Do You Clean Your Jars Before Jarring?
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I don't wash out brand new jars. So far percentage that have shown mold is 0%. I clean and sterilize jars for reuse.
I don't wash brand new jars either...
but when I wash reused jars, I do it in the sink by hand, because the dishwasher alone is not very aggressive at all. If you watch a video of what is going on inside the dishwasher, it is basically just spraying your dishes, nothing ever scrubs them. And, tobacco needs to be scrubbed, to get the oily residue out of them.
Learning to jar food from my grandparents and parents, I fill one side of the sink with soapy water, and the other with very hot water with just a cup of Clorox added. Hand wash in soap and drop the jar into the Clorox water. Then rinse under running cold water and dry.
YMMV
but when I wash reused jars, I do it in the sink by hand, because the dishwasher alone is not very aggressive at all. If you watch a video of what is going on inside the dishwasher, it is basically just spraying your dishes, nothing ever scrubs them. And, tobacco needs to be scrubbed, to get the oily residue out of them.
Learning to jar food from my grandparents and parents, I fill one side of the sink with soapy water, and the other with very hot water with just a cup of Clorox added. Hand wash in soap and drop the jar into the Clorox water. Then rinse under running cold water and dry.
YMMV
Best practice would be to thoroughly wash and dry jars between uses. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. I haven't run into problems either way.
We had someone who works in a lab as a member do a test, cultures I think. New jars were completely sterile, but after washing them with soap and water, they contained way more added cotangens than the unwashed jars.
I do not wash them first. If you want to sterilize vs merely clean, then you should boil them for at least 10 minutes (longer at high altitudes). New jars are not sterile.
Best practices for home food canning require pre-sterilizing new jars, if you are not using a canning method that has a processing time of at least 10 minutes in a water bath or pressure.
Best practices for home food canning require pre-sterilizing new jars, if you are not using a canning method that has a processing time of at least 10 minutes in a water bath or pressure.
Yeah I know for canning you need to go all out and actually sterilize. I'm just talking about storing tobacco.
I understand. Like you, I don't clean or even rinse the new jars either. As has it's been shown in other posts, the tobacco we are putting in is already pretty dirty.
Hell, I even heard a rumor that stuff is actually GROWN in dirt. Just out there on the ground. Can you imagine? Absolutely filthy, I tell ya..
Toward the end of Bracken Flake availability i ordered a couple of pounds and one, in a mason jar, molded.
Thats right, one of the last few pounds of Bracken Flake, existent in the cosmos, molded in an unwashed, unsterilized mason jar.
I will leave conclusions to the reader.
EDIT: I also had a pound of FVF mold, but so what?
Thats right, one of the last few pounds of Bracken Flake, existent in the cosmos, molded in an unwashed, unsterilized mason jar.
I will leave conclusions to the reader.
EDIT: I also had a pound of FVF mold, but so what?
No. You're more likely introducing something foreign then when you started.
I do not wash the new jars. I have not had any mold.. I would say the mold is more likely from your environment.
Or you are also way more likely to introduce mold if you use a dirty dish cloth or sponge to wash.
when re-using a jar I simply take a wadded up paper towel, and scrub out the inside, dry upside down. This removes the oils and any residual tobacco dust. I then wipe out the lid and flip over the rubber seal after wiping it off. (I use bormioli rocco fido bail top jars, mainly) If it's a lid with an attached seal, I just wipe it down really well.
I haven't had any problems this way. YMMV
Or you are also way more likely to introduce mold if you use a dirty dish cloth or sponge to wash.
when re-using a jar I simply take a wadded up paper towel, and scrub out the inside, dry upside down. This removes the oils and any residual tobacco dust. I then wipe out the lid and flip over the rubber seal after wiping it off. (I use bormioli rocco fido bail top jars, mainly) If it's a lid with an attached seal, I just wipe it down really well.
I haven't had any problems this way. YMMV
Yeah I knew better than to use a sponge, as they are known collectors of bacteria, etc. The jars I did "wash" I simply ran scalding hot tap water on/into them for a bit, then used a clean paper towel to hand dry (just like you mentioned).
Going forward though I won't bother rinsing new jars. Sounds like we have enough evidence here to support that policy!
Oh and I've never gotten any mold in my jars yet, I'm just being cautious. It would be a bummer to have a stash ruined that way.
I do indeed wash new jars in hot water and dish soap, then paper towel dry. I would imagine that there is some form of factory oil/residue on the jars. This is only my speculation, of course. I'm sure it doesn't matter either way. I think making sure your tobacco isn't too wet would be even more important that a 100% sterile Jar. I'm talking mostly about Samuel Gawith tobaccos and Flakes from C&d and GL pease. They are extremely moist, imo. Too wet for long term storage
It's good to be cautious. Sometimes, I think it just happens. But, some folks seem to be more prone than others. I run into infrequent mold issues with cigars. But, living in the Southwest, it's hard to maintain humidity levels.
This what I do. The for good measure I toss some lighter fluid in there and flick a firecracker at it. I figure the flames have either killed off any mold or any microbes that survive that deserve to live.
Dishwasher. Dishwasher detergent has bleach in it. Or, fill it with a weak bleach solution overnight. The bleach breaks down by morning. That's also a good way to get rid of any aroma from the previous blend.
I think some are being a little overly aggressive! do you think the tin is that clean when they tin it?
My guess is that the tin and probably the tobacco as well is at some point exposed to temperatures that will kill mold.
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