I know very little about canning. My MIL sent me this jar of plum jam she made. It was really hard to get the flat part of the lid off but once I did, there is some sort of substance on the mouth of the jar. It almost looks like a seal or gasket melted? Should I just toss it?
by Familiar_Ostrich5952
5 Comments
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As long as the lid wasn’t puffy and there’s no growth or discolor in the jam it’s fine.
My guess is it’s the wax that seals Mason jars. When they get heated up the wax melts to seal the lids down.
I am always suspicious of other peoples canning practices. I would toss this, it looks odd for sure.
Jelly is one of the safest caned goods , looks like it was a Very strong seal cannot read the embossed brand on the lid but does not look like ball have had this happen before with the older Kerr lids years ago …. Was a thicker gasket , I would call this a safe jar
The stuff on the lid is pretty suspect, as it isn’t just on the inside or outside of the jar, but on the seal as well. It would lead me to think that there’s wasn’t a proper seal formed through using recommended products and processing methods, but that someone closed it using a gummy/waxy substance instead.
When I get canned foods from someone that I don’t think used safe and tested methods, I just thank them, and after dumping the contents, I add the cleaned jars to my collection.