Home Canning is Making a Comeback

Having been raised in rural Alabama, I have to confess, I am a bit domesticated. Becoming an adult on my Grandmother's farm, I spent many a summer shelling peas and canning them in her own kitchen. When i got older, we moved from near my Grandmother, and my canning days were ended.

About Two decades ago, I acquired the wild idea to test home canning again, after getting a pressure canner inside a catalog. I purchased two and that i have been canning since. Every year at Christmas we can about 75 quarts of pasta sauce and provide them out as gifts. All my friends and family anticipate it. I enjoy can and also have been collecting canning recipes for a long time.

Home canning is a great method for saving Summer's bounty, and searching for fruits and vegetables at local farmer's markets can help you save money. Using local farmer's markets also assist the environment since the food is locally grown, and for that reason no shipping is involved.

For people who are a new comer to canning, or people who need a refresher, obtain the Ball Blue Book of Home Canning, or navigate to the USDA website and download their Complete Help guide to Home Canning. These two are great resources.

To many people, home canning could be intimidating, but when you plan your steps well, and gather all your equipment before beginning it can be a fun project for the whole family. Additionally, you will need some good recipes to follow along with. Always make sure your recipes and browse the manufacturers directions in your canners. This will help to prevent mistakes.

Why Do Your own house Canning

Disregard the value of your time and effort, canning homegrown or locally produced food can help you save half of the price of purchased canned food. Canning favorite and special products to enjoy by your family and friends can be very rewarding. Home canning has changed greatly within the 170 odd years because it was first introduced.

New developments in technology have led to safer, high quality products. Home canning is a good way to make the most of a great harvest, and preserve all those fresh vegetables and fruits.

What Type of Equipment Will i Need

I would buy good quality pressure canner. You'll need this to can low acid foods like vegetables, and meats. It is also used like a water bath canner. I'd advise that you simply purchase a 16-17 quart canner with a decent pressure gauge, and petcock.

Use only standard Mason, Kerr or Ball type home canning jars and 2 piece self-sealing lids. Mayonnaise jars aren't recommended for canning. The jars that you will get from the Classico spaghetti sauce are great because they are Mason jars. Canning jars can be found in a variety of sizes including 1/2 pints, pints, and quarts. Pint and quart jars are most frequently used, however, many foods like crab meat and mushrooms should simply be canned in 1/2 pint jars. Wide mouth jars tend to be more easily filled and emptied, however they cost more than standard jars.

You will even need a good timer, a wide open mouth funnel, to fill jars with, a jar lifter, and tongs. Not to mention pot holders and baking racks or towels to create the hot jars on after canning. Other pursuits that you will need are, a ladle having a lip, a sieve, a colander, a food mill, and sharp knives. A few of these items you is only going to need if making jams and jellies.

Home canning may be one of the most enjoyable experiences that you'll ever have. Obtain the whole family involved. It'll make many great, lasting memories that the family will invariably have. You will find pleasure within the canning process, and pride in your house canned jars of food. Remember, additionally they make great gifts!

Ro Pat

For some good canning recipes click this link Home Canning Recipes.

Home Canning For Beginners

Are the type of individual who likes to do things that old fashioned way? I am talking about by possessing the traditions, and understanding how things were done before we advanced beyond these stages. Then allow me to introduce you to canning for novices. This is probably the most rewarding hobbies that anyone might do. You can study how your grandparents preserved food for that winter. All that you should have is really a pressure cooker, some canning jars/w lids, some food that you'd like to try to preserve and also the desire to get it done. Cooking pressurized will trap steam in the boiling water to be able to reach the temperature it must kill bacteria making it possible to preserve your foods.

For beginners, it is best to start out having a boiling water canning method. This is actually the most inexpensive method to learn how to can and will also be proud of your time and efforts after it's finished. You'll need some canning jars, and lids, both pints and quarts, that are very good for canning tomatoes, pickles, along with other such fruit. Small 8oz jars are great for preserving items like relish and jellies. They are available 12 to some box and also have lids for every one. These jars are tempered for canning and for that reason it is unwise to make use of any jar, like a mayonnaise jar, or perhaps a jar which has previously had jelly or jam inside it.

You will also require a very large pot having a lid that's deep enough to pay for the jars to become canned by a minumum of one inch, and 2 inches will be even better. It's also wise to have a rack to put the jars directly into keep them from the bottom. Should you didn't obtain a rack together with your pot, you might simply place a rack towards the bottom of the pot to maintain the jars from touching the underside. Another instrument that you'll want is plastic knife or spatula to stir the filled jars and release any trapped air. Along with a large mouth plastic funnel, along with a set of strong, long handled jar pullers to take the hot jars from the water. You may need a dish towel to dry any water from the jars while you take them out from the pot.

Always make use of the freshest fruits possible, and wash and peel the fruits before beginning the cooking process. There is a product called Fruit that is recommended to avoid fruit from discoloration. Browse the directions to find the recipe for any sugar water syrup that's either light, medium or heavy, experiment to determine what you like best. Pour this syrup within the fruit. When you are preparing the food for cooking, you need to put some jars into water and allow it to come to a boil for some minutes. Then put the food to the hot jars filling about ½ inch in the top. Run your wood spoon or spatula with the food jars releasing any trapped air. Remove every other food externally of the jars, put your lids on and tighten them down. Put the jars back to the pot and fill with warm or warm water and place back about the stove. Make sure to cover the jars a good inch within the lids.

