Preserving Food and Canning for Beginners

Preserving food and canning for beginners, including ways to preserve fresh fruit and vegetables in homemade jellies, jams, chutneys, and pickles. This guide covers how to prepare food for preserving, an introduction to water bath canning and pressure canning, and canning examples.

People have been preserving food for centuries. It was how our forefathers survived the winter when they could no longer harvest from their gardens. With modern technology, food preservation isn’t necessary for most people, since you can now find almost any type of produce at your local grocery store. So why bother preserving your own?

For me, it’s a sense of pride. All the work I put into growing my own food feels worth it when I pop open a jar of blueberry jam and spread it on my toast on a cold January morning. With one taste of my jam, canned at the peak of ripeness, I’m immediately transported back to my garden in its full summer glory.

What is Canning?

For whatever reason you decide to preserve your own food, it’s not as complicated as it looks. Understanding a few basics will keep you on the right track and keep your food safe. Food is preserved by one of three methods: drying, freezing, or canning. Canning takes the most prep work, but once you get started, you’ll find it easy.

Simply put, canning is a preservation method that involves heating food in closed glass jars and removing air to create a seal. This process stops spoilage, thus making it shelf-stable. There are two home canning methods: water bath canning and pressure canning.

Water Bath Canning

Water bath canning is a faster, lower-temperature preserving process that is for high-acid foods. Food acidity is very important for water bath canning since it kills bacteria that can cause spoilage and botulism, a rare but fatal disease spread by bacteria. With water bath canning, you fill canning jars with prepared high-acid foods, put lids and rings on them (finger-tight). Then boil them in a water bath canner or large pot. Each type of food has a processing time that may change depending on your elevation.

Water bath canning is easy, though, and a great way for beginners to get into canning. Fruits and vegetables perfect for water bath preserving include:

• Fruits
• Fruit juices
• Jams and jellies
• Salsas
• Tomatoes (with added acid)
• Pickles and relishes
• Chutneys
• Vinegar
• Condiments

Canning with a Pressure Canner

Pressure canning is used for low-acid foods, meats, and seafood, and it may not be the right introduction to canning for beginners. A pressure canner heats the contents of a jar to 240° F (116° C), effectively eliminating the risk of foodborne bacteria. Follow precise recipes and processing times, and adjust for your elevation. Foods that are ideal for pressure canning include:

• Green beans
• Potatoes
• Corn
• Carrots
• Beets
• Sweet peppers
• Pumpkins
• Greens
• Meats

For a complete recommendation on what food can be processed via water bath or pressure canner, order a tried-and-tested canning cookbook.

Equipment Needed for Canning

The tools needed for preserving food are the same for water-bath canning and pressure canning. All except the canning pot. Water-bath canners are inexpensive and run anywhere from $20-$30 for a large canning pot with a rack. Pressure canners, on the other hand, can start at $60 for a small one and go up to $200 or more. Here are the basics needed for both methods of canning:

• Pressure canner (low-acid food)
• Water bath canner (high-acid food)
• Jars, lids, and screw bands

Additional Canning Equipment

• Jar lifter for easy removal of hot jars from canner
• Canning funnel to pack small food items into jars
• Plastic knife, or a spatula to remove bubbles from jars
• Lid wand with a magnet to lift metal lids from hot water
• Clean cloths for wiping jar rims

Preparing Food for Canning

Always start with reputable, tested recipes. Science supports the amounts of sugar, salt, or vinegar, as well as the processing time in each recipe. Do not alter ingredient amounts or processing time unless the recipe says you can. You can find many tried-and-tested recipes in Ball’s Canning Book. These recipes have been used for generations.

• A good recipe also provides the appropriate processing time and headspace. Headspace is the distance between the surface of the food and the underside of the lid, allowing the food to expand or liquid to bubble up during processing. Correct headspace is crucial for proper sealing.
• Wash and sterilize your cutting board, knife, or any other equipment you will use to prepare your recipe.
• Use ripe, unblemished produce for preserving. This ensures your finished product tastes delicious and has the right color and texture. It also eliminates bacteria from the spoiled parts of the fruit or vegetable.
• Wash all produce in warm water with a food-safe detergent to kill off bacteria, viruses, and parasites. They can contaminate your produce at any point in the journey from the garden to your table. Washing will keep your food safe from contaminants before you start canning.

Preparing Jars for Canning

Wash all jars, lids, and rings in hot, soapy water. Sterilize the empty jars, right side up on the rack in a boiling-water canner. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Let them sit in the hot water (lightly boiling) for about 10 minutes. Remove and drain hot sterilized jars one at a time. In a small saucepan, keep the rings and lids in hot water until you need them.

Filling Jars

Keep the jars in hot water until you’re ready to fill them. Add your hot preserves into the jar with a funnel. Leave the headspace your recipe recommends. Wipe down the jar lips with a clean towel, then add the lid and ring.

Processing Jars

Again, consult your recipe for the proper processing time. Start the processing time when the water is boiling. Use jar lifters to lower your jar onto the canning rack in the pot. If using a pressure canner, make sure you choose the canner pressure (PSI) that matches the recipe. Once processed, let the jars sit undisturbed on the counter (or pot, if pressure canning) until cooled.

Test the Seal

For water bath canning, you will hear the signature “ping” when the jar is sealed. You’ll also see that the lid will be concave and will not “give” when pressed. You can reprocess or refrigerate any jars that did not seal. Store sealed jars without their rings in a cool, dry place. The rings are only needed to hold the lids to the jars before they’re sealed and should be removed before storage. The lids will not pop off unless the seal is broken.

More Canning Ideas to Explore

Canning lets you enjoy your summer bounty any time of year! You don’t have to be an expert to get started, especially when making simple jams, jellies, and pickles. It’s just a step up from there to begin pressure canning low-acid foods and filling your pantry with lots of food your family will enjoy. Canning your own food is a cinch once you get the hang of it, and seeing your rows of food in jars makes all the effort worthwhile!

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