only bring the temp up to 212F? But by pressure canning you heating them to 240F (I think that's the temp). 

Just askin....


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

ganesa_9 said:


> I know when I make wine that everything I've ever read about sterilizing bottles for winemaking says that any stuff that remains in the bottles *even after sterilizing *can still cause the wine to go bad...


Then it's not sterile. 

I sterilize my bottles with potassium metabisulfite.


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## ganesa_9 (Aug 15, 2010)

I think my wife is concerned that if she doesn't heat the jars first (sterilizing them at the same time) that they will shatter during the canning process.


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## danielsumner (Jul 18, 2009)

I'm new at this stuff, but after the water bath processing (well water) my jars had an almost white powder on them. It wiped off easily. After reading here I put a little vinegar in the water, no more haze.


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## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

I understand sterilizing for wine - what little i know of the process, you want yeast to grow (or not) so having sterile equipment is of utmost importance. With canning it's a bit different. You don't want bacteria to grow. High acid canning recipes (lots of sugar/vinegar/lemon juice) will inhibit bacterial growth. Low acid foods are always pressure canned to allow heat to kill bacteria. I keep my jars hot, but I"m sure they are not sterile. The food going in them is not sterile - so.... if you follow that rabbit trail, the jars them selves will not be sterile as soon as the food touches them. Clean and hot is good enough - clean because it needs to be; hot so the jars don't break during the filling and sealing process.

Just my opinion, YMMV.

Moldy


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

ganesa_9 said:


> Maybe I'm being too fussy if you're just running them through the dishwasher to sterilize them! I'd think they'd be clean at that point but no longer sterile. I might be over-thinking this whole thing, or worrying too much...


It's steaming hot water in the dishwasher - then the drying cycle is so hot it burns the water right off the jars. Seems as good as boiling - besides the jars get MUCH hotter than boiling in the pressure canner anyway so what's the difference? Besides, the food's not sterile when you put it in the jars - it's only sterile after they've been processed.


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## fffarmergirl (Oct 9, 2008)

ganesa_9 said:


> I think my wife is concerned that if she doesn't heat the jars first (sterilizing them at the same time) that they will shatter during the canning process.


It's important to get the jars hot before water bath canning because you're pouring boiling hot liquid inside them. During pressure canning, of course, you're starting them out in cooler water and bringing it gradually up to temperature, often with cold-packed food, so you don't have to heat the jars first. At least I don't. I've never had a jar break (knock on wood).


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

We can with spring/well water. Our water is fairly hard. But I don't see much in the way of film. We do not have a water softener - there might be your problem. Try it with the water before the water softener. Water softeners generally add chemicals to the water as part of their process. Often it is a salt and it may be showing up.


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