Canning 101

 A Beginner's Guide to Water Bath Canning

    It's canning season! Canning is a simple and effective way to preserve all sorts of food from fruits to vegetables, and even sauces to jellies. It's a great resource for storing a surplus of produce from the garden. There are two main types of canning: water bath and pressure. Water bath canning is for high acidity foods and allows you to safely extend the shelf life of your harvest. I don't know about you, but I have thrown away my fair share of moldy vegetables and it saddens me every single time. Canning can save you from excess waste and is easy to do. This blog specifically addresses water bath canning. I hope to publish more posts about pressure canning when I become more familiar with it. 

I added the rings for the aesthetics. 🤣

    Foods That Can Be Water Bath Canned

    Some examples of high acidic canned goods would be anything pickled (beans, cucumbers, beets, etc.) or anything with sugar added (peaches, pears, jellies, jams, apples/applesauce, etc.). Tomatoes also can be water bath canned since they are naturally acidic, as well as tomato products (sauces, paste, salsa, etc.). Some foods need to be pressure canned due to low acidity if NOT pickling them i.e. potatoes, green beans, carrots, corn, beans.

How To Water Bath Can

    Water bath canning is the process of preserving high-acid foods using boiling water. It involves filling jars with prepared food and brine, sealing them tightly, and submerging the jars in the boiling water for a specific time. The duration is dependent on your elevation, and the type of food being processed. The heat inactivates enzymes, kills bacteria and mold, and creates a vacuum seal preventing the growth of them both. Below I have included items that I use or recommend to start canning your own foods.

Equipment Needed:

• mason jars with lids and rings
• canning pot
• jar lifter (or tongs if your canner does not come with a lifter)
• funnel
• ladle
• extra but not necessary: thermometer, headspace measurer, Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving

    My husband and I's favorite way to process cucumbers, beans, garlic, and carrots is to pickle them. We use the same recipe for all three vegetables and adjust as needed. Pickling offers a new way to eat all your favorite garden foods; variety is the spice of life! Below I have included a super easy recipe on how to pickle cucumbers using our all-purpose pickling brine. 

How to Pickle and Can Cucumbers

Makes roughly 4 pints

Clean and sterilize jars and lids before processing.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup canning salt

2 1/2 cups vinegar

2 1/2 cups water

4 sprigs of fresh dill weed or 4 heads of dill

4 cloves of garlic

1 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to your preference or omit)

Step 1: Put sliced cucumbers in jars and pack them in tightly.

Step 2: Add 1 sprig or head of dill, 1 clove of garlic, and 1/4 tsp cayenne to each jar.

Step 3: In a medium sized pot, boil the salt, vinegar, and water for 10 minutes.

Step 4: While brine is cooking, fill canning pot with water and heat to boiling.

Step 5: Add the brine to the jars using a ladle, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace.

Step 6: Hand tighten the lids onto the jars.

Step 7: Using the canning pot, add the jars and make sure there is enough water to cover them at least 1 inch.

Step 8: Boil for a minimum of 10 minutes, adjust time for higher elevations.

Step 9: Remove jars and allow to cool completely before handling them to allow for proper seal, 

(about 24 hours).

*You do not have to process/can the pickles if you would prefer to just eat them right away from the fridge. I would give them about 3 days for full flavor. You can use jars or a repurposed ice cream pail; just add the pickles, brine, and seasonings together after boiling brine.

Altitude chart from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. It's a must-have.

There are many different ways you can spice or unspice your canned pickles; add sugar, coriander, red pepper flakes, or other pickling spices; whatever you enjoy! Experiment as much as you can!

Canning Tips: 

• I like to remove my rings after the jars have cooled and are sealed, so I know if one opens up after time, then it does not seal back down and go bad.
• We use a large outdoor propane burner (click for link) with a very large canning pot to have less messes, make larger batches, and avoid heating the house up. I know many people also use their outside burner on their propane grills, too.
• Be careful if using a porcelain canning pot on a flat top stove burner, it is not recommended. Also another reason we prefer using our outdoor propane burner.
• After your jars are filled, you'll want to poke around and get the air bubbles out. You don't want too much or too little air in the jars because it will mess with the canning process.
• Add your jars to your canner as you're getting the water up to boiling, that way you can sterilize them. Take them out when you are ready to add your vegetables. The jars are warmer when you put them back into the canner and shouldn't crack or become damaged from temperature changes.

Happy Canning!