Ever wish you could reach into your pantry and enjoy your home grown fruits and vegetables in any season? Canning is a simple and effective way to store and preserve food in bulk, avoid food waste, and save money. In addition, homemade preserves make for a wonderful heartfelt gift your loved ones will surely enjoy.
Canning allows you to preserve food at room temperature by boiling
both the food and container, then sealing the jar so no new microorganisms can
enter.
The key to safe canning is cooking the food and jar
according to the PH (or acidity) of your ingredients, adding citric acid to
raise the PH, and/or pressure canning foods with a low PH. Follow a recipe from a trustworthy and current source and avoid making any tweaks or changes that could affect the PH level of the preserves. It is always best to err on the side of caution. Botulism poisoning caused by botulinum bacteria in improperly sealed cans is uncommon, but can lead to paralysis and/or death if not treated quickly. Jars can be reused for canning, but never the lids!
Acidic foods such as fruits, jams, sauerkraut, and pickles
can be canned using the water bath method without added help from a pressure canner since bacteria do not thrive in a high PH environment.
You Will Need:
The food ingredients you will be preserving
Citric acid according to your recipe
Canning jars and two-part lids with bands
A pot at least 1” taller than your jars
Canning rack to raise jars off the bottom of the
pot
Canning tongs to lift jars out of boiling water
Optional funnel to prevent spills
Step 1
Prepare your ingredients according to your recipe
Step 2
If directed to on your jar manufacturer’s
instructions, sterilize your jars and lids by boiling them fully submerged for
10 minutes if you are at sea level, and an extra minute for every 1000” above
sea level.
Step 3
Quickly fill your jars with ingredients, leaving about an inch
between the food and the jar rim. Wipe any traces of food from the rims to
ensure a proper seal.
Step 4
Screw on the lid securely, but not so tight that air will be
unable to escape during the canning process
Step 5
Lower the jars onto the rack in the water bath and bring the
water to a full boil and place the lid on the pot. Process the cans according to
the time specified on the recipe.
Step 6
Let the jars cool undisturbed on a rack for about 12 hours.
After this, test the seal by pressing down on the lid. If the lid is sealed
properly, it won’t wiggle. Store the jars in a cool and dark place up to one year.
Pressure Canning
For low acid foods and meat, use the pressure canning
method. This process involves vacuum sealing the jars in a pressure cooker to sterilize the food.
You Will Need:
The food ingredients you will be preserving
Citric acid according to your recipe
Canning jars and two-part lids with bands
A pressure canner
A timer
Canning tongs to lift jars out of boiling water
Optional funnel to prevent spills
Step 1
Place the sanitized jars with your finished recipe in the
canner and add water, then close the canner with the lid.
Step 2
Turn the stove on high and watch the pressure if your canner
has a pressure gauge. The pressure should not get any higher than halfway.
Step 3
Turn the heat down to medium once the pressure gets halfway
and turn the heat up once again if the gauge drops down too far. Begin timing
the recipe once the pressure hits halfway, according to your recipe.
Step 4
Turn the stove off and wait for the pressure to
drop before carefully removing the lid and taking the jars out of the canner.
