Question
Hi, I canned about 20 jars of tomatoes for  the first time yesterday and followed all the procedures from my grandmas recipe. After filling the hot jars and putting the lids on I only heard 2 of the jars ping. Now I am concerned the other jars are not sealed correctly. The lids all seem to be sucked down but I dont want to take any chances. How can I really tell? Also, how would I be able to tell if when I open a jar in a couple of months say, that the food has gone bad?  Thanks so much for the help.

Answer
Dear Janet,
If the jars are not sealed correctly, usually bubbles will start appearing in a couple of weeks, indicating the growth and activity of something.  If the lids are sucked down, did they do that without your touching them?  Sometimes we don't hear them all, but usually it happens fairly close together.  Since this was only yesterday, the jars can be reheated in a hot water bath with the rings loosened, but if they were sealed and the heat pops it, they may not reseal properly.  It's not too late to save the tomatoes if they aren't sealed, but you will have to use new lids.  It's your call, but 20 jars of tomatoes would be worth new lids to me.  I don't know your grandma's recipe, but I always recommend a hot water bath for canning tomatoes, since I don't use a pressure canner to preserve them.  Tomatoes can be tricky, but they usually display some major discoloring and odor within a couple of weeks, if they haven't sealed properly.
I applaud your effort!
Kind Regards,
KD Liz
www.eingedi.us