How to Do Home Canning

Home canning is not difficult but does require special equipment, excess produce and time. The rewards are many and include filling the pantry shelves with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and knowing exactly what is in the food you eat. Tomatoes and jellies are often the choice of first-time canners, as they are simple and easy. Other vegetables and meats require pressure canning, which can be intimidating for novice canners.

Things You'll Need

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Water-bath canner
• Jar lifter
• Canning funnel
• Canning jars
• Canning lids and rings
• Small saucepan
• Kitchen tongs

Instructions

Water Bath Canner

1. Place empty canning jars in the water and add enough water to completely cover the jars by 2 inches.

2. Place the canner on a stove eye and turn the heat to high. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil. This sterilizes the jars.

3. Remove the jars from the water after 5 minutes. Use the jar lifter to lift the jars and let the water drain back into the canner.

4. Place the canning lids in the small saucepan and fill with water. Bring the lids to a boil and turn off the heat.

5. Fill the jars as directed in your canning recipe. Use the funnel to fill the jars to the appropriate level, leaving the required head space in the jar.

6. Use the kitchen tongs to remove the canning lids, one at a time, from the saucepan.

7. Place a lid on each jar and secure with a canning lid ring. Screw the lid ring on tightly.

8. Place the jars back into the boiling water in the water-bath canner and process for the amount of time recommended in the recipe.

9. Remove the jars and place on a towel-covered counter or wire rack to cool. Check the lids to insure that they have sealed. If you press on the center of the lids and can feel no movement at all, the jar is properly sealed. If the lid moves, store the jar in the refrigerator and use as soon as possible.

Pressure Canner

1. Make sure your pressure canner is in perfect working order. Your country extension agent can direct you to the proper place to have the pressure gauge checked for accuracy.

2. Read the recipe completely before beginning to prepare the food. Some recipes call for the food to be cooked and hot packed, while others allow for a raw, cold pack. Make sure you follow the recipe exactly. Once the jars are filled, add lids and rings to the jars.

3. Place the filled jars in the pressure canner and add water to the canner, as per the manufacturer's recommendations.

4. Lock the lid of the pressure canner in place using either the twist-lid method or the screw-down method of your particular canner.

5. Bring the canner up to pressure over medium-high heat. Most, but not all, recipes call for 15 pounds of pressure. If you have a gauge type canner, the dial will tell you when you have reached the correct pressure. If you have a jiggle gauge, the gauge will violently jiggle on the canner when pressure is achieved.

6. Turn the heat down to medium low and process the food for the amount of time called for in the recipe. This can be as little as 15 minutes or may be as long as 1-1/2 hours if the recipe contains meat.

7. Remove the canner from the stove eye after the allotted time and allow it to cool down.

8. Lift the steam valve on the canner to release any remaining pressure in the pot.

9. Remove the lid from the canner and use the jar lifter to remove the canning jars from the pot.

10. Allow the jars to cool and test for proper sealing.

Tips & Warnings

• The "Ball Blue Book of Canning" is an essential book to have on your kitchen bookshelf if you plan to preserve any fruits, vegetables or meats by the canning method. It is sold everywhere canning supplies are available or can be purchased online. For more in-depth canning and preserving recipes, check the books "Putting Food By" or "Stocking Up." Both can be found at Amazon or your local bookstore. When opening a pressure canner, always lift the lid away from your body. If any steam remains in the canner it will be dissipated away from you.

References

• The Ball Blue Book: The Guide to Home Canning and Freezing, Allrista Corporation, 1993 (No Author Cited)
• Putting Food By, by Ruth Herztberg, Beatrice Vaughan, and Janet Green, Bantam Books, 1976
• Stocking Up, edited by Carol Hupping Stoner, Rodale Press, 1977

Resources

• General Canning Info
• Safe Canning