[Johns_Gal]

There is no way I would risk canning without the right equipment. Can you order rings and lids online and have them shipped to you? The ball recipes are all on their site if you wish to skip the book. They have reusable lids now (Tattler lids) and I would try those in yoru situation.

Sure, botulism is rare, but it happens. You cannot see it or smell it, or even taste it. Sure, my grandparents canned everything in a water bath and lived. They won the roulette wheel.

Yes, I can, and I am obviously very careful with it.

I would freeze and dehydrate; you can use your oven or even a table oudoors in the sun with a screen and a few heavy rocks. You can make freezer jams as well.

---------- Post added at 01:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:05 PM ----------

Originally Posted by WaitPatientlyOnTheLord

The mom I nanny for is from India and I have watched her can by boiling the jars/lids, filling them with hot food stuffs (she only cans ghee, so Im not sure how to do it for other stuff.) The jam lids will pop in when they are properly sealed.

I dunno...it does make me nervous, but doesn't the food LOOK bad if its gone bad?

Nope, not always. Obviously you don't eat anything that seems off, and if a jar doesn't seal you treat it as any opened food (eat it now or freeze the contents).

I am slightly horrified at the idea of unprocessed, canned dairy. More than slightly.

The whole thing is that a sealed jar DOES NOT MEAN botulism cannot be present.