WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE, Ohio — Fayette County Public Health will offer free pressure canner testing Wednesday, giving home canners a chance to have their equipment checked before the fall preserving season gets underway.
The testing will run from 10 a.m. to noon at Fayette County Public Health, 317 S. Fayette St., the agency said in a Facebook post. Trained staff from Ohio State University Extension in Fayette County will inspect canners’ dial gauge accuracy, lid gaskets, vents and safety plugs, and overall condition, according to a flyer the health department shared. No appointment is necessary.
Residents are asked to bring their pressure canner lid, or the whole canner, along with any replacement parts they already own and any questions they have about safe canning practices.
Accurate pressure readings are central to safe home canning. A gauge that reads inaccurately can leave low-acid foods such as vegetables, meats and soups under-processed, creating conditions in which the bacterium that causes botulism, a rare but potentially fatal form of food poisoning, can survive. A properly functioning pressure canner reaches temperatures higher than boiling water alone can produce, which is necessary to destroy the bacterium’s heat-resistant spores.
Fayette County Public Health held an earlier testing session in July and scheduled Wednesday’s event as a follow-up ahead of the peak home-canning season.
Residents with questions can contact Sarah Sowell at 740-335-1150, according to the flyer. The event is sponsored by Fayette County Public Health in partnership with Ohio State University Extension.
The information contained in this story was obtained from Fayette County Public Health.
