The journey continues - Pressure Canning quarts of Vegan Beans reusing Odd shaped jars and reusing jar lids

As the journey continues into pressure canning reusing odd shaped jars with their associated jar lids obtained from store bought items, I expanded my earlier exploration to include reusing quart size category glass jars with their associated jar lids also obtained from store bought items.  I followed the same procedures as I had in my earlier exploration of reusing pint size category jars to ensure the results, whatever they may be, would be comparable.  And at the end of it I would hope to have seven jars of Vegan Beans.

Backstory

I have been reusing odd shaped jars and reusing jar lids obtained from store bought items for years in all sorts of home canning applications, including hot water bath canning.  However, I had never used them in the pressure canner until recently.  The what if's kept getting in the way of me trying it - what if they blew up, what if they all broke, what if those making recommendations and many home canners were right.  I decided to put my fears aside and give it a try.

To give it a proper, somewhat scientifically based, exploration I decided to first give pint size jars a try.  In my most recent blog post, Vegan Beans and Odd shaped glass jars - pressure canning with reusing glass jars and reusing canning lids, I made some Vegan Beans by pressure canning them all reusing odd shaped jars with their associated one piece lids derived from commercially filled glass jars and by reusing one piece lids.  As I tested only a small sampling of pint sized category jars with their associated one piece lids I wanted to be sure it was just not beginners luck and decided an exploration into pressure canning with reused quart size jars was warranted.

The exploration process

In my earlier blog post Vegan Beans and Odd shaped glass jars - pressure canning with reusing glass jars and reusing canning lids, I mentioned that I usually soak more beans than I figure I will need.  That canning session was no different.  So with about three cups of presoaked beans waiting in the fridge, I decided to soak a few more and redo this exploration reusing some quart sized category glass jars from commercially filled glass jars.  Despite the fact that I had proved that I could pressure can reusing pint sized category glass jars from commercially filled glass jars and that the research I did for my blog post  Recycle glass jars, upcycle glass jars and repurpose glass jars....but, can I reuse commercially filled glass jars for home canning?  would indicate there is not a difference between the jar sizes, I had the thought that perhaps the bigger jars may be weaker or made differently than the smaller glass jars and therefore success might be far reaching..  So, I decided that further exploration to include pressure canning reusing quart sized category odd shaped jars with their associated one piece lids would add some more scientific basis to the findings and help alleviate my hesitancy.  I will say that I was a little more confident going into it this time, but still.

From my selection of jars, I chose a couple pickle jars (1 L size), a Prego pasta sauce jar (750 ml size), a 1 L tall Artichoke Hearts jar, a 720 ml sliced peaches jar, a 700 ml jar from Squirrel Peanut Butter that accepts a standard (regular) canning lid and band, a 650 ml jar from roasted garlic and an old jar (been reused 4 times dating since 2013) from Miracle whip that a GEM lid fits but the original continuous thread band must be used. 

For validity of the findings, the only thing I wanted to be different was the size of the odd shaped jars.  To ensure this, I followed the same procedures as I identified in Vegan Beans and Odd shaped glass jars - pressure canning with reusing glass jars and reusing canning lids .

The first step was to wash and rinse the odd shaped jars, but also one of the most tedious.  Getting all the labels off can take some time and the glue does not always come completely off, but they are clean inside despite the residual glue that may be on them.  But once it is done, it is done and the glue will come off over time. Reuse glass jars for Vegan beans washed and rinsed

As I am reusing one piece lids that are associated with each odd shaped jar and reusing canning lids again, I put them in a pot of water to heat and sterilize. For more information on how I reuse one piece lids and reuse canning lids, be sure to check out my earlier blog post Recycle canning lids, upcycle canning lids and repurpose canning lids....but can I reuse canning lids for home canning?.reuse jar lids for odd shaped jars in water for making Vegan Beans

The sauce was made following the same recipe as I itemized in the blog post.in the earlier blog. Be sure to get you FREE Printable download of the Vegan Bean recipe.  Vegan bean sauce prepared for filling odd shaped jars

