The Canning Wars

9.6.25
by: Jill@321Oak
Pennsylvania, USA

OK, Flame Wars

So in every corner of the home canning internet, there are battles, small and large, going on. It’s the canning “flame wars.” I’m going to try to stay out of them by presenting both sides with reasonable grace, but yeah. That’s probably not going to happen. Oh well, I think it’s important to try to wade into the morass here and advocate for some kindness and civility. Let’s be nice to each other, folks!

By the Book vs. Rebel in Home Canning

The sides: there’s a serious schism here. There are “By the Book” canners that only do things that have been tested and are recommended by the U.S. FDA or other analogous agencies. And there are “Rebel” canners who adopt methods that diverge from the recommendations. It’s not black-and-white, though, so let’s think about it as a line, with all of us falling somewhere between the two extremes.

Where Do You Stand?

Where do I stand? On the continuum from BtB to Rebel, I’m not 100% on the BtB end, but I’m not too far from it.

Disclaimer: That said, I’m not great with details, and I do love to simplify. So, please, take my posts as they are intended. I describe my own practice in my own kitchen. I’ll ask you to validate time, temperature, and method with the USDA or your trusted sources. If you think I’ve made an error, I’d love it if you’d let me know. My email is at the bottom of this page.

If you’re new to home canning and curious about “Rebel” canning, well, you do you. But honestly, my advice would be to stick closer to the BtB crowd as you’re getting your feet wet. Please take a look at my Home Canning Risks - Spoilage and Botulism Basics article for some of the reasons why.

If you’re experienced and a rebel, again, you do you! I think there are great people and arguments on both sides of this fence, so welcome. I readily admit that the statistics are firmly on your side. The number of foodborne botulism cases in the U.S. attributable to home canning is extremely small.

If the number of cases is so small, why do I drift toward the BtB line? Well, I’ve studied my Botulism Facts, and while the number of cases is small, the illness is very severe. Also, the number of cases was significantly larger before the USDA began recommending pressure canning. Okay, I’m getting too deep here. Why? Because the illness is severe, and with an electric pressure canner, it’s just too easy to do it the recommended way.

Finding Your Place in the Canning Debate

If you’re interested in evaluating your position and looking at some research, I invite you to review some of my related articles:

• Botulism Facts is just a collection of facts and sources.
• Home Canning Risks - Spoilage and Botulism Basics describes some of the more common risks, and how to detect most of them.
• Flat-Sour in Home Canning - Causes and Prevention gives you details of what this relatively common problem is, why it’s common, and how to minimize your risk.
• A Brief History of Canning is exactly that. When we talk about things that “our ancestors” did, let’s be sure we’re taking a look at the facts and see how far that history stretches back.

Feel free to reach out anytime if you have questions or comments about my content!

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