I water bath canned some candied jalapenos a couple days ago using the ball recipe. I had a lot of liquid left over, but checked here and it seems like that’s expected and ok. I packed the peppers in pretty tight and them filled each jar with enough liquid to cover the peppers at 1/2 inch headspace. However, once they were done processing, it looks like the line of the liquid has receded a bit down and there’s a thin layer of peppers exposed at the top with no liquid covering them. Is that safe for shelf storage? The peppers simmered in the vinegar liquid for 15 minutes as directed. Thanks in advance!
by Slow-Amphibian-4044
4 Comments
Did you de-bubble them and leave the specified amount of headspace before you put them in the canner?
Are you at altitude? As a Coloradan, I don’t always trust the “boil for XX minutes” as part of the cooking directions. I normally add a few paranoia minutes to those directions. But I also wonder if I’m being paranoid.
Siphoning isn’t uncommon, as long as you started with the correct headspace and followed the recipe they’re fine. The peppers sitting above the brine may darken but otherwise will be fine, you can scoop them off the top when you open the jar to use it if you don’t like the look of them, but they’re not a food safety issue.
They’re absolutely fine; this happens to me too sometimes. Enjoy, that’s a beautiful jar of deliciousness!