Canning: Scary territory for a newbie?

[aoffman]

I really want to get into canning. Even though I have a big deep freeze, I'm a spontaneous 'chef', so waiting for things to defrost is not always ideal. The thing is, I'm nervous about canning because it seems like such a science.

I have my mom's old pressure cooker (it scares me too!), plenty of big/deep pots, a set of jars/lids... I guess I'm just nervous of burning myself with the water or not knowing the seals are good, etc.

Are there any old pros out there that can give a newb some advice/easy start recipes?

[ninna]

Go down to your local Canadian Tire and buy this book:

"Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving"

It will be situated near the canning jars and tools and supplies. When I bought mine (as a newbie canner), I got it at Canadian Tire. It has tips on how to do it plus some recipes to get you started.

Totally worth the 10 or so bucks, imo!

happy canning!

[marstec]

The most important thing is to sanitize all your equipment, and keep them hot until ready to use. Snap lids are great because there is no doubt whether you have a proper seal or not. Do not be tempted to reuse these lids. I buy all mine at the end of summer when they are being cleared out.

Use real canning jars, not mayo or pickle jars, and check them over for nicks on the lid if they are not brand new. If you are doing water bath canning, get yourself the proper jar lifters for it. You want to be able to get the jars out safely. Sooner or later, you will have a jar or two that cracks while in the water bath. That sucks, but it happens.

Jams and jellies are really easy to make, but you need to be prepared...there is one minute where you need to have the jam going at a full boil. If you lower the temperature a bit, it won't affect the outcome, and you won't have a boil-over. I like to wear oven mitts when I'm stirring boiling jam because it tends to "spit". Get yourself a canning funnel, it's wider than a regular one and will help when it comes time to out into the jars.

Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean paper towel - I moisten it a bit in the pot of hot water that my lids are in. Canning is a bit of a science, so don't be tempted to switch ingredients or decrease amounts. There is a reason why you need the acid to water ratios with pickles. Label your jars and include the date, you want to use up the older stuff first. For any jars that didn't seal, just refrigerate those and use them up first.

[aoffman]

Thanks!

[RebeccaRYoung]

Canning is really simple, just make sure to sanitize. I love the fresh tomatoes that I can. They make awesome salsa, pasta and pizza sauce, and homemade ketchup.

[aoffman]

I start next week, really excited and looking forward to it!

[Kitty77]

Aoffman, please consider replacing the pressure canner rubber ring, before you try to use it, these are available think at Canadian Tire. Never leave a pressure canner stay near it as you sometimes have to keep adjusting the stove temperature.
Try making some freezer jams first, use the liquid Certo it makes 2 batches and is so easy. Bought some Bernardin Liquid Certo this week and it didn't have any instructions so keep your Certo instructions. For freezer jam all you have to do is mash your fruit with a potatoe masher, measure the fruit add your sugar let stand for 10 minutes, then add your liquid Certo and stir for another 3 minutes. Fill your prepared jars and let stand on the counter for 24 hours before freezing. Freezer jam is so good on ice cream as a topping or use as topping for cheesecake, has a different texture than the canned jam.
Good luck and have fun with your canning, just follow the recipe and prepare your jars, and you will have a nice little collection of homemade preserves in no time.

[Nettie]

This is my first year for canning too. Homemade pickles, jams/jellies and salsa are the only things I was aware of. I've never heard of canning anything else until reading a few posts on smartcanucks. My mother wasn't a canner, so I'm trying to teach this craft blindly to myself from the internet.

What are some of your favorite items that you can? I'm not brave enough to use a pressure cooker yet. Still mastering the water bath.

[Giseledta]

can what your family will eat,
I do salsa, pizza sauce, jams jellies, fruit. pie fillings.