First time canning....forgot to sterilize my jar. Advice please!

First time canning....forgot to sterilize my jar. Advice please! - Calm senior woman and teenage girl in casual clothes looking at each other and talking while eating cookies and cooking pastry in contemporary kitchen at home

I made a jalepeno/banana pepper relish from my garden two days ago and have since realized that I was supposed to sterilize the jar before doing this.

My fault for not researching enough at the beginning. Though I did submerge the jar full of relish in boiling water for 10 minutes. Would that not have killed all bacteria?

I am not planning on storing this for an extended period of time. I'm hoping to begin using it within the next few weeks.

Is the batch safe to eat, or can I eat it without worry?

food-preservationcanningchili-peppers


Best Answer

If you are going to eat over the next few weeks, just store the jars in the fridge. They will be safe either way



Pictures about "First time canning....forgot to sterilize my jar. Advice please!"

First time canning....forgot to sterilize my jar. Advice please! - Crop woman with smartphone and vegetable salad in street cafeteria
First time canning....forgot to sterilize my jar. Advice please! - Melancholic young woman communicating with anonymous black best friend at home
First time canning....forgot to sterilize my jar. Advice please! - From above of cheerful multiracial couple smiling happily while having conversation with seller of food


Do new Mason jars need sterilization?

Jars do not need to be sterilized before canning if they will be filled with food and processed in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes or more or if they will be processed in a pressure canner. Filled jars that will be processed in a boiling water bath canner for less than 10 minutes need to be sterilized first.

Can you Recan unsealed jars?

Reasons Jars Are Unsealed There was a chip on the rim of your jar: Run your finger along the rim of each unsealed jar to see if you can feel any chips or nicks. If you find one, transfer the contents to another jar and reprocess it.


How To - sterilise jars



More answers regarding first time canning....forgot to sterilize my jar. Advice please!

Answer 2

In general, for processing times of at least ten minutes, you do not have to pre-sterilize the jar. From the NCHFP:

All jams, jellies, and pickled products processed less than 10 minutes should be filled into sterile empty jars. ...

Empty jars used for vegetables, meats, and fruits to be processed in a pressure canner need not be presterilized. It is also unnecessary to presterilize jars for fruits, tomatoes, and pickled or fermented foods that will be processed 10 minutes or longer in a boiling-water canner.

(Side note: since you mention not having researched enough at the beginning... really, you should have a trusted recipe for things you can. I don't know what was in your relish, but if it wasn't acidic enough, boiling water canning wouldn't make it safe no longer how long you processed it for.)

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Blue Bird, Liza Summer, Kampus Production

Related Questions