Canning Tips

Enjoying preserved food from your home garden during the cold winter months is one of many delights of growing your own vegetables. The three main methods of preserving your surplus crops are by drying, canning and freezing.
Canning is probably the most used method of preserving. More vegetables taste better canned than dried. Refrigerator freezer compartments are too small to hold the regular frozen items and the garden surplus. This means the added expense of a separate freezer. Well worth it if your garden is big enough to warrant the expense. Not so good if it is running only half full in the fall and almost empty by spring.
Canning also has some disadvantages, especially the first year. Besides the initial cost of canning jars, there is also a cost of canning supplies. These supplies include the two types of canners. The boiling water bath canner is used to preserve the high acid food such as tomatoes and sauerkraut. It can also be used for certain kinds of pickles. The pressure canner is used for all other vegetables.
A good canning book, such as the Ball Blue Book of Preserving is a must. They provide all the details to make your canning a success. Make sure you don’t cut corners or deviate for the instructions. A large cooking pot is needed for “hot packing.” This method involves precooking the food for a short period prier to packing into the jars. Tomatoes are usually hot packed. “Cold packing” means you pack the food raw and adding water, vinegar water or juice before processing. Green beans stay firmer if cold packed.
Lids are an every year purchase. Rings can be reused. In fact, rings can be removed after the lids are sealed and the jars are cooled to room temperature. You will need the tool to remove the hot jars after processing, measuring spoons and cups, a jar funnel, tongs, Various spoons for stirring and transporting the food to the jars, especially during hot packing. These are all easy to find in a variety of stores.