I recently came across a lot of old recipes that call for HWB for green
beans, potoes, etc, rather than pressure canning them. I also talked to one
of our close friends who has been HWBing everything for years. Why could
they get away with it and we cant? Are they doing something different, or
is it in the vegetables they are canning. I know the recipes call for 90 to
120 minutes of HWB rather than35 minutes of pressure.

Just thought I would ask. Dwayne

Dwayne wrote:
> I recently came across a lot of old recipes that call for HWB for green
> beans, potoes, etc, rather than pressure canning them. I also talked to one
> of our close friends who has been HWBing everything for years. Why could
> they get away with it and we cant?

They've been lucky.

> Are they doing something different, or
> is it in the vegetables they are canning. I know the recipes call for 90 to
> 120 minutes of HWB rather than 35 minutes of pressure.

It should be about 3 hours in BWB, not 90 minutes, then you gotta boil
for 10 minutes when you open the jars before tasting. After all that
processing, I suspect the quality it terrible.

>
> Just thought I would ask. Dwayne
>

Best regards,
Bob

Dwayne wrote:
> I recently came across a lot of old recipes that call for HWB for green
> beans, potoes, etc, rather than pressure canning them. I also talked to one
> of our close friends who has been HWBing everything for years. Why could
> they get away with it and we cant? Are they doing something different, or
> is it in the vegetables they are canning. I know the recipes call for 90 to
> 120 minutes of HWB rather than35 minutes of pressure.
>
> Just thought I would ask. Dwayne
>
>
>
Standards of cleanliness and methods for processing foods have changed
over the years Dwayne. The United States Department of Agriculture sets
the standards for home canning of foods in this country and, through
experimentation, scientific investigation, and observation the USDA has
determined that foods of low acidity should not be Boiling Water Bathed
for preservation. Methods for green beans, potatoes, etc call for steam
pressure canning and there are established times and pressures for
canning them.

I've been home canning food for more than 40 years and the BWB method of
putting up low acid foods were updated before I started. Gives you an
idea of how out-of-date your friends are. That being said, it's their
kitchen and their lives and if they want to continue doing things the
old way they can. IF they are only risking their lives and not the lives
of family and friends. Personally, no way in hell would I eat at their
house or at a group pot luck where they brought food. It only takes one
instance of botulism to ruin your day.

Stick with the USDA guidelines on home canning and live a healthy life.

George

in article , Dwayne at
wrote on 15/10/04 5:13 AM:

> I recently came across a lot of old recipes that call for HWB for green
> beans, potoes, etc, rather than pressure canning them. I also talked to one
> of our close friends who has been HWBing everything for years. Why could
> they get away with it and we cant? Are they doing something different, or
> is it in the vegetables they are canning. I know the recipes call for 90 to
> 120 minutes of HWB rather than35 minutes of pressure.
>
> Just thought I would ask. Dwayne
>
>
>
Botulism, the concern we have in BWBing low acid ( vegies and meats) foods
is quite rare. The spores that produce the poison are all around us but they
require a certain set of conditions to grow and produce the toxin. One of
these is an anaerobic environment--so if you successfully can the product
you provide that environment and in a very,very small number of cases the
spores "grow" and produce the toxin The canned food gives no evidence of
its presence (It doesn't look or smell spoiled) but it is deadly. You won't
meet any of the very few people who have died from it so they can't tell you
about their experiences. I guess that your friends are different from the
people who died in being lucky, not in their techniques of canning.
Ellen
--

Thanks everyone. I guess I will just have to bite the bullet and learn how
to pressure can.

Dwayne


"Dwayne" > wrote in message
...
>I recently came across a lot of old recipes that call for HWB for green
>beans, potoes, etc, rather than pressure canning them. I also talked to
>one of our close friends who has been HWBing everything for years. Why
>could they get away with it and we cant? Are they doing something
>different, or is it in the vegetables they are canning. I know the recipes
>call for 90 to 120 minutes of HWB rather than35 minutes of pressure.
>
> Just thought I would ask. Dwayne
>
>

in article , Dwayne at
wrote on 15/10/04 5:13 AM:

> I recently came across a lot of old recipes that call for HWB for green
> beans, potoes, etc, rather than pressure canning them. I also talked to one
> of our close friends who has been HWBing everything for years. Why could
> they get away with it and we cant? Are they doing something different, or
> is it in the vegetables they are canning. I know the recipes call for 90 to
> 120 minutes of HWB rather than35 minutes of pressure.
>
> Just thought I would ask. Dwayne
>
>
>
Botulism, the concern we have in BWBing low acid ( vegies and meats) foods
is quite rare. The spores that produce the poison are all around us but they
require a certain set of conditions to grow and produce the toxin. One of
these is an anaerobic environment--so if you successfully can the product
you provide that environment and in a very,very small number of cases the
spores "grow" and produce the toxin The canned food gives no evidence of
its presence (It doesn't look or smell spoiled) but it is deadly. You won't
meet any of the very few people who have died from it so they can't tell you
about their experiences. I guess that your friends are different from the
people who died in being lucky, not in their techniques of canning.
Ellen
--

Dwayne wrote:
> I recently came across a lot of old recipes that call for HWB for green
> beans, potoes, etc, rather than pressure canning them. I also talked to one
> of our close friends who has been HWBing everything for years. Why could
> they get away with it and we cant? Are they doing something different, or
> is it in the vegetables they are canning. I know the recipes call for 90 to
> 120 minutes of HWB rather than35 minutes of pressure.
>
> Just thought I would ask. Dwayne
>
>
>
Standards of cleanliness and methods for processing foods have changed
over the years Dwayne. The United States Department of Agriculture sets
the standards for home canning of foods in this country and, through
experimentation, scientific investigation, and observation the USDA has
determined that foods of low acidity should not be Boiling Water Bathed
for preservation. Methods for green beans, potatoes, etc call for steam
pressure canning and there are established times and pressures for
canning them.

I've been home canning food for more than 40 years and the BWB method of
putting up low acid foods were updated before I started. Gives you an
idea of how out-of-date your friends are. That being said, it's their
kitchen and their lives and if they want to continue doing things the
old way they can. IF they are only risking their lives and not the lives
of family and friends. Personally, no way in hell would I eat at their
house or at a group pot luck where they brought food. It only takes one
instance of botulism to ruin your day.

Stick with the USDA guidelines on home canning and live a healthy life.

George

Dwayne wrote:
> I recently came across a lot of old recipes that call for HWB for green
> beans, potoes, etc, rather than pressure canning them. I also talked to one
> of our close friends who has been HWBing everything for years. Why could
> they get away with it and we cant?

They've been lucky.

> Are they doing something different, or
> is it in the vegetables they are canning. I know the recipes call for 90 to
> 120 minutes of HWB rather than 35 minutes of pressure.

It should be about 3 hours in BWB, not 90 minutes, then you gotta boil
for 10 minutes when you open the jars before tasting. After all that
processing, I suspect the quality it terrible.

>
> Just thought I would ask. Dwayne
>

Best regards,
Bob

Thanks everyone. I guess I will just have to bite the bullet and learn how
to pressure can.

Dwayne


"Dwayne" > wrote in message
...
>I recently came across a lot of old recipes that call for HWB for green
>beans, potoes, etc, rather than pressure canning them. I also talked to
>one of our close friends who has been HWBing everything for years. Why
>could they get away with it and we cant? Are they doing something
>different, or is it in the vegetables they are canning. I know the recipes
>call for 90 to 120 minutes of HWB rather than35 minutes of pressure.
>
> Just thought I would ask. Dwayne
>
>