Question
Information for Canning at High Altitudes.
Answer(s)
The USDA guide is the best resource for current recommendations on canning…but make sure you are using an updated version. You can find the complete guide on the internet site National Center For Home Food Preservation: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_home.html
The altitude adjustments are included with each “recipe” or canned product. Salt Lake City is at 4500 feet. Use the tables provided in the guide to determine the correct processing time--the time depends not only upon altitude, but size of jar and whether or not the produce was packed raw or hot. For example, if you were to can peaches in quart jars with a raw pack at SLC altitude, you would process them in a boiling water bath for 35 minutes. Using a pressure canner instead of the boiling water bath, which is an option, would decrease the time to 10 minutes at 8 lbs of pressure.
The USDA guide provided at the site above has lots of great info in Chapter 1 if you feel you need or want to brush up on your canning techniques and safety before you get going.
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