Found this somewhere............
If you process jars on their sides, when the contents expand in the hot water, the contents will be pushed out, rather than the air.
paul – welcome! absolutely no, jars need to be right side up when hot water bathed. and the water must be covering the tops of the jars by a good 1 inch. however your turkey roasting pan could be used for smaller jars that meet this criteria. When the contents expand in the hot water, the contents will be pushed out, rather than the air!
www.eatwellwestmi.org/uploads/.../commo ... stions.doc
Do I really need to leave a certain amount of headspace in the jar?
Yes, leaving the specified amount of headspace in a jar is important to assure a vacuum seal. If too little headspace is allowed the food may expand and bubble out when air is being forced out from under the lid during processing. The bubbling food may leave a deposit on the rim of the jar or the seal of the lid and prevent the jar from sealing properly. If too much headspace is allowed, the food at the top is likely to discolor. Also, the jar may not seal properly because there will not be enough processing time to drive all the air out of the jar.
You should process them straight up I believe. I have had one or two fall when canning but they need the air at the top.
And you should cover them at least by one inch or more of water. I would follow directions as exactly as you can because canning is a delicate process and you don't want to get sick. Keep in mind that you can only can some items in water. If it does not have enough acid then you should pressure can.
You are right CG, careful is always best... Keep in mind too that if you are moving your canning jars to a different altitude you need to (once there) check all of the seals because they can expand and loosen and then you have got to toss stuff out..
