Canning

One of the most shelf stable ways to save your bounty is through canning. I am going to review some basic information on how to can with a water bath. While you are able to can meat, poultry, and seafood - a pressure cooker is required for that, they are not safe to store with a water bath method.

Equipment

1. Jar lifter Tongs

2. Ladle

3. Wide-mouth funnel

4. Canning jars and seals

5. Large pot or water-bath canner

Process

1. Prepare the food you wish to can (salsa/jam/sauce)

2. Wash canning jars in hot, soapy water, and rinse.

3. Place clean jars in a water bath canner or other deep, large pot. Cover with hot tap water and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes. Keep them in hot simmering water until they are ready to fill.

4. Place lids in a bowl and pour hot water from sterilizing pot over top. Once ready, remove one sterilized jar from water and place on a clean kitchen towel.

5. Pour food into the jar using a ladle and funnel. Leave a ¼-inch headspace at the top.

6. Release any trapped air bubbles by poking contents with a clean chopstick or wooden skewer.

7. Wipe rims of jars with a clean, damp cloth and screw on lids.

8. Using a jar lifter place the cans gently into the canner.

9. Be sure that the jars do not touch each other, you made need to remove some water as you add jars to the pot.

10. When all the jars have been placed inside, cover by 1-inch of water.

11. Cover the canner and heat the water to a full rolling boil.

12. Boil jars for 10 minutes (length of processing time may vary from recipe to recipe).

13. Remove jars and place on a towel lined counter and let them cool to room temperature. You should hear the jars ping as soon as they’re removed from the pot. The sound is from the seals being formed, the center of the lids will become concave as the vacuum seal takes hold, creating an airtight seal.

14. Once the jars are cooled, test seals by pressing center of jar lids. If the lid pops up and down, the jar isn’t sealed. Jars that don’t seal can be stored in the refrigerator and used within 3 days or processed within 24 hours.

Storage

• Store jars in a cool, dry, dark place for up to 1 year