re: safe canning methods

I am sorry ,but the methods you are using are dangerous. You can get botulism from doing them in that manner. Low acid things, like green beans, meats, etc. must be pressure canned to destroy botulism spores. If botulism spores are present, the will grow in the absence of air, in the sealed jar. Botulism is destroyed at temps. higher than boiling water temp. No matter how long you boil water it will never get any hotter than approx. 212, depending upon your altitude. ALL foods, even jams and jellies need processing. Otherwise nothing has been done to kill bacteria, molds, etc.

I suggest you get a current copy of the Ball Blue Book and follow it or any of the USDA sites. The University of Georgia is the leading authority on current, safe methods.

Any information prior to 1994 should not be used. Even those are being updated currently.

Here is the link to the Univ. of Georgias site.
http://128.192.83.157/faq/FAQ_home.php
They also offer a free online food safety preservation class that would be highly beneficial to you.