Yellow peaches, canned according to the recipe in 12th edition Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I had a heck of a time with these quart jars and siphoning, but this one on the left is just gross looking and kind of brown. I’m going to throw it away, but wanted to ask if anyone could give any advice on what happened? It’s still sealed but not as tight as the others (makes a thunk instead of a nice ting when I tap it with a fingernail).
by psysny
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Looks like a combination of too much liquid for siphoned out and given the sound, potentially a false seal. Definitely throw out or compost, I wouldn’t even give it to livestock (if you have any).
What was the depth of liquid when they were first canned?
I use “Fruit Fresh” (ascorbic acid) as an antioxidant to prevent peaches (and apples) from browning. Ascorbic acid isn’t a substitute for citric acid, lemon juice or vinegar for pH control — it only functions as an antioxidant to prevent browning. Maybe this might help you too.
The browning in your left-hand jar is due to the oxygen in the headspace reacting with the fruit. I suspect the peaches were also a little too ripe for canning — they look like they are shredding and falling apart, especially in the left-hand jar. That may also have contributed to the browning due to more surface area to react with oxygen.
I want my peaches to be ripe, but still firm enough to remain intact when blanching and peeling. If they do, then they’ll be tolerate canning as well. If they start to shred, I use them in a pie or I’ll make peach puree or peach butter.
Just so you’re aware, BH&G is not a safe resource for canning.
The different sound of each jar could be tied to the different amounts of liquid. Here’s some info from NCHFP about water-bath siphoning and liquid loss.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/general/cannedfoodproblems.html
Also, here are instructions for peaches; I would compare them to your BH&G book or maybe just switch to NCHFP next season:
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/peach_sliced.html