Quick Pressure Canning Tomatoes Question

14 years ago

I have checked the NCFHP site for hot pack canning crushed tomatoes. I live at 3,000 ft above sea level and what I am reading for using a weighted pressure canner and the processing time is: 15 minutes process time at 10 lb of pressure, for pints. That seems awfully short compared to my 55 minutes in the BWB last year. Am I reading that right? I have no reason to mistrust it but it's a "too good to be true" time for me.

Dave? Carol??

~ Amanda

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Comments (5)

readinglady
14 years ago
I think you misread. For hot pack crushed tomatoes at altitude you can do either 20 minutes at 10psi or 15 minutes at 15psi.

Those charts can be confusing. Keep in mind that while the processing time seems short, that's only the time under pressure. It's time to come up to steam+10 minutes vent time+time to come up to pressure+actual processing time+time to return to zero+10 minutes wait time. So the total processing time counting all those steps is quite a bit longer.

I hope this helps clarify.

Carol
digdirt2
14 years ago
Nope, reading it wrong. 15 @ 10 is for 1000'.

for above 1000 feet it is

20 min @ 10 lbs
15 min @ 15 lbs

but yes like all PC times, it will be substantially shorter than BWB @ 45-55 for above 3000 feet.

Dave
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digdirt2
14 years ago
Carol beat me again. That's what I get for trying to talk to the wife and read those darn charts at the same time. :)

Dave
readinglady
14 years ago
Those charts are impossible. Every time I look at them I end up reading and re-reading just to be sure I'm seeing it right.

When you get the right time and right pressure for your circumstances, write it down in your manual and then you're good to go next season.

Carol
homemadecountrylife
Original Author
14 years ago
Carol, I was just writing in to say Just THAT!! You took the words out of my mouth. I can not for the life of me, understand those guidelines!! I like to think I'm fairly intelligent, but as much as I love the info on the NCFHP, I just couldn't figure out the processing times.
Thank you Carol and Dave! You clarified what I just couldn't understand.

So I was able to can 8 pints of crushed tomatoes, after your advice. And I hit and kept the 15 lb of pressure for 15 minutes easily with hardly any temp adjustments. The whole process took much longer because I took my time double checking everything and it all went smoothly from processing to lifting them out, after waiting 75 minutes (just to be sure)for the canner to cool down.
I have another batch to can tomorrow and I can't wait. I don't have another rack so I can layer them together like I'd like to.

Thank you for the advice, you don't know how much I appreciate it! And I will add an index card or small notebook in my Pressure canner box, so next year I can read what I did. Thank you for the idea, Carol!

~ Amanda