Ball Home Canning Basics

Enjoy fruit all winter in the form of homemade jams and jellies.

Ball canning products, first made in 1886 by William Charles Ball and his brothers, are one of the leading brands of home-canning equipment. Use Ball canners to make jams, jellies and sauces. Determine the type of canning that your recipe requires. High-acid foods -- fruits, salsas, jams and jellies -- do not allow bacteria to grow as easily at low temperatures. Process them using a water bath. Low-acid foods -- vegetables and meats -- require a pressure canner so that they can process at a higher temperature. If your recipe mixes the two categories, use the low-acid process.

Things You'll Need

• For high-acid canning:
• Large pot with a lid
• Rack that fits into the bottom of the large pot
• For low-acid canning:
• Pressure canner

Instructions

High-Acid Canning

1. Wash the jars, lids and bands with soap and hot water. Rinse them. Dry the bands. Put the jars in a pot of hot water, and put the lids in a saucepan of simmering water. Do not boil the lids; doing so can interfere with the seal. Set the bands aside.

2. Fill a large pot half full with water. Place a rack in the pot to keep the jars off of the bottom. Bring the water to a simmer and cover.

3. Prepare your recipe.

4. Take a jar out of the hot water and fill it while it is still hot. Leave about 1/2 inch of headroom for soft spreads like jam and about 1/4 inch of headroom for sauces, salsa, fruits and pickles. Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to remove bubbles. Center a lid on the jar and screw on the band. Repeat this for the remaining jars.

5. Place the filled jars onto the rack in the large pot. The water level should be 1 to 2 inches above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a boil, place the lid on the pot and let the jars process for the time specified in the recipe. Turn off the heat, and let the jars sit for five minutes in the hot water. Remove the jars and let them cool for 12 to 24 hours. Check the lids. If they are not sealed, reprocess them. If the seals are tight, store the jars for up to one year.

Low-Acid Canning

1. Prepare the jars, lids and bands as in Step 1 of Section 1.

2. Put 2 to 3 inches of water in your pressure canner and simmer over medium heat.

3. Prepare your recipe. Fill the jars as in Step 4 of Section 1, but leave 1 inch of headroom. Place them into the simmering water in the pressure canner.

4. Lock the lid onto the pressure canner. Make sure that the vent is open, and increase the heat to "Medium-High." Leave the vent open for about 10 minutes after you see steam coming steadily from the vent. Close the vent using a weight. Adjust the heat as needed to keep the canner at the pressure specified in your recipe. Let the jars process for the time that the recipe indicates.

5. Remove the pressure canner from the heat. Let it cool until the pressure gauge reads zero. Let the pressure canner sit for two minutes before you remove the weight from the vent and open the lid. Remove the jars and let them sit for 12 to 24 hours. Check the lids. Reprocess the jars if necessary. Otherwise, store them for up to one year.

Tips & Warnings

• If you want hands-on instruction in canning, take a canning class. Visit Ball's Learn to Can website for information on classes across the United States.

• Make sure that you have enough jars to hold all of the food that you are preparing, and never reuse lids.

References

• Pickyourown.org: A Brief History of the Home Canning Jar
• Ball: High-Acid Instructions
• Ball: Low-Acid Instructions

Resources

• Ball: Learn to Can