6 Comments

Luisa, it appears that you are not fully aware of canning safety. The purpose of the water bath in canning is not to seal the jars, but to sterilize the air between the jam and the jar - without this step you leave your jam vulnerable to bacterial contamination. Cooling the jars upside down will seal jars but not kill bacteria. You are not alone in this mis-guided approach - I've seen it written in major food publications, and it is NOT safe. You can get accurate guidance from the USDA's guide to home canning - https://www.nifa.usda.gov/about-nifa/blogs/usdas-complete-guide-home-canning

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Ellen, Europeans have been canning jam this way for time immemorial - no one water-baths their jam here, literally no one. Cooking the fruit jam with sugar and filling it - boiling hot - into scrupulously clean jars is completely safe. As I write in my post, if you aren't comfortable with this, there's no need for you to follow these instructions. But even if, as you say, some bacteria were able to grow in this oxygen-free environment (which is what the turning upside-down and vacuum-sealing achieves), this is not the type of bacteria that is dangerous to people. Botulism cannot grow in sugary fruit jam with such high acid and low pH.

For everyone else, I really feel strongly about encouraging people to make their own jam and to lower the barrier to entry!

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I have always been intimidated about canning. This recipe makes me believe I can give a try. I love jam and these flavors sound amazing. Thank you for sharing.

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NPR!!!!!!

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!!!!!

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Hello,

I have been canning jams and jellies for more than 40 years and do not use a water bath and have never had any issues with my jams. This is the method I learned from my mother and grandmother...I think the water bath step could be a safeguard or preference for someone who is not experienced with canning or who may want to take that extra precautionary step. Also depending on how long they are planning to store their jams and preserves could be another deciding factor. I date label and use before 2 years, (the are usually consumed long before that) storing in a cool dry environment.

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