How to Can
Looking to try your hand at canning? Check out these posts for step-by-step guides to canning produce:
Canning Recipes:
Quick Canning Equipment List:
- If you plan to can, you’ll need an assortment of jars (half pint, pint, quart, half gallon). Smaller jars are great for jams and sauces; larger jars are better suited for whole fruits and vegetables.
- Tattler makes reusable canning lids (Amazon) for less than $1/each.
- Old canning rings or a silicone trivet (Amazon) in the bottom of the pot work great as a rack. If you are just getting started, doing this method with jam would be a great way to ease into simple water bath canning.
- A water-bath canner (Amazon) typically holds 8-9 pints or 7 quarts at a time and can be purchased new for less than $35.
- Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving – Everyone interested or involved in preserving food should own this book
- Jar Lifter – As the name implies, this helps lift hot jars in and out of the hot canner.
- Magnetic Lid Wand – This tool helps get lids out of hot water (used to sterilize and soften the seals) and onto your jars. After burning my fingers far too many times, I finally broke down and bought one. For about $2.
- Wide Mouth Funnel – Placed on a jar, this helps pour hot jams, sauces, or produce into hot jars without making a huge mess.
- Bubble Remover – You can purchase an actual tool to slide into your filled jars to remove bubbles.
- Pomona’s Universal Pectin (Amazon), which is 100% citrus pectin with no preservatives, is more expensive but has the benefit of making jam or jelly with low amounts of any sweetener.