Once opened, keep refrigerated. Store any jar lacking a complete seal in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Makes 3 pints. In the home canning of fruits and vegetables, the jars are heated in a hot-water bath until their interior temperatures are high enough to kill microbes and to stop enzyme activity. The jars are hermetically sealed during the process and the atmosphere in the jars becomes anaerobic.
Large jars take longer than small jars.
The tight seal prevents contamination from new organisms, and the canned, high-acid foods may be safely stored at room temperature. Clostridium botulinum produces the deadly toxin that causes botulism. To achieve the high temperatures necessary to destroy low-acid bacteria requires special pressure canning equipment. If the food in the jar is hot and then covered with a hot liquid, it is a hot pack. It is also a hot pack if the food is cold or raw, yet is covered with hot liquid.