Using a glass mason jar to store your moonshine is a practical way to achieve the same results as storing it in a ceramic jug. Just ensure when you are storing your moonshine in a mason jar, that it is in a cool, dark safe place and not in direct sunlight. Preferably in the fridge or freezer.
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How do you seal moonshine in mason jars?
Re: Apple Pie moonshine storage – Post by TDick » Fri Jun 19, 2020 8:00 am BlackStrap wrote: ↑ Fri Jun 19, 2020 7:31 am Hello Stig; A way I have found to seal your jars is to fill a bucket with hot tap water, crack your lids open, and leave loose but on the jars (this allows for expansion, but helps keep the alcohol in while things are warming up) only let the hot water up to the about 1/2 below the top of the jar.
- After a couple mins pick up the jar tighten the lid and gently swirl the contents around, repeat the process of swirling and tightening loosening and tightening the lids till the jars and contents feel warm to the touch.
- Then tighten the lids, from here you can place them in a fridge, or if cool outside let them seal up naturally.
BlackStrap It SEEMS like an easier way to heat them up would be in the microwave. The thread has been quiet for a few months, but for newcomers, take a look at Nuclear Aging for more information. StillerBoy Master of Distillation Posts: 3379 Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:27 pm Location: Ontario
Do you have to boil mason jars to seal them?
Burning Issue: Pre-Sterilizing Jars before Canning
New canning jars out of the box are not sterile. Being in a box or covered in plastic wrap is not the same as a sterile environment. In addition to contamination by microorganisms that cannot be seen with our bare eyes, packaged jars may accumulate dust, small bits of debris, and even chips of glass in the case of breakage (which does happen sometimes in all the steps of transport from factory to store to home).
- Whether brand new or re-used many times over, you should always clean jars just prior to filling them when canning.
- Wash jars in a dishwasher or by hand, using detergent and rinsing well.
- Clean jars should then be kept warm prior to filling.
- You can leave them in the closed dishwasher after the cycle, or use your canner as it is preheating, or create a separate water bath that will keep the jars both clean and warm.
Washing is also a good time to inspect jars for any cracks or chips, discarding or re-purposing those jars for non-canning uses if any imperfections are found. If you see scales or film from hard water left on your jars, then remove this by soaking jars for several hours in a solution containing 1 cup of vinegar (5% acidity) per gallon of water.
- In order to actually sterilize jars, they need to be submerged in (covered by) boiling water for 10 minutes.
- When the process time for canning a food is 10 minutes or more (at 0-1,000 feet elevation), the jars will be sterilized DURING processing in the canner.
- Therefore, when process times are 10 minutes or more at this altitude, pre- sterilization of jars is not needed.
It doesn’t hurt your product to do it anyway, but it does require additional time and energy and is unnecessary. To pre-sterilize jars, place the cleaned jars right-side-up on a rack in a canner and fill the jars and canner with water to 1-inch above the tops of the jars.
Bring the water to a boil and then boil for 10 minutes at altitudes less than 1,000 feet elevation. Add 1 additional minute for each additional 1,000 feet of elevation. When you are ready to fill the jars, remove the jars one at a time, carefully emptying the water from them back into the canner. This will keep the hot water in the canner for processing filled jars.
Sometimes people choose to increase a 5-minute process time (at 0-1,000 feet elevation) for certain jams and jellies to 10 minutes so that they do not have to pre-sterilize the jars. The extra process time is not harmful to most gels and spoilage should not be an issue as long as the filled jars get a full 10-minute treatment in boiling water.
And remember your altitude adjustments to increase this process time as needed.) So, in summary: Is a 5-minute process time enough to sterilize jars? No. If you are using a process time of only 5 minutes, such as for some jellied products, then you need to pre-sterilize jars before filling them (or increase the process time to the equivalent of 10 minutes at 0-1,000 ft elevation).
If a process time is 10 minutes or more then will the jars be sterilized? Yes, if you are at 0-1,000 feet elevation, but be sure to wash and rinse them well, and keep warm, before filling them with food. If you are processing above 1,000 feet elevation, then you need to consider the altitude adjustments needed to sterilize jars so you use the equivalent to 10 minutes of boiling at 0-1,000 feet elevation.
Do mason jars self seal?
Most of the canning jars sold today come with two-piece, self-sealing lids and screw bands. The flat lid can be used only once for home canning. Once this lid is opened, it should be only used for leftover storage or recycled. The screw bands can be used repeatedly, if they are not bent or show rust.
What happens if you don’t sterilize mason jars?
Why Sterilize – Moment Open Firstly, why would you want to sterilize jars for all your lovely preserves? Just because a clean sterilized jar is essential to the success and longevity of the jams and preserves you spend a lot of time making. Sterilizing is a crucial part of preserving to remove any bacteria, yeasts or fungi thus protecting the food you put into the jar.
How do you sanitize mason jars for storage?
Home Canning: Jars and Lids All jams, jellies, and pickled products processed less than 10 minutes should be filled into sterile empty jars. To sterilize empty jars, put them right side up on the rack in a boiling-water canner. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars.
- Boil 10 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 ft.
- At higher elevations, boil 1 additional minute for each additional 1,000 ft.
- Elevation.
- Remove and drain hot sterilized jars one at a time.
- Save the hot water for processing filled jars.
- Fill jars with food, add lids, and tighten screw bands.
- Empty jars used for vegetables, meats, and fruits to be processed in a pressure canner need not be presterilized.
It is also unnecessary to presterilize jars for fruits, tomatoes, and pickled or fermented foods that will be processed 10 minutes or longer in a boiling-water canner. Adapted from the “Complete Guide to Home Canning,” Agriculture Information Bulletin No.539, NIFA-USDA (Revised 2015). Page reviewed February 2, 2017. : Home Canning: Jars and Lids
Does homemade moonshine need to be refrigerated?
How Long Does Flavored Moonshine Last? – It all depends on how you store your apple pie moonshine. In an airtight container, it should last 3 – 4 months in the back of your refrigerator. If you seal your jars properly in your mason jars, they can last up to three years.