From the Almanac: CANNING FOR BEGINNERS

judsoncarroll4
judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin

Good article on canning:


CANNING FOR BEGINNERS: WHAT IS CANNING?


LEARN HOW TO CAN YOUR OWN FOOD AT HOME

By Robin Sweetser

July 15, 2020


Home canning is experiencing a resurgence of interest. Imagine the shelves of your pantry stocked with homemade pickles, tomato sauce, and jams. Whether you are blessed with an overabundance from your garden or want to indulge in the art of “putting by” with peak produce from your farmers’ market, canning captures the best flavors. See how to can with our newly updated canning guide!


WHAT IS CANNING?

Think of canning as a form of cooking. Instead of cooking one meal for immediate consumption, you are cooking food that you can save and store away for months! Why do this? Because canning allows you to capture the best flavors at the peak of season—to enjoy all-year long! Imagine the amazing taste of garden-fresh tomato sauce in the middle of winter. 

Canning is a method used to preserve fresh food in jars using high temperatures to kill microorganisms and inactivating enzymes that could cause food to spoil. The heating process pushes air from the jars, creating a vacuum seal as jars cool. Without air, the bacteria, yeasts, and mold will not grow and food won’t spoil.


THE TWO CANNING METHODS: WATER-BATH AND PRESSURE CANNING

To can your produce properly and safely, follow one of these methods: water-bath canning or pressure canning

Full article:

https://www.almanac.com/canning-for-beginners

Comments

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    The 10 tips are all good ones. Sometimes instructions don't always tell you to let the jars sit until completely cool. Space between them is important when cooling.

  • Linda Bittle
    Linda Bittle Posts: 1,518 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Thank you for the great information! I see so much online that just scares me to death.

    Grow as much of your food as you can, preserve it for later, but do it safely!

  • RustBeltCowgirl
    RustBeltCowgirl Posts: 1,403 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @GardenMama You ought to look this post over. It might help ease your fears a litle.

  • JodieDownUnder
    JodieDownUnder Posts: 1,483 admin

    Great info @judsoncarroll4 , really nice article, thankyou

  • moreyshadypines
    moreyshadypines Posts: 72 ✭✭✭

    Thank your for that article. The detailed information and pictures are helpful. I taught myself to can (no grandmother or canning mom), 40+ years ago, before it was cool. As usual, then I was offbeat. I have done it successfully ever since, using the hot water and pressure canner. Please follow the advice to the letter, no short cuts in safety, and start with something relatively easy, jelly or syrup, just to get the mechanics down, then go to pickles. Remember it not just preserving the harvest and being economical ~ it's also a lot of fun, do it with a friend (two heads are better and one) and it's twice the fun!

    Enjoy!

  • annbeck62
    annbeck62 Posts: 1,028 ✭✭✭✭

    Thanks for posting this. I've never tried canning because it seemed intimidating. This helps a lot.

  • nicksamanda11
    nicksamanda11 Posts: 755 ✭✭✭✭

    I'm still intimidated. I bought a canner and there it sits😕.

  • judsoncarroll4
    judsoncarroll4 Posts: 5,490 admin
    edited July 2020

    Well, I can tell you that my grandmother rarely pressure canned - hot bath for just about everything... and she canned everything from tomatoes and corn to pickles and chutney, jams and preserves... even sausage with a nice layer of fat on top. I think maybe concerns about safety were over stated. Of course, safety is a major concern.... botulism is no joke. But, doing it and watching for signs of contamination is better than not canning at all. I can't begin to recall how many batches of fruit preserves and such we had that began to ferment and bubble in the pantry. My grandmother would just spoon them over ice cream for a very special dessert!

  • Jaylene
    Jaylene Posts: 53 ✭✭✭

    Does anyone know about canning roasted green chilies in a water bath rather than a pressure canner