r/CanningRebels

So, I have a bit of a quandry, and I don't dare wait to ask. Some years ago, my father told me that he would can tomatoes by boiling them, canning them, cleaning rims etcetera, and then simply turning them upside down on the counter. I do not remember my mother ever-ever-ever doing this, but dad swore by it. He went on to say my sister was there and also was canning that way. I cannot say that these were ALL the steps that were took, but they are what the basics were.

Several weeks ago, I mentioned to my mother in law that my dad had been canning tomatos in this manner for some time. It was an off the cuff comment, not a deep discussion, and was easily relegated to the back of my mind.

One week ago, I spoke to my dad and mentioned that I had told my MIL about the "Upside Down Canning" method he had been using. He got quite serious, and said that he never did that at all. I did not think anything of it except, "Huh. That is not what you said a couple years ago."

Tonight, my MIL called my wife and during their conversation, it came up that she had "followed my advice" and had done some "upside down canning" because she had not enough tomato to fill a canner.

Now, several things are at play, and I want to clarify before everybody gets all wound up. My dad is a little"forgetful". He does not always remember what is what. I called my sister to verify and she said that yes, although she never canned this way while I was at home, my mother did in later years.

Do I call my MIL to tell her to dump it?