# Sterilizing new canning jars



## beeeee (Apr 4, 2010)

Is it necessary to boil/sterilize new canning jars ? I know you should for canning but is it necessary for honey?


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Yes.


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## burns375 (Jul 15, 2013)

I don't for honey, open new bottles and dispense. I don't think its necessary to sterlize honey bottles and never have had a problem. If for some reason Im reusing a large bulk container, I clean plastic throughly with hot water and soap and glass I run thru dishwasher on sani cycle.

For canning most foods you should sterilize jars. I prefer to freeze though, much easier and quicker. I pack portion size meals from the garnden and stack in freezer. Mainly beans, salsa, and peeled tomatoes that I can't eat when fresh.


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## KPeacock (Jan 29, 2013)

I've never much understood the need to sterilize a canning jar. If I'm going to put the jar and it's content into a pressure canner, wouldn;t any "germs" be destroyed in the canning process?

With regards to honey, it seems like it's a good idea as it isn't going to be exposed to the high temps of the normal canning process. I think the concern is with botulism, but i have nothing to base that thought on.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

Go ahead and boil all those pet plastic honey containers you buy! If they are factory sealed when you get them, you wash your hands and tools, I think good honey will take care of anything else. If you feel more comfortable washing them I would recommend a rinse in idophor, an iodine rinse used in bottling mead and beer or for washing glasses at bars.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

burns375 said:


> I don't for honey, open new bottles and dispense. I don't think its necessary to sterlize honey bottles and never have had a problem. If for some reason Im reusing a large bulk container, I clean plastic throughly with hot water and soap and glass I run thru dishwasher on sani cycle.
> 
> For canning most foods you should sterilize jars. I prefer to freeze though, much easier and quicker. I pack portion size meals from the garnden and stack in freezer. Mainly beans, salsa, and peeled tomatoes that I can't eat when fresh.


He wasn't asking about honey jars, he was asking about canning jars. If it matters.

I don't wash new honey jars either.


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

canning jars for honey, wash dry and use. 

I am with KPeacock, it never mad sense to sterilize jars that will be pressure canned a bath in water an just over 220 degrees kills no more bacteria than 20 minutes at 360 degrees. nowif you are cold packing that is a different story


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

burns375 said:


> I prefer to freeze though, much easier and quicker. I pack portion size meals from the garnden and stack in freezer. Mainly beans, salsa, and peeled tomatoes that I can't eat when fresh.


I would need a walk in freezer, I do 50 quarts tomato sauce, 20 qts. green beans cooked, 20 qts. green beans pickled, 15 qts. deer meat, 12 qts. pickled deer tong. 20 qts carrots, 25 qts beats, 10 qts stewed tomatoes, 10 pints peppers. plus a few random vegies and fruits.


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## beeeee (Apr 4, 2010)

botulism will only live in an anerobic (No air) condition. When canning foods you end up with no air (anerobic) condition which invites botulism. Filling a jar with honey and placing a cap on does not produce an anerobic condition. If anyone out there has heard of botulism with honey I would invite them to please share that information with us. How can canning jars be different that plastic honey containers. The plastic honey containers can not take the heat of boiling them. I would think that the plastic containers would have the same botulism causing properties as the canning jars.


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## danno (Dec 17, 2007)

Sterilize is not the word. Its sanitize. To sterilize you would have to clean, then boil for 10 minutes or run them through the pressure cooker for 5 min. only to take them out in a unsterile enviroment and fill them with a product that is full of yeast. Makes no sense. I only use new jars for honey and only visually inspect them before filling. Canning jars are run in the dishwasher but I do boil my rings and lids. Not even really sure why except its the way mom did it


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## Andrew Dewey (Aug 23, 2005)

Necessary or not, I boil Mason jars for 10 minutes before using for honey. I do not have insurance for food liability. I try not to use plastic, though my wife found a case of bears the other day that I guess need to be used up.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

They do not need to be sterile for honey, just clean.


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## Acebird (Mar 17, 2011)

KPeacock said:


> I've never much understood the need to sterilize a canning jar. If I'm going to put the jar and it's content into a pressure canner, wouldn;t any "germs" be destroyed in the canning process?


You need to elevate the temperature of the glass so it doesn't crack when you put the hot food in. Sterilizing the jar before adding to the pressure cooker is silly. We put the jars in the oven at 250 for ten minutes. This also keeps the food from cooling down so that when you put the jars in the pressure canner it doesn't take as long to hit the 10 pounds of pressure.

Honey jars don't need to be sterile. Honey has it own antibiotic and it is high acid food.


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## falls pa (May 20, 2013)

Tenbears said:


> I would need a walk in freezer, I do 50 quarts tomato sauce, 20 qts. green beans cooked, 20 qts. green beans pickled, 15 qts. deer meat, 12 qts. pickled deer tong. 20 qts carrots, 25 qts beats, 10 qts stewed tomatoes, 10 pints peppers. plus a few random vegies and fruits.


12 quarts of pickled deer tong???? that a lot of deer to get 12 qts of toung's!!!! wow.


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## cg3 (Jan 16, 2011)

I think he misspelled. Should have been a "d".


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## Lauri (Feb 1, 2012)

You need to clean off the manufacturing residue. Jars can have very small pieces of broken glass inside. Wash both lids and jars. Dishwasher works fine.
I use two All American 40 quart pressure canners and can hundreds of quarts of food every year. Trust me. I know about canning and processing.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Miller-Compound-HoneyBees-and-Agriculture/256954971040510


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## Tenbears (May 15, 2012)

falls pa said:


> 12 quarts of pickled deer tong???? that a lot of deer to get 12 qts of toung's!!!! wow.


About 84 average sized deer.


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## MJuric (Jul 12, 2010)

*botulism will only live in an anerobic (No air) condition.*

From Wiki...

_Clostridium botulinum is a rod-shaped microorganism. It is an obligate anaerobe, meaning that oxygen is poisonous to the cells. However, C. botulinum tolerates traces of oxygen due to the enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) which is an important antioxidant defense in nearly all cells exposed to oxygen._

I only looked this up because most labels for honey say "Do not feed to infants". Turns out that while the toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, botulism, can only take place anaerobicly the bacteria can survive in a slightly oxygenated environment. This means that the bacteria can exist in honey and in fact is pretty common in any household to a low level, it may not be able to produce much if any of the toxin. The problem with infants is that it is digested and then is put into the relatively anaerobic environment of the gut where it can produce toxins. Since the infants have not started producing the necessary bacteria to counteract the clostridium they multiply and eventually the amount of toxin the bateria are producing becomes damaging and potentially lethal.

FWIW the same thing could happen to an infant by ingesting dust, dirt or something else.

~Matt


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## rwurster (Oct 30, 2010)

cg3 said:


> I think he misspelled. Should have been a "d".


:lpf: I was laughing thinking the same thing


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## spreerider (Jun 23, 2013)

i run all my jars through a dishwasher that has a sterilize feature, works great and is quick and easy, my mom still does them in a sink of whatever sterilizing agent she decides to use.

Laurie is that pickled salmon or just canned looks good and makes me think i should pickle some and try it out since i pickle just about everything else.


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## WBVC (Apr 25, 2013)

Lauri said:


> . Trust me. I know
> ]


Starting to make up winter hive feed...

Question....Laurie you mentioned you would post her recipe/method for those cookie tray sugar bricks...when might we expect them?
I have made several boiled sugar cakes but would like to try some unseated ones that end up hard as sugar cubes...so they are easy to move about.
Thanks.


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