Complete Guide To Home Canning

Having grown up in rural Alabama, I admit, I am a little domesticated. Growing up on my grandmother's farm, I spent several summers shelling peas and keeps them in her kitchen. As I grew up, we retreated from near my grandmother, and my days of canning have been completed.

20 years ago, I had the crazy idea to try again for home canning, having found a pressure canner in a catalog. I bought two and I have been canning since. Every Christmas my husband and I about 75 gallons of pasta sauce and give as gifts. All my friends and family look forward to it. I can and keep revenue collected for years.

Home canning is a great way to save summer bonuses, and purchases of fruits and vegetables at local farmers markets can save you money. Using local farmer's markets to protect the environment because the food is grown locally, and therefore no port is involved.

For those of you who are new to canning or those who need a refresher, get the Ball Blue Book of canning, or visit the USDA website and download their Complete Guide to Home Canning. Both are great resources.

For many, home canning can be intimidating, but if you count your steps as well, and collect all your equipment before it can be a job fun for the whole family. You'll also need some good recipes to follow. Always check your receipts and read the instructions on your manufacturer's cannery. This will help avoid errors.

Why Canning your own home?

Ignoring the value of your time, canning homegrown or locally produced food can save you half the cost of canned food bought. Canning favorite products and special to be appreciated by your friends and your family can be very rewarding. Home canning has changed greatly in the 170 odd years since it was introduced.

New developments in technology have resulted in safer, higher quality products. Home canning is a great way to enjoy a great harvest, and preserve all of these fruits and vegetables.

What kind of equipment do I need

I would invest in a pressure cooker of good quality. You will need to be low-acid foods such as vegetables and meats. It can also be used as a water bath canner. I advise you to buy a pot at 16-17 quarter of a good gauge, and drain valve.

Use only standard Mason, Ball or Kerr jars type of home canning and two pieces of self-sealing lids. Mayonnaise jars are not recommended for canning. The pots you get Classico spaghetti sauce are good because they are Mason jars. Canning jars are available in a variety of formats including half pints, pints, and quarts. Pint and quart jars are the most commonly used, but some foods such as crab meat and canned mushrooms should be 1 / 2 cans of beer. Wide mouth jars are more easily filled and emptied, but they are more expensive than standard jars.

You'll also need a good timer, open-mouthed funnel for filling jars with a jar lifter, and tongs. And of course handles and cooking rack or towels to pots hot on after canning. Other items you'll need are a ladle with a lip, a sieve, sieve, food mill, and sharp knives. Some of these items that you should do if the jams and jellies.

Canning may be one of the most enjoyable experiences you'll ever. Get the whole family involved. It will make many great memories that your family will always be. You find pleasure in the process of canning, and the pride of your home canned jars of food. Remember, they make excellent gifts!

Pat Ro

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