Put some water in your cooker and test it empty. You'll know if the gasket works or not.

Hey girl! How you doing? I know you love that old 8 qt Mirro but you know its limitations. How long since the gauge was tested? Gaskets are still available, depending on the model number, but as a cooker, not a canner since that is basically what it is, a pressure cooker. See http://www.pressurecooker-outlet.com/Mirro-Pressure-Cooker-And-Canner-Gaskets.htm

So if you want to use it for canning even though you know you probably shouldn't without adjusting the processing time, the cooker gasket is what you need to order.

As for the okra - got tomatoes? Love canned tomatoes with okra. Als just finished battering and freezing a bunch for frying this winter. Enjoy it while you can get it.

Dave

Madonna, I still have things in storage from our move to the farm that I might never find again, so I'm glad you found your old Mirro! Tim is right, just put some water in it and test it out, you'll find out about the gasket that way. The gauge, though, that's different. Call your local extension service and see if they still test them, if not you may be able to send it back to the company for testing.

Okra? Can't stand the stuff, LOL, but Elery loves it. Pickled is his favorite, and he can have it all, he doesn't even have to share a single piece! I did tell him I'd grow some, though, just so I could make pickles for him.

Happy canning!

Annie

Pickled with Garlic and dill is that the way Elery like it? i did quite a bit of pints years ago(2011)... my own okra and they were DELICIOUS

My Presto is at least 10 yrs old gasket is fine. But it was used a lot NOT accept for in 2011.... But eneded up buying the Americana back in 2011 and havent used it since.

Hubby found it at other house and is bringing it back... Presto only holds 5 QUARTS.. cant remember about the Amercana... till I see it after while

Hi Madonna, happy to see you posting. I have a Mirro 8 qt with 5-10-15 round weight not dial guage - maybe 25+ years old? The way I can lose track of the years, it could be older than that ;0) It says canner on the original box that I still keep it in.

I used to use it for those left over 2-3 pts of something or another, like when I was canning tuna by the cases and always had those odd jars, only a few, and didn't want to run my 22 qt canner again. I could do the mini-load in the second Mirro on another burner while the large was processing and save a couple of hours in the kitchen.

Until I ran the test of putting 4 qt jars in, testing to see if large enough to qualify as a canner. It holds three quarts. It will come-oh-so-close-but-just-barely-misses-by-an-eyelash of closing, lid locking down on four.

I didn't ever experience any issues canning in it, was a breeze to use, but I haven't canned in it for several years now. Would it be OK....possibly. I liked it as an appliance, even though lighter weight than my 1970's era Mirro 22 qt. I delegated it to loose cooked foods, and now have been using an electric pressure cooker for 'cooking'....my little gem of a Mirro hasn't been used at all in about 4 years now and its been much longer than that since I've canned in it.

Thanks to all of you for responding. I did find a gasket that goes to it today at the local hardware store when I took back the one that wasn't right.

Dave, it is a canner, not a pressure cooker. I bought it around 1974 and it specified canner on the box as well as the manual and had canning recipes. The thingy on the top technically is not a gauge like I said, but the 5-1-15 weight as morz8 said. I canned so many pints of green beans, tomatoes, chili, etc. in it, but stored it when my mother passed her 22 qt. Presto down to me. Now this 8 qt. Mirro is more practical for me. If I can get some canning tomatoes tomorrow, I will do up some tomatoes and okra. Got a number today to get a bushel of canning tomatoes for $10 so that is on the agenda for tomorrow along with a lot of other stuff. Please fill me in on battering and freezing the okra. My freezer is packed, but I'm planning on taking out some fruit tomorrow and making jam so I'll have room for the fried okra which I love. Oh, and I'm doing pretty good for an old lady and surprised at the things I'm learning to do myself like getting the hood of my 1996 Ford F150 that was stuck shut to open with no help, and knowing how to put the battery charger on the John Deere battery. Someone finally showed me where it was located. Don't know if I'll be able to get the hood back on after it's charged, but.... Oh, and I'm still working on getting the tailgate on the truck down. All pleasant challenges that I chuckle over.

Annie, I didn't like okra originally because it was slimy. I only had it boiled. However, my first husband was from Virginia and introduced me to fried okra and I loved it. After marrying my second husband, I discovered how good it tasted to me in soups. I'm hooked. Haven't tried the pickled, but will shortly. By the way, I've gotten 5 eggs out of my hens this past week which has been their first week of laying. I'm so happy. Doesn't take much to make me happy. A friend sent me a post on Facebook this past week showing omelet makings (uncooked) mixed, put in canning jars and frozen. I'm considering.... No I'm not. I don't want to have to buy a second freezer for just one person.

Madonna