Get Started on Canning

Eating food you preserved yourself is rewarding, delicious and healthy. Once common among our grandparents and great-grandparents, canning has now turned into a bit of a lost and mysterious art. But with the growing interest in home gardening, farmers markets, CSAs and eating locally and naturally, canning is making an eager comeback.

It’s easy to look at a jar of jam or canned fruit at the store and assume it’s impossible to replicate, almost as if it’s made by some magic we consumers can’t access. But with home canning, you can do better than replicating store-bought favorites—because you control the quality of the ingredients and can tailor the recipe and flavors to your family’s tastes. Maybe you like jam without too much sugar, so you can really taste the flavor of the fruit, or jalapeno jelly with just a touch of heat. Store-bought canned peaches don’t hold a candle to fresh summertime peaches packed at the peak of their flavor and marinated with allspice, cinnamon and cloves.

Home-canned foods are an excellent addition to your own pantry and make thoughtful gifts for family and friends who are inevitably impressed by and grateful for the fruits of your labor.

Still feeling intimidated by the idea of safely preserving your own food? Here’s the sweet little secret of home canning: It’s a whole lot like cooking. It just takes a bit longer, and you need to be extra careful that your equipment is clean. For water-bath canning, you don’t need as much special equipment as you might think; however if you plan on pressure canning, you’ll need an actual pressure canner. So keep an eye out for great produce—start buying (or growing) in bulk and follow these simple tips to fill your pantry with gleaming jars of delicious home-canned foods using the water-bath method.

How Canning Works

In the simplest terms, canning is a process of sealing food in a jar while taking specific, proven steps to prevent it from spoiling. Water-bath canning does this in three key ways: by creating an environment acidic enough that bacteria can’t survive; by heating food to a temperature where bacteria inside the jar is eliminated; and by removing all the extra air from a jar, creating a vacuum seal that blocks new bacteria from entering.

Water-bath canning is ideal for high-acid foods such as fruits, jams pickles and most tomatoes. However, low-acid foods, such as meats and vegetables, must be pressure canned. This process is more complicated and requires a special canner, so it’s best to master the water-bath method first.

Materials Needed

There are just a few supplies you’ll need specifically for water-bath canning that you may not already have in your kitchen. Most hardware stores and big-box stores will carry them, especially during prime canning season (summer and early autumn). Thrift stores are also a great place to hunt.

Canning Jars, Lids and Bands
Canning jars (aka mason jars) come in several standard sizes, the most common being quart (4 cups), pint (2 cups), half pint (1 cup) and 4 oz. (1/2 cup). You’ll also have a choice of a regular or wide mouth opening. Both work great for any canning recipe; the main difference is how easy it is to transfer food in and out of the jar. (A canning funnel will also help for this task.) Canning lids are in two pieces: a lid and a band. You can reuse jars and bands over and over, but be sure to check for cracks or chips. Use a brand-new lid every time you can something. Replacement lids can be purchased with or without extra bands.

A Large Pot with Inner Rack
You can purchase a large kettle with high sides made specifically for canning, known as a water-bath canner, or simply use the largest stockpot you have. If your pot doesn’t have a rack, create a makeshift one using several jar bands attached together with paper clips. It’s important to have a rack in your canning pot; if jars rest directly on the bottom of the pot, they might crack.

Jar Lifter
Jar lifters are inexpensive and widely available. A jar lifter has a rounded end coated in rubber to securely grab a mason jar from hot water without slipping. In the absence of a jar lifter, you could use tongs with rubber bands around the gripping ends.

Other Non-Specialty Supplies
Most other equipment you’ll use for canning is already in your kitchen:
• Dutch oven or large stockpot (for cooking the food you will be canning—the bigger, the better)
• Stir stick or chopstick (to remove little air bubbles from your jars before canning)
• Kitchen timer
• Wooden spoons
• Mixing bowls
• Sharp knives
• Tongs
• Slotted spoon
• Clean towels
• Ladle
• Oven mitts
• Canning funnel
• Food mill or food processor
• Strainer and/or cheesecloth

Helpful Tips for Beginners

Although water-bath canning takes a few tools, a supply of fresh foods and time devoted to the task, it can easily be done by beginners. Here are some tips for those just starting on this venture:

Get all your tools and ingredients out before you start. It’s a huge disappointment to find halfway through a recipe that you’re down to one box of pectin and you need three, or realize you can’t find your jar lifter when the jars are ready to come out of the boiling water.

