More Canning Talk

 Are you interested in canning?  It was easier for us to dive in because it was familiar to both of us as we were raised in families that canned and preserved.  Still we needed something to guide us.  We wanted to make sure that we did things correctly.  Who wants to put a ton of time and energy and produce into something all for it to go bad.

  We found that the Ball Blue Book is like our canning and preserving bible.  Not only does it tell you how to safely preserve your food it also has recipes.  We love that we know that we are doing it correctly by going by their guidelines. Our food is going to stay fresh and healthy.  We don’t want to go to all the work of canning and it not stay good and be safe for our family to consume. 

We purchased a pressure canner, mainly because we plan to do a lot of canning and this cuts down on the time it takes to can.  We go by the book it comes with to decide on how much head space to leave and also how much pressure and for how long.  We know by going by their standards our food will be preserved properly.

You can also use canner. We just use the pressure cooker as a pot, not using the pressure feature to do our hot water baths.  We have been trying to pick up one of these canners at town, but every time we go they are all out.  Anyway, things like pickles, salsa, etc just need to be boiled in a hot water bath and this works just fine!  We have bought the kit shown here, with a funnel, magnetic stick that grabs the hot lids out of the pan, a measuring tool for head space, and of course the tongs that pull the jars out of the canner.  These tools have come in very handy and I recommend anyone starting out to pick up a kit for yourself.

And of course you will need to pick up mason jars, lids, and rings.  We were lucky and a ton were left here in our home from his Great Uncle when we bought the house.  We have bought new rings, as they tend to become rusty from the years gone by.  The jars and rings you can reuse every year, and then you only have to buy the lids.  You can usually find mason jars at auctions and flea markets, because most people canned 10-20 years ago.  Even ask around and you may find someone who wants rid of theirs. 

These few simple things will be all you really need to get started canning.  Try it, and I promise though it can be a lot of work, you will reap the rewards all year long. There is just nothing tastier than opening up a jar in Feb and it tastes like fresh summer produce out of the garden.  You know what you are putting into everything, so you can be at ease when feeding your family.  There are just so many positives to canning. Try it for yourself. :)