How to Preserve Fruits and Vegetables with Easy Canning

Canning and Preserving Fruits and Vegetables is not hard.

Once you learn a few basic canning techniques you can quickly and easily preserve months worth of your summer fruits and vegetables. Just gather your canning equipment, fill and seal your jars and you can taste the freshness of summer foods all year long.

Things You'll Need

• Canning jars and lids in size of choice
• Large pot
• tongs

Instructions

1. 

   Fill a large pot half way with water and heat to boiling. While you're waiting for water to boil, wash your canning jars and lids. Once the water is boiling, use a tongs to lower jars into the water and then boil for 10 minutes. Be sure there is enough water to cover the jars completely.

2. Place the rings inside the lids and put them in a small saucepan. Cover with water and heat only until a few small bubbles start to form. DO NOT BOIL. Overheating the water will ruin your rubber seals. Once the bubbles appear, cover the pan and turn off the heat.

3. 

   Prepare your fruit or vegetable following your canning recipe. (See link to recipes below.) Remove one jar at a time from the boiling water. Ladle your fruit or vegetables into the canning jars leaving room at the top of the jar. Your recipe should tell you how much air space to leave.

   Once the jar is filled use a clean knife or small spatula to slice through the fruit or vegetables to release any air bubbles or pockets that may have formed while filling the jars. Wipe off any spills from the jar rim so the rubber seals will properly attach. Be sure to use a clean cloth.

   With your tongs, remove the lids with the seals in them and center the lids on the jars. Firmly screw the metal rings to seal the jars, but don't force them shut.

4. Put the jars back into your large pot of water. The height of the water should cover the jar at least 1 inch above the lid. Put a cover on your pot and bring to boiling again. Use your recipe to determine length of cooking time.

5. Once the time is up, remove the jars and place on a towel on a flat surface. Don't tighten the lids, just let them cool completely. During the cooling process you will hear a slight "ping" as the lid seals itself. If you don't hear a ping, you can test it yourself by pushing down on the center of the lid. If the center stays down, the jar is sealed. If there is movement or the lid pops up, the jar is not sealed. You can not store jars that are not sealed. You must eat them within days. Sealed jars of preserved fruits and vegetables be stored up to 1 year in a cool, dark place.

Tips & Warnings

• A great resource for home canning is the web site of the United States Department of Agriculture. See the National Center for Home Food Preservation at uga.edu/nchfp/index.html There you will find the USDA guidelines for canning.

• For reliable results don't double your recipe.

• Follow recipe directions carefully especially when it comes to canning tomatoes. You don't want to be eating harmful bacteria.

Resources

• Here are some fruit and vegetable canning recipes.
• USDA info on canning and perserving vegetables and fruits.