Canning for Beginners
July 29, 2008
Are you the type of person who likes to do things the old fashioned way? I mean by holding onto the traditions, and knowing how things were done before we advanced beyond these stages. Then let me introduce you to canning for beginners. This is one of the most rewarding hobbies that anyone could possibly do. You can learn how your grandparents preserved food for the winter. All you need to have is a pressure cooker, some canning jars/w lids, some food that you would like to try to preserve and the desire to do it. Cooking under pressure will trap steam from the boiling water in order to reach the temperature it needs to kill bacteria and make it possible to preserve your foods.
For starters, it is best to start out with a boiling water method. This is the most frugal way to learn how to can and you will be proud of your efforts when done. You will need some canning jars, lids, both pints and quarts, which are pretty standard sizes for canning tomatoes, pickles, and other fruit. Small 8 oz jars are good for preserving items such as relish and jellies. They come 12 to a box and have lids for each one. These jars are tempered for canning and therefore it is not recommended to use any other jars, such as a mayonnaise jar, or a jar that has previously had other product in it.
You will also need a very large pot with a lid that is deep enough to cover the jars to be canned by at least one inch, and two inches would be even better. You should also have a rack to place the jars in to keep them off the bottom. If you didn’t get a rack with your pot, you may simply place a rack in the bottom of the pot to keep the jars from touching the bottom. Another instrument that you will need is plastic knife or spatula to stir the filled jars and release any trapped air. And a large mouth plastic funnel, and a set of strong, long handled jar pullers for taking the hot jars out of the water. You will need a dish towel to dry any water off of the jars as you take them out of the pot.
Always use the freshest fruits possible, and wash and peel the fruits before you begin the cooking process. While you are preparing your food for cooking, you should put some jars into water and let it come to a boil for a few minutes. Then place the food into the hot jars filling about about an inch from the top. There’s a good product called Fresh Fruit that is recommended to prevent fruit from discoloration. Read the directions to get the recipe for a sugar water syrup that’s either light, medium or heavy your choice. Pour this syrup over the fruit. Run your wood spoon or spatula through the food jars releasing any trapped air. Remove any other food from the outside of the jars, put your lids on and tighten them down. Place the jars back into the pot and fill with warm or hot water and place back on the stove. Be sure to cover the jars about an inch over the lids.
Turn the stove on high with with the jars loaded into the canning pot. Once you have reached a vigorous boil, let it continue to boil for the time limit in your recipe, but the usual is about 10 minutes for pickles, 25 to 30 minutes for fruits, and 35 to 40 minutes for tomatoes.
When they have been cooked for the prescribed time, turn the heat off and put the jars using your tongs, on a towel to drip dry and to cool overnight. Before leaving the jars to cool check each jar to make sure there are no lids raised up in the center. This is an indication that the jars of food are no good because they did not seal. If this is true, you can either refrigerate (once they cool) and use those immediately, or try again using a new jar and lid. Try wiping the lid of the jar with a clean towel before screwing on new lids to try to reseal.
There nothing like the feeling you get once you master the art to preserve food. It is helpful for anyone that loves to learn how things were done by our ancestors, and brings us back to our roots.
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