The Ultimate Guide to canning your garden's harvest and having a year-round food supply!
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Canning is a fantastic way to preserve your garden's bounty or the seasonal produce from your local market. Replacing store-bought canned foods with healthy, homegrown alternatives can significantly enhance your diet and well-being. Homegrown vegetables
and fruits offer superior freshness and flavor and allow you to control the ingredients,
avoiding added sugars, preservatives, and excessive salt. By canning your produce, you enjoy knowing exactly what’s in your food and supporting sustainable practices. This shift reduces your reliance on processed options, promotes healthier eating habits, and strengthens your connection to the food you consume. Embrace the benefits of homegrown canning for a tastier, more nutritious pantry. Proper canning techniques are crucial for ensuring food safety and delicious results, whether you’re looking to store tomatoes, green beans, corn, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, meats, or salsa. In this Ultimate Canning Guide, we’ll walk you through the steps for canning these popular items, referencing the Ball Canning Guide for best practices.
1. Preparing Your Equipment
Before diving into the specifics, ensure you have all the necessary equipment:
Canning jars: Use only jars specifically designed for canning. These can be purchased at stores or online. Ball jars are time-tested and reliable for all canning needs.
Lids and bands: Lids should be new to ensure a proper seal, while bands can be reused if in good condition.
Canning pot: A water bath canner is used for high-acid foods, and a pressure canner is used for low-acid foods. We prefer the Presto Pressure Canner and Cooker, which is 23 quarts and can hold several jars.
Jar lifter: To safely remove hot jars from the canner.
Funnel: For filling jars without spilling.
Bubble remover: To remove air bubbles from jars.
Clean cloth: For wiping jar rims.
We use the canning set from Norpro. It has all the accessories you need for canning!
2. Canning Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a versatile and popular canning choice. You can can them as whole, crushed, or as a sauce. Here’s how:
Ingredients and Preparation:
Ripe tomatoes
Bottled lemon juice or citric acid (to ensure acidity)
Steps:
Prepare Tomatoes: Wash and peel the tomatoes. Blanch them briefly in boiling water to remove the skins easily.
Pack Jars: Pack tomatoes into sterilized jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice or ¼ teaspoon of citric acid per pint to ensure proper acidity.
Process: Process in a boiling water bath canner for 85 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.
3. Canning Green Beans
Green beans are a low-acid vegetable and must be processed in a pressure canner to prevent botulism.
Ingredients and Preparation:
Fresh green beans
Salt (optional)
Steps:
Prepare Beans: Wash and trim ends. Cut beans into desired lengths.
Pack Jars: Pack beans into sterilized jars, adding ½ teaspoon of salt per pint if desired.
Process: Process in a pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.
4. Canning Corn
Like green beans, corn is low-acid and requires pressure canning.
Ingredients and Preparation:
Fresh corn
Salt (optional)
Steps:
Prepare Corn: Husk and remove kernels from the cob. Blanch kernels in boiling water for 4-6 minutes.
Pack Jars: Pack corn into sterilized jars, adding ½ teaspoon of salt per pint if desired.
Process: Process in a pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 55 minutes for pints and 85 minutes for quarts.
5. Canning Pizza Sauce
Pizza sauce is a seasoned tomato product that requires a bit more care.
Ingredients and Preparation:
Ripe tomatoes
Onions, garlic, herbs, and spices as desired
Steps:
Prepare Sauce: Cook tomatoes with onions, garlic, and spices until thickened.
Pack Jars: Pour hot sauce into sterilized jars, leaving ½-inch headspace.
Process: Process in a boiling water bath canner for 35 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts.
6. Canning Spaghetti Sauce
Similar to pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce can be canned but requires careful acidity balancing.
Ingredients and Preparation:
Ripe tomatoes
Onions, garlic, herbs, and spices as desired
Steps:
Prepare Sauce: Cook tomatoes with onions, garlic, and spices until thickened.
Pack Jars: Pour hot sauce into sterilized jars, leaving ½-inch headspace.
Process: Process in a boiling water bath canner for 35 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts.
7. Canning Meats
Meat is a low-acid food and must be pressure-canned to ensure safety.
Ingredients and Preparation:
Fresh, raw meat (beef, chicken, pork, etc.)
Salt (optional)
Steps:
Prepare Meat: Cut meat into pieces. You can either raw-pack or hot-pack the meat.
Pack Jars: Pack the meat into sterilized jars, adding ½ teaspoon of salt per pint if desired. Do not add liquid; the meat will create its own.
Process: Process in a pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.
8. Canning Salsa
Salsa is a popular canning item, but it requires specific recipes to ensure the right acidity level for safe canning.
Ingredients and Preparation:
Tomatoes, peppers, onions, and spices
We enjoyed Mrs. Wages Mild Salsa kit, but if you are looking for more spice, add hot peppers or Mrs. Wages Hot Salsa Mix.
Steps:
Prepare Salsa: Follow a tested salsa recipe to ensure proper acidity. Mix and cook the salsa ingredients according to the recipe.
Pack Jars: Pour hot salsa into sterilized jars, leaving ½-inch headspace.
Process: Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts.
Final Tips
Always follow tested recipes and guidelines to ensure safety.
Check seals after processing; jars should be vacuum sealed.
Store canned goods in a cool, dark place.
By following this Ultimate Canning Guide and utilizing the Ball Canning Guide, you can safely preserve a wide variety of vegetables and other foods, ensuring that you enjoy the flavors of your garden or market produce year-round. We recommend the Ball Complete Book to Home Preserving for tips and recipes! Happy canning!
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