Basic Tips for Home Canning
Canning requires preparation and much forethought. You must gather supplies and get organized. Set aside a day to accomplish your home canning endeavor. If you are not organized it can be quite a disaster, but a well planned canning day can be very rewarding.
Supplies for home canning:
1. Canning jars (sometimes called mason jars): There are several sizes of canning jars available. You can find them in hardware stores, supermarkets, and even directly from the Ball Mason Jar company.
The sizes you can find are: two-quart, quart, pint, and half-pint.
2. Lids (for the canning jars) There are two parts to the lids:
The sizes you can find are: two-quart, quart, pint, and half-pint.
2. Lids (for the canning jars) There are two parts to the lids:
✓ A flat round metal piece with a rubber ring inset into the bottom. This is where the lid meets the jar.
✓ A screw-on ring that holds the round piece in place. The lid will seal because the air in the airspace that is left in the top of the canning jar will expand when heated and this forces some air out, the airspace then contracts when the bottle cools which sucks the heat-softened rubber down around the rim of the canning jar. This action is just enough to create and effective air seal.
✓ You can find the rings and flat lids either sold separately or together at the same place you find your canning jars.
✓ A screw-on ring that holds the round piece in place. The lid will seal because the air in the airspace that is left in the top of the canning jar will expand when heated and this forces some air out, the airspace then contracts when the bottle cools which sucks the heat-softened rubber down around the rim of the canning jar. This action is just enough to create and effective air seal.
✓ You can find the rings and flat lids either sold separately or together at the same place you find your canning jars.
3. Cooking containers: Heat acidic foods in stainless-steel or enamel pans only. Using aluminum, cast-iron, or copper pans can be dangerous as these metals may leach into the food and cause it to darken or spoil the quality and flavor as well as making the food not safe to ingest. Enamel pans can chip, so stainless steel pans are the best choice.
4. Processing Kettle: These pans can be made of any material. They will just need to be deep enough to so when you put your canning jars inside they will be covered with the boiling water. A hot water bath canner or pressure canner is most common used. Note: there are certain foods that require a pressure canner to process them so they will be safe to eat. Refer to the home canning guide or book to find those particular foods.
5. Other helpful tools:
4. Processing Kettle: These pans can be made of any material. They will just need to be deep enough to so when you put your canning jars inside they will be covered with the boiling water. A hot water bath canner or pressure canner is most common used. Note: there are certain foods that require a pressure canner to process them so they will be safe to eat. Refer to the home canning guide or book to find those particular foods.
5. Other helpful tools:
✓ You will need a jar lifter to pull your jars out of the canner. Jar lifters with a rubber coating are nice.
✓ You may also want to use a lid lifter to get the metal disk part of your canning jar lids out of the boiling water when it is time to cap your jars. A lid lifter has a magnet on the end and keeps your fingers out of the hot water.
✓ Depending on the type of food you are processing – a juicer/food processor is an invaluable tool when canning applesauce and tomatoes.
✓ Remember lots of clean rags and hot water! It is vital that the rim of each jar be wiped clean before putting the lids on them.
✓ You may also want to use a lid lifter to get the metal disk part of your canning jar lids out of the boiling water when it is time to cap your jars. A lid lifter has a magnet on the end and keeps your fingers out of the hot water.
✓ Depending on the type of food you are processing – a juicer/food processor is an invaluable tool when canning applesauce and tomatoes.
✓ Remember lots of clean rags and hot water! It is vital that the rim of each jar be wiped clean before putting the lids on them.
