to the person who just answered the question regarding the mason jars:?

Question

Do you still put the jars in the water even though there is flour and ingredients in the jar already..it wont cook,will it?How long do you do that?

Answer 1

Just what is it that you are canning? Flour and ingredients?

You had better explain fully.

Canning is only meant to be undertaken for ingredients that COOK to create steam, which you then trap inside by tightening the ring down over the lid. Then as the mixture inside cools, the lid will be sucked in ensuring a vacuum seal. This is how the food keeps preserved.

Answer 2

Okay, I have to ask: why are you canning flour? Are you making some sort of half baked Mustard chow chow or mustard picklily relish? or mustard pickle relish? Because that is about the only thing I can think of that uses flour when you are canning.

You use a wide mouth funnel to put the hot food in. Then you use a sterile metal spoon to push the food down into the bottle and go aound the edge of the bottle with a sterile knife to release air pockets. You want to get as much air out of the bottle as possible. Then you wipe the top with a clean cloth and take the lid out of the sterile water and place it on and then you take the band out of the sterile water and screw it down (the sterile water should still be very hot). At the point that you have the lids and screw bands in place you let the bottles sit for about 20 mins to settle; then you place them in the water cooker and give them the water bath cooking. During the time the bottles or jars are sitting the lids will conform to the jars and make a vacuum seal; so water will not get in the jars during the water bath.

If you are doing low acid foods then you probably need to use a pressure canner.

You can tell if a vacuum seal is forme because the lid will get a concave look to it; if the lid remains convex; then there is not seal.

http://www.homecanning.com/index.asp
http://www.howtodothings.com/food-and-drink/cm72-canning-freezing--preserving.html
http://www.howtodothings.com/food-and-drink/a3397-how-to-do-pressure-canning.html

Answer 3

Just what are you canning? Is the flour mixed with the other ingredients?

Answer 4

you do not cook dry ingredients in a jar, they will not spoil if you just close the lid tightly. you are not actually "canning" . you are putting dry ingredients in a jar..no water necessary...