This is your guide to get started
With harvest and canning season just around the corner, my hope is that you will read this and feel confident as you start canning yourself –canning is a skill that has blessed my family and as you start canning you will see how it can bless your family too.
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It is only natural to make mistakes along the way as you learn a new skill. My hope is that I can save you time, money, and wasted food by giving you exactly what you need to be successful. I have been canning for about 10 years, in that time I have learned a lot. I still make the occasional phone call to my mom to ask a question as I am canning, but I feel confident that my food is preserved correctly and safely now.
Lets get started, but first, I just want to emphasize that home canning isn't something to be feared. Canning food at home isn't dangerous, and as long as you follow a few simple guidelines you can be confident in your canning. I am sharing my knowledge here, some of you may no doubt do things differently than I do. There are a lot of right ways to do things, just find what works best for you. I highly recommend this book by The Canning Diva. As well as this book put out by Ball. Both are great resources packed with tested recipes and detailed instructions.
Canning Supply List
You can be as fancy or as basic as you want to be with your canning supplies. There are a few must haves that I have in my kitchen, as well as some really fun fancy appliances that are totally unnecessary, but can make the process much easier. I am going to list them all here, and then we will talk about some of them in detail
Lids:
As far as lids and rings go, I like to stay away from Ball or Kerr--ever since 2020 when canning supplies went off the shelves, they just aren't the same and the quality is terrible. I like the Superb brand lids. I picked some up at our local feed store a while ago and the quality was impressive. Lots of homesteaders also like the For Jars lids, I don't have personal experience with them.
Steam Canner:
STEAM CANNER --This might seem like a fancy tool that you can get by without, and it totally is. BUT if you are going to splurge on anything to get you started, this is it. What is a steam canner? Friends, its your canning life saver. You can use a steam canner on high acid foods that you would normally water bath. You only put a little water in the bottom of the canner as opposed to a water bath canner that you fill all the way up over the top of the jars. No more waiting for big pots to boil, no more lugging giant pots of water around the kitchen. I listed a water bath canner above, but if you get the steam canner you do not need a water bath canner too.
Pressure Canner:
Let's talk pressure canners. You use a pressure canner when you are preserving low acid foods. Pressure canning is nothing to be afraid of. Your canner will come with all of the instructions you need to use it safely. I have a regular 23 quart pressure canner. I listed the fancy digital pressure canner above because its on my wish list!
There you have it! It doesn't take a lot to get started! Stay tuned for more posts on canning. I will be coming at you with tips, tricks and safety next.
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