Canning is one of those procedures that becomes an instant memory if you get to do it with another family member or friend. There’s something very endearing about it!

Over the years, I’ve canned a whole lot of different foods, but my favorite has always been fruit. This is because fruit gives you a whole lot of leeway in recipe-making—you almost can’t mess it up! Plus, you can process fruit in either a water bath canner or a pressure canner. But if you’re doing root vegetables, meat, or stew, they all must be pressure canned.

All of this is kind of homey and cozy for me to do and to study. I think of all the ways that people in the past have kept their food from spoiling. It’s one of those arts that will soon be lost and left to manufacturing if we don’t keep it up. Canning at home has many nutritional benefits. You can preserve food from your garden, a local farm, or a co-op, and this is going to give you a much better result than the mass-produced canned goods from your local supermarket.

Getting Started: What You’ll Need

You’ll need some supplies to start. The easiest method is to begin with water bath canning. You can get a fairly inexpensive canning pot that comes with a rack on the bottom. This will work beautifully for your jams, sauces, and jellies.

You will also, of course, need a jar lifter. I canned without one of these way back when I started. Not a good idea! Spend the money on the jar lifter—you will be really happy you did!

You also need to invest in some canning jars. Many people find these at estate sales, garage sales, or thrift stores. If you can find them there, absolutely go for it! Some canning jars will last and last—many are still in use that are decades old! I find that I go through them faster because I use them so much. My canning jars wear out. We have an extreme variance in temperature at the cottage, plus I also use them for freezing. So I can be hard on these jars over the years.

Many homesteaders have literally thousands of jars! My husband and I have gone more than a round or two over my extreme fascination with glass jars. I think he’s finally giving up! I love jars and I always will! In my new efforts to consciously go plastic-free as much as possible, putting food in canning jars in the freezer instead of a Ziploc bag has been a big part of this process.

A Note on Freezing in Jars

The only difference in freezing in a canning jar versus canning in a canning jar is that you must leave an inch to an inch and a half of headspace when you freeze. Other than that, it’s the same thing: fill the jar, let it cool, and put it in the freezer. I use cardboard boxes and cardboard pieces to separate each jar in the freezer. This way, if they get jostled, the jars won’t break.

Important Canning Rules

To start canning, you will need fresh, brand-new lids. The rings (or bands) can be reused over and over, as long as they have no rust. But the lids have to be new each time. This is so that your seal will keep out bad bacteria. You do not want that!

Also, if you are storing your jars in a pantry or cellar, you want to remove the ring after processing. This is because if the jar has lost its seal, you want to know that! You don’t want the ring holding the lid down on a jar that is actually spoiled. Without the ring, the jar will leak, lift, or bulge at the top. This is a good thing—then you know you need to throw that jar away. Not knowing because the ring is still on? That’s a big no-no!

Let’s Get Started!

That’s about all you need to get started! I hope that you will gather your supplies and join me with a few recipes coming up.

From my cottage to yours,
Abigail