I like to give jam as gifts and it would be neat if i could put peanut butter with it inside the jar. Is this safe or not? Thank you for your time. :)
1 Answer
Commercial peanut butter is shelf stable for several months in your pantry, however it is not acidic enough for home canning. When you remove most of the air in home canned goods you are actually setting up a good environment for botulism to grow. Botulism can’t thrive in an acidic conditions, that is why a low ph is essential for safe home canning.
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Why would home canning, with commercially produced Peanut Butter allow for botulism to grow, when it wouldn't grow in the jar we buy it in? That seems odd to me.– J CrosbyJul 23, 2019 at 15:06
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1@JCrosby Presumably the commercial production processes make the peanut butter safe, but your home-made jams might not be safe that way, so without the acidity, you might wind up allowing any bacteria that you introduce into the can to grow. Jul 23, 2019 at 15:17
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@nick012000 fair enough. I don't know anything about canning, but my wife and I want to learn this fall, so I figured I would ask now.– J CrosbyJul 23, 2019 at 15:31