Cooking Time to Sterilize

When canning, it is very important to sterilize your food for the proper period of time. If you do not sterilize for long enough, there is a possibility of botulism, mold or some other nasty microorganism. Some items, if cooked too long, lose some of their nutrients, flavor, crispness and texture. Be sure to adjust for altitude The following table is a good guide to how long food should be cooked:

Type of Food Sterilization Time for Quart Jars Sterilization Time for Pint Jars

Jams and Jellies (hotpack, bw) 5 min 5 min

Apples (hotpack, bw), Pineapple (hotpack, bw) 20 min 15 min

Applesauce (hotpack, bw), Berries (hot and raw, bw), Cherries (hotpack, bw), Fruit Juices (bw), Fruit Purees (bw), Rhubarb (bw) 15 min 15 min

Apricots (hotpack, bw), Green Beans (pc), Cherries (rawpack, bw), Peaches (hotpack, bw), Pears (hotpack, bw), Plums (hot or raw, bw) 25 min 20 min

Apricots (rawpack, bw), Asparagus (hotpack or raw, pc), Beets (pc), Carrots (pc), Peaches (raw, bw), Pears (raw, bw), Pineapple (raw, bw) 30 min 30 min

Peas (hot and rawpack, pc), Potatoes (hotpack, pc), Summer Squash (hotpack, pc) 40 min 40 min

Tomatoes (bw), Lima Beans (pc) 50 min 40 min

Pumpkins and Similar Squash (hotpack, pc), Corn (pc) 85 min 65 min

Anything with Meats in It (hotpack, pc) 90 min 75 min

pc = pressure canner bw = boiling water canner

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