I prepared my pressure canner and while it heated the jars were filled with presoaked beans, including the leftovers from the fridge from the pint size pressure canning session.  I filled them 2/3 to 3/4 full of presoaked beans. Filled odd shaped jars for vegan beans

The reused one piece lids and reused canning lids were placed on their associated odd shaped glass jar and tightened as described in Recycle canning lids, upcycle canning lids and repurpose canning lids....but can I reuse canning lids for home canning?.  As each jar was lidded it was placed into the pressure canner including this old jar that was first reused in 2013 and has been reused 4 times since.  The GEM lid just fits the jar and the original continuous thread lid must be used to hold the reused canning lid in place.Vegan beans ready for canner reusing glass jar

Once all the jars were filled, lidded and placed in the pressure canner, it was ready to start processing.  Notice that the water level only comes half way up the jars. Filled odd shaped jars in pressure canner with reused jar lids

The lid was placed on the canner, the heat was turned to high and after the pressure canner had vented for 10 minutes, the weighted gauge AKA a jiggler was put on for 15 pounds pressure. To determine the required pressure for your altitude, click here.  Once the weighted gauge started to jiggle, the timer was set for 90 minutes and the burner temperature was slowly reduced until I achieved 4 - 5 jiggles per minute.  Turning down the temperature must be done slowly so that you don't loose the pressure in the canner and have to start all over. It can take me up to 10 minutes to get the temperature where I need it.   Once the processing time was completed I turned off the heat and waited for the pressure in the pressure canner to return to zero.  After cool down of the pressure canner, the lid was lifted to find that there were no broken jars despite some rattling that went on inside the pressure canner when it first came to pressure. Pressure canned vegan beans reusing odd shaped glass jars in canner

I took them out of the pressure canner without dropping one this time and set them on a t-towel to cool.  There was a little bulging of the lids but nothing out of the ordinary to what I am used to. Pressure canned vegan beans reusing odd shaped glass jars and reusing canning lids

And the following morning, every jar had sealed including the old jar that had been reused for the fifth time since 2013. Sealed Vegan beans in quart size odd shaped jars

Final thoughts 

Although I had similar concerns at the various "stages" of pressure canning as I did with pressure canning the pint size category jars, as each stage passed my confidence was strengthened and by the end of it I feel very confident about pressure canning reusing quart size category odd shaped jars with their associated one piece lids and in reusing canning lids.

Although the sample size may be small in these two canning sessions and some may say that it is beginners luck, I feel that with my years of experience reusing odd shaped jars with their associated one piece lids and reusing canning lids in home canning applications, including hot water bath canning, coupled with the pint size pressure canning exploration and this quart size exploration, I can confidently say that I will be adding pressure canning to the list of things that these odd shaped jars can be reused for.  Adding to that, being that some of these odd shaped jars have been used multiple times over the years, I feel that there is really no basis for not reusing canning lids or reusing commercially filled glass jars with their associated one piece lids in home canning.

I am also of the opinion that the recommendations made by the regulating bodies that I identified in my two blog posts Recycle glass jars, upcycle glass jars and repurpose glass jars....but, can I reuse commercially filled glass jars for home canning?  and Recycle canning lids, upcycle canning lids and repurpose canning lids....but can I reuse canning lids for home canning? are not necessarily for safety reasons of self or food products.  But rather, through no fault of their own, due to lack of funding for testing, have had to maintain a "better to be safe than sorry" approach.  Completely understandable.

Pressure canning reusing odd shaped glass jars with their associated lids and reusing canning lids can really make a difference.  With the amount of garbage that is generated from store bought items and the rising costs of home canning supplies it is comforting to know that there is a free ready source at my finger tips that keeps things out of the landfill.  All I have to do is ask for it. But at the end of the day, I also realize that despite explorations such as this one and the others I have done on this topic,  one has to come to their own conclusions and do what they feel most comfortable with.

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Additional reading

Reusing quart size odd shaped glass jars

 

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