Sealing, Processing, and Storing Filled Jars: Diary of a Foodie : gourmet.com

Diary of a Foodie

January 2007

Wipe off rims of filled jars with a clean, damp kitchen towel, then firmly screw on lids with screw bands.
Put sealed jars on a rack in a boiling-water canner or an 8- to 10-quart deep pot and add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, covered. Boil jams, preserves, chutneys, and fruit butters 10 minutes (for 1/2-pint jars), pickles 20 minutes (for pint jars), then transfer with tongs to a towel-lined surface to cool. Jars will seal (if you hear a ping, that signals that the vacuum formed at the top of the jar has made the lid concave) and preserves will thicken as they cool.
After jars have cooled 12 to 24 hours, press center of each lid to check that it's concave, then remove screw band and try to lift off lid with your fingertips. If you can't, the lid has a good seal.
Store in a cool, dry, dark place.