University of Georgia experts say many people have asked
them whether they can
“can” water for emergencies.
Their answer? Yes, you can, but you don’t really need
to.
“Using clean containers for chlorine-treated water is
just as suitable,” said
Elizabeth Andress, an Extension Service food safety
specialist with the UGA College of
Family and Consumer Sciences.
“Canning,” Andress said, “refers to putting
boiled water in jars,
covering with two-piece, metal, home-canning lids, with a
screwband, and processing the
submerged jar in boiling water for a specified number of
minutes.”
The container size for canning will be limited by the size
of your boiling-water
canner. Glass jars are required for home canning lids, too, and
the weight of these filled
jars will be an issue. They’re also more likely to break (the
glass) or rust (the lids)
during disaster situations.
However, if you still want to “can” water for
storage, Andress said, follow
these directions:
The canner must be deep enough to have 1 to 2 inches of
water boiling over the tops of
the filled jars during processing. It must have a rack in the
bottom and a lid.
Prepare home-canning jars by washing in hot, soapy water and
rinsing well. Keep them
warm until ready to use. (You can do this by filling them with
clean hot water or
submerging them in warm water in your canner.) Prepare the lids
by following the
directions on the package.
Bring clean, potable water to boiling. Fill into the warm,
clean jars, leaving a
half-inch head space. Adjust the prepared lids, and process in
boiling water for 10
minutes. (Start timing the process after the water in the
canner comes to a boil around
the filled jars.)
Boiled
water may taste “flat” when opened. To improve
the flavor, aerate air into the
water by shaking the jar or pouring it back and forth
between two clean jars.
At the end of the 10-minute process, remove the jars from
the canner and place them on
a rack or towel out of cool drafts. Allow them to sit
undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours,
until they are cool and the lids have sealed.
The water may be stored for 5 years or more.
