# Winter canning question..



## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

Sorry but i never attempted to can much during the cooler months of the year. I can outside in the garage on my camp chef stove.
I just have an electric stove in the house and it doesn't do a very good job 
supporting the weight of a full canner.
The jars come out of the canner boiling hot. Is it possible do this in a colder area like a garage? Would the sudden temperature change cause the jars to break? Sorry if this is a dumb question...:whistlin:


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

I may not have this quite right, but I think the concern about canning in the cold is that the canner temp comes down faster, creating more problems with seals. Sort of like trying to rush a canning job by pouring cold water on the canner. It probably depends on just how cold it is in the garage. I don't think it'd be as much of a concern for the jars breaking. 

The other thing would be to buy a smaller canner, like a 7 quart size, that you could use on your electric stove.


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## MichaelK! (Oct 22, 2010)

Jars cracking at the base has been a problem here and there. It's because placing the jar on a cold surface pulls the heat out of the glass too fast.

I stop this from happening in two ways. For pressure canning I leave the lid off for a while letting the whole canner drop significantly below boiling before taking jars out.

Then, for both pressure and water-bath canning, I set the hot jars on a thick pad of folded towels, to insulate them from the cold table. Doing that should solve your problem.


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## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

Micheal thanks for the info. Do you can inside your garage or out building? What's the lowest temps you have attempted to do canning out there?


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## oneokie (Aug 14, 2009)

If you are not doing multiple loads, just turn the fire off and let the canner cool down before opening.


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## campfiregirl (Mar 1, 2011)

Bring the jars inside to cool down - don't leave them in the garage.
Also, do you have a Heat Dish or similar heater? I like the Heat Dish for working in the garage. You could set it up near your canner so that the air temp isn't quite as cold near the canner, if you are worried about thermal shock when removing the jars from the boiling water. I'd still bring them inside to cool, just in case, plus then you don't have to have the heater plugged in for long.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

You could also place the jars into a cooler, like a camping cooler. I would just put them on a folded towel,then cover with a couple more towels.


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## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

I have a small space heater I can use, I don't have a heat dish.
Yes, that might be best to bring the jars inside to cool down.
There is so much I want to can and the weather is getting cooler on me.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Vosey said:


> The other thing would be to buy a smaller canner, like a 7 quart size, that you could use on your electric stove.


Save money - instead of buying another canner, just put fewer jars in your existing canner.


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## backtocolo (May 1, 2012)

I can outside. We have pulled a few loads out when it's pretty cool outside. I set them on a folded towel and cover with a few towels to keep them from cooling to fast.

If it's going to be a good bit cooler I put them into a box and bring them in the house.


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## flowergurl (Feb 27, 2007)

Backtocolo are you canning inside an outbuilding or out in the open?


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

flowergurl,I cann both in a wood heated house on a gas stove and a wood burning stove(one inside and one outside for summer/spring). I really do not have any problems with the coldness-but the wind. Cover your jars after takeing them out of the canner ,the point is to let them cool slowly.


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