Penn State Extension will be testing dial gauges for dial gauge pressure canners differently this summer due to COVID-19 risks. Clean gauges or lids can be dropped off at a designated location for testing, and customers will pick the gauge or lid up on a later date. Testing is free.
Dial gauge pressure canners need to be checked for accuracy each year. New canners and new gauges should also be tested. Pressure canners with a weighted gauge do not have to be tested for accuracy because they cannot go out of calibration.
Testing this year will be completed over a two-week period in June. Drop-offs and pickups, all at Good's Store locations, will be as follows.
At Good's Store at 2499 Stiegel Pike (Route 501 North), Schaefferstown, or at 333 W. Fourth St., Quarryville, people may drop off gauges on Monday to Wednesday, June 15 to 17, and pick them up on or after Friday, June 19. They may also drop off gauges on Monday to Wednesday, June 22 to 24 and pick them up on or after Friday, June 26.
At Good's Store at 1338 Main St., East Earl, or at 1686 W. Main St., Ephrata, gauges may be dropped off on Monday to Thursday, June 15 to 18, and picked up on or after Saturday, June 20, or they may be dropped off on Monday to Thursday, June 22 to 25, and picked up on or after Saturday, June 27.
Dial gauges may also be tested for free at the Lancaster County Penn State Extension office at 1383 Arcadia Road, Room 140, when the office reopens. People must call 717-394-6851 and schedule an appointment.
The office is currently closed to the public through Tuesday, June 30. Updates on a reopening date are forthcoming.
For information related to home food preservation, readers may contact Stacy Reed at 717-394-6851 or sls374@psu.edu.
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