Jam Jar Explosion

11 years ago

last modified: 11 years ago

So we canned a bunch of strawberry jam earlier this summer and did it like we have done it the past couple of years - make the jam pour it into sterilized jars, put on the lids and turn the jar upside down so it will seal. No waterbathing, no pressure canning.

This morning I found myself asking 'how can anyone have thought this to be a good/safe method for canning jam??' I had doubts but others insisted it was fine. One of our jars had exploded (the lid, not the glass) in our cupboard due to pressure building up from the gases of decomposing bacteria. Bottom line is, DON'T USE THIS METHOD.

Now my question is this - can we reprocess the other jars (they are not bulging at all), by boiling the jam again and pressure canning them? Will this render them safe or would any bacteria growth in the jam prior to reprocessing have rendered the jam unsafe?

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Comments (6)

digdirt2
11 years ago
Reprocessing is only approved for the first 24 hours so if you choose to do it and are comfortable with the risk, fine, your choice. Otherwise no. Plus it will have the issue of breaking the set so you'd end up with strawberry syrup and altering the flavor giving it a somewhat scorched taste. So I wouldn't but again it's your choice.

The odds are your jars are safe IF you used an approved recipe in the first place. Just be sure to carefully check the seal quality before opening and toss any questionable ones. Inversion canning, while not at all recommended in the US, is still common in some parts of Europe even though the risks of using it are well documented. Apparently the much higher incidence of seal failure etc. is more acceptable there.

Dave
Suzi AKA DesertDance So CA Zone 9b
11 years ago
This is my week for food safety for sure. First, sent DH to Costco for 3 racks of lamb, factory sealed, but he forgot to put them in the freezer, so they sat in the hot garage for 20 hours until we figured out what he had done. Shudder! $45 bucks down the garbage, but that gas is serious stuff!

Next, I'm cleaning out my pantry and I found 5 mason jars of olives & herbs I had brined about 3 years ago. 4 jars were clear and gorgeous, but one had this gummy scummy stuff floating in it, so, we dumped that in the garbage too.

It sucks to through out food, but if you have the slightest suspicion, better be safe than sorry.

My only thing I'm bottling at the moment is wine made from the apples on our tree. At least alcohol kills bacteria, but if I get the slightest hint something is off, I'm dumping it.

Stay safe and alive!
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CA Kate z9
11 years ago
Rather than heat process your jam - do you have room to put it all in your freezer? You will need to loosen the lids if you do; you can reseal them once frozen.
CA Kate z9
11 years ago
One other thought: Did you by chance make low-sugar jam?
cmonkey
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
We do have room in the freezer.

Yes, we reduced the sugar a little bit and that probably contributed to the contamination.

I am wondering, is it plainly obvious if jam is unsafe to eat (rancid, smelly) or can it be unsafe to eat even if it smells fine? We are inclined to just leave the other jars since they are not even bulging.
digdirt2
11 years ago
The issue is molds, yeasts, and fungus so in most cases the contamination is usually visible, at least on the surface or a popped seal. And yes, reducing the sugar can contribute to failures as you lose the free-water binding capacity of the sugar. Free water in an enclosed environment increases the odds of mold growth.

Dave