# sur gel instructions



## mullberry (May 3, 2009)

I was reading on the sur gel inst. sheet to put jelly in jars & tighten rings. then put in water bath for 10 min. do y'all do that? you already have boiling water with sugar in it (it is not going to have botulism in that) I just put in the jars tighten the lids & they POP


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

I water bath can mine.


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## Cinelu (Jan 1, 2009)

I always water bath my jams and jellies, as it is the recommended safe method.


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

Same here. Processing is recommended for safety purposes - even on jams and jellies. Botulism isn't the only safety concern in home canning. So are molds, mildews, salmonella, crypto, etc.

It is your personal choice of course whether to follow the guidelines or not but all the approved home canning books, as well as NCHFP, do call for processing.

Canning Jams and Jellies http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can7_jam_jelly.html


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## Bonnie L (May 11, 2002)

It's extremely rare, but botulism has been found in under-processed fruits. Mold growth can reduce the acidity just enough to make it a nice bot habitat. 

But like I said - it's really, really rare. Most people won't eat moldy jams, jellies, or fruit anyway.


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## mullberry (May 3, 2009)

I am saying , when you boil the jelly the temp of boiling sugar water is way way higher than the boiling water in the water bath canner . ...so......when you water bath them you are sealing the lids at a lower temp. all mine seal when the lids are put on & cools. . Then In the water bath It would un seal them & re seal them. Just does not make sence at all


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## Canning Girl (Jan 13, 2010)

I just invert my jars for 5 minutes and then turn back over. They always seal, and I've never had mold or any other problem.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Bonnie L said:


> Most people won't eat moldy jams, jellies, or fruit anyway.


You didn't grow up in my house! My mom always just "trimmed" off the mold and served the jelly. Never knew it was wrong to do that, glad none of mine has molded or I would have done the same and taught my kids wrong.


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## Macybaby (Jun 16, 2006)

In our house, we did the same as Jen - but Granny never WB jams, they just got wax put on top. We would cut the wax out, remove the upper layer of jam and eat the rest - though once opened a jar of jam lasted maybe a week at our house.

Now that I can for my self, I am amazed at how much my Gran must have put up to feed my Mom's family of 11 kids - and we ate home canned/frozen foods most of the time. 


BTW - I waterbath all my jam, but I give a lot away so I make sure I'm extra careful. 

Cathy


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## Prickle (May 9, 2009)

The mold that grows on the jelly probably isn't harmful, it just makes things taste off.

The reason you still water bath jelly even though it was just boiling is because as soon as you turn off the stove, the jelly isn't boiling anymore. The temperature decreases in a short amount of time.

Then when you ladle the jelly into the jars it's being poured through the *air* which has free floating microbes in it that are just ecstatic to find some sweet nutrient rich petri dish like substance to land in. 

Plus your jars have been sitting there in the open air collecting the same sort of thing.

When you water bath it you are sterilizing anything that may have transfered from the air in that short amount of time.


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## mullberry (May 3, 2009)

OK,I give. I will boil my jelly AGAIN. I am putting up honeysuckle, mint & just went & looked The sweet Ga. dew blackberries are ripe . yum great jam . this week.


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## DW (May 10, 2002)

I always WB mine. My sis just lets them sit but I have noticed some of the lids are not sealed when she brings them to me. (We share) Niece does 5 min flip as mentioned above.


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

Inversion - turning the jars upside down and then right side up - used to be an accepted practice for jams an jellies but hasn't been an approved method for many, many years because of the weaker seal it forms or the lack of a seal altogether. The seals, even if the form initially, frequently fail during shelf storage leading to the growth of molds etc. 

In the extensive testing done prior to the 1974 revised guidelines researchers also determined that the pH of foods, even in acidic fruits, doesn't remain sufficiently stable over time to insure the safety of foods canned using the inversion methods so that's when they removed it from the approved safety guidelines.

Jams and jellies used up quickly - within a 3 month period - and kept refrigerated throughout that time would still be considered safe. But since the BWB processing is so short and so easy to do and does ensure much longer storage times, it makes sense to most of us to just do it.


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