Once they've come to a boil, place the lid about the pot. Following the water continues to be boiling vigorously for some minutes, go ahead and take lid from the pot, and allow it to continue to boil for that time limit inside your recipe, usually Ten minutes is good for pickles, and 25 to Half an hour for fruits, and 35 to 40 minutes for tomatoes.

When they've been cooking for that allotted time, turn the pot off and put the jars on the towel to drip dry and permit to cool, preferably overnight. Before leaving the jars for cooling check each jar to ensure there are no lids popped up in the centre. If this has happened, the jars of food aren't any good simply because they didn't seal. It may be refrigerated and used immediately so they won't waste the fruit. Or they are able to possibly be re-cooked to test again, however use a different lid and wipe the lip from the jar before tightening down new lids.

There isn't any better feeling compared to feeling you receive once you learn to preserve food. It's beneficial for anyone who like to find out how things were made by our grandparents, it's one way to are employed in the past.

Valerie likes discovering methods to cope with stress and produce joy towards the art of homemaking and families with topics that have to do with family life.

Home Canning - Frugal, Healthy, Convenient, Safe, Fun!

Frugal

Now I understand this is a debatable point...Someone will certainly say " I shop warehouse stores and purchasers." "My time may be worth something".

Yes it is time and labor intensive... In advance. But it is time wisely spent. Imagine the savings (both in time and money) throughout every season. You don't have to purchase fruits, veggies, or canned meats. You preserve it yourself. It's all in your pantry.

Energy Saving - Just how much does it cost to operate a freezer? Just how much does it cost to keep things on the shelf? With canned foods may it be meat, vegetables, fruits, jams or whatever. There isn't any energy usage kept in storage. Ones it's preserved, you're good to go. Just a little shelf space is that is required. Short on Shelf Space. Get creative!

If you garden and increase your own foods, that simply triples the savings. Don't be concerned if you don't have an outdoor. Use Farmers Markets and Community Supported Agriculture programs to supply the groceries you'll need. U-pick farms are an easy way to get out within the fresh air using the whole family.

Healthy

Compared to keep bought foods, a pantry filled with your garden fresh veggies has better flavor, color, texture and taste, and nutrition.

It's green!Reusable packaging No chemicals - you may not know what is incorporated in the processed foods you purchase? Encourages the purchase of locally grown food. Grow your personal food Go all organic should you prefer.Special dietary needs are taken into consideration.

For most products removing the salt is completely safe and effective. Want fruit without any sugar added? Not a problem.

Home preserving supports a self-sufficient mentality. We reside in a me first, service driven society.... We would like what we want, whenever we want it. We do not necessarily wish to work for it. Is the an unhealthier attitude? I do not think so!

Times are changing. Individuals are taking a long close look at their spending and daily habits. I believe we could make use of a bit of self-evaluation with regards to our lifestyles. Which will healthier for those.

Convenient

Convenience food consumes an enormous portion of most family's food budgets.

With a pressure canner you'll be able to prepare whole meals like chicken soup, stew, or ham 'n beans. These are actually excellent quick meals having a much friendlier cost.

Combine your jars of home canned food having a slow cooker. Put a roast within the crock pot, then add chopped onion, potatoes and carrots. Top with a few onion soup mix or some beef bullion. Add in a jar of stewed tomatoes. Allow it to simmer all day. Easy!

Here's another. Dump a jar of home canned beans within the crock. Place some skinned, frozen chicken breasts on the top, cover it by using a jar of home canned salsa. Yum. Black beans work best with this one!

Safe?

Yes, done correctly it is a perfectly safe method to feed your loved ones.You will not inflate your kitchen. You won't poison your kids. Follow the correct procedures and will also be fine.

An Talent - and FUN!

Sometimes preserving is purely utilitarian. Veggies for example; green beans, beets, corn. This kind of item supplies a solid pantry for the family. This provides you a a feeling of efficiency and preparedness.

Other kinds of food are .... well.... fun! Pickling, for example, is not just for cucumbers. You will find all kinds of veggies that after combined are actually excellent gourmet combinations.

How about Jam or Jelly? How fun it's to create jars of spiced peach jam, decorate the jars having a pretty topper, and provide it as a present in a gift basket.... Your pals will be impressed.

Speaking of friends, invite one to work with you.

You can chit-chat for your hearts content. Two hands make light work. Share the expense of canning and also the results.

Hi, I'm Sharon, a simple woman deeply in love with her hardworking husband, and mom of four sons. During my mission to take care of the appetites of my crew, gardening and home preserving food has been proven as a great way to provide nutritious, simple, delicious meals. I have been canning foods for several years. I didn't need to. I wanted to...just for fun. I enjoy the outcomes and the satisfaction to do it myself. Today, preserving meals are a part of our frugal simple lifestyle.

Simply Canning is my method of sharing this news that home canning is a practicable option for providing healthy food for your family. Visit simplycanning.com for tips, techniques, safety advice, canning recipes and much more.