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CANNING PRESSURE GUIDE

Two pressure cookers steaming on a firewood stove

The Rule: Acid foods take 0 psi (water bath). Everything else needs pressure. In Spring Hill, we used 10 lbs for peaches and apples, 15 lbs for beans, meat, and greens. Don't swap them.

Heed this: These times are for sea level to 1,000 feet. Above that, the air gets thinner, the water boils sooner, and the heat don't penetrate right. Adjust your time, or lose the batch.

Standard Processing Table

Based on USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (1994 revision). Altitude adjustments apply.

Food TypePSI SettingBase Time (min)Jar Size
Apples (acidified)10 psi20Pint
Apples (acidified)10 psi25Quart
Asparagus15 psi30Pint
Asparagus15 psi40Quart
Beans, Green15 psi25Pint
Beans, Green15 psi30Quart
Beef, Cubed15 psi75Pint
Beef, Cubed15 psi90Quart
Carrots15 psi25Pint
Carrots15 psi30Quart
Chow Chow (pickle)10 psi20Pint
Peas, Shelled15 psi40Pint
Peas, Shelled15 psi50Quart
Peaches (raw pack)10 psi23Pint
Peaches (hot pack)10 psi20Pint
Pears10 psi20Pint
Pork, Chunked15 psi75Pint
Pumpkin, Pureed15 psi85Pint
Squash, Winter15 psi90Pint
Tomatoes (acidified)10 psi15Pint
Vegetable Mix15 psi35Pint
Altitude Adjustment Calculator

Enter your elevation and select a base time from the table above. The tool will compute the adjusted processing duration.

Adjusted Process Time -- minutes required

Rule: Add 5 mins per 1,000 ft above sea level. Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.

Data grounded in USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (1994 rev.) and Wikidata entity Q93454277 (pressure cooking).