Allow enough time. Canning is a fun activity, but there’s no doubt it can be time intensive. The fun quickly fades when you feel a time crunch—suddenly, the whole thing gets stressful. Consider saving your canning session for a weekend with uninterrupted hours, or splitting into two sessions to prep the food first and then process it all at once.

Can with a friend. There’s a lot of work to do when cleaning, peeling, chopping, cooking and canning produce. It’s more pleasant with company (and a good playlist).

Learn from someone with experience. Who better than an experienced family member or friend to pass on what they know about canning? It’s immeasurably helpful to ask questions when learning this useful skill.

After mastering the canning basics with an easy recipe like strawberry jam, pickles or diced tomatoes, it’s fun to explore new flavors you never imagined could be recreated at home, such as ketchup, mango chutney or even your signature Bloody Mary mix. Have fun, and happy canning!

Michelle Urbick is a writer and designer who blogs about creative consumerism, homemaking and finding more joy and ease in life at https://rosybluhome.com.

SAFETY IS A MUST! Important Tips to Follow

Canning looks a whole lot like cooking--except you need to pay special attention to cleanliness and food safety. Here are five tips to ensure your food is safely preserved:

1. Always start with a recipe created specifically for canning, from a resource you trust. There’s science behind making sure there is enough acidity in the food you’re preserving to keep bacteria from spoiling your food. Don’t mess with quantities of ingredients, like sugar or lemon juice, unless you know exactly what you’re doing—because they’re included at those ratios for a reason. See “By the Book” at FarmhouseStyleMag.com/canningbooks for a list of recommended canning books.

2. Start with clean jars, bands and lids. If your dishwasher has a “sanitize” setting, use it. If not, wash your jars, bands and lids in warm, soapy water, and then immerse them in boiling water before packing with food.

3. Begin with quality ingredients. Canning does not improve the quality of food; it only preserves it. Be sure to trim any spoiled parts of the ingredients you’re canning to keep that bacteria from entering your canned items, and don’t use food past its prime.

4. Pay attention to the recipe for headspace and processing time. Ignoring this can result in jars that don’t seal properly, putting your food safety at risk.

5. Before storing, make sure jars have sealed. After you’re finished, let the jars sit until they have cooled to room temperature (overnight at least). Check to verify that each one has sealed, and then wash each jar and remove its band for storage; bands left on jars for long periods of time can rust.

Helpful Resources

Check out these five books to further develop your canning skills and try out some delicious recipes.

Modern Pressure Canning by Amelia Jeanroy. Learn what equipment you’ll need to safely preserve your vegetables, fruit, meat and more using a pressure canner and how to implement those tools. Then scan through the recipes, conveniently organized by topic, and try out your new skills.
Published by Quarto Publishing Group, 2018.

Canning for Beginners by Grace Bell. This book explores the different methods of canning, what equipment you’ll need, and how to preserve your favorite foods. It also includes 22 easy recipes to try.
Published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2017.

The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest by Ann Accetta-Scott. Perfect for urban or rural homesteaders who grows and preserve their own food, this detailed reference guide shares the basics on canning, dehydrating, freezing, fermenting, curing and smoking, and how to use the right tools for each method.
Published by Lyons Press, 2019.

The Prepper’s Canning Guide by Daisy Luther. Take your food storage to the next level and be prepared for anything. This book explains how to store long-lasting nutrition-packed foods, including meat and poultry, and create delicious ready-to-eat meals. It also details food safety guidelines and grid failure canning tips to ensure your family stays safe, secure and well-fed.
Published by Ulysses Press, 2017.

Jean Anderson’s Preserving Guide by Jean Anderson. Enjoy fresh fruit and veggies all year round with these tips from Jean Anderson, winner of six best-cookbook awards. Learn which produce is best for canning, freezing and pickling, and discover more than 100 original recipes of both traditional and adventurous fare.
Published by The University of North Carolina Press, 2019.

DIY Canning. With over 100 small-batch water-bath and pressure canning recipes, this book will show you how to preserve nature’s bounty and enjoy seasonal ingredients throughout the year. It offers a mix of classic, creative and modern flavor profiles, making it easy for novice and experienced canners alike to share in this time-honored cooking tradition.
Published by Rockridge Press, 2015.

Pressure Canning: A Beginner’s Guide by Patricia Moore. Learn how to properly pressure-can your homemade foods as Patricia walks through the process of effective and safe pressure canning. She also discusses the details you want to be sure to know before diving into pressure canning for the first time.
Published independently, 2019.