Canning 101

I don't really do how tos on this blog because I don't feel qualified to give instructions on much! But there is one subject that I feel might warrant a half witted tutorial: canning. I think canning is one of those things that has gone by the wayside needlessly. Canned goods from the store quite simply bear no resemblance to things you can yourself, especially if the things you are canning are fresh and ripe from the garden.

I hestitate to call canning old fashioned because I hate to think of something so smart and sensible as being passe. Before I did any canning, I remember thinking what an arduous process it seemed....behemoth pots of boiling water, submerging something as fragile as glass jars down into it, and then doing something mysteriously called "processing". It seemed complicated, intimidating, and completely unnecessary. I'm happy to report that I am in my third year of canning and I couldn't have been more wrong.

Canning actually is a very simple process and the pay off is huge both in terms of the personal kudos you get when you show up with a jar of homemeade something something at a party, but also in terms of your own family's food supply. When you can a quart of peaches rather than go to aisle 11 for a can of Dole, you are controlling what you and your family eat. If you grew your own peaches, then you are putting the bounty of your harvest to work and creating something that will give your tastebuds immense pleasure in the barren stone fruit winter months. And if you simply bought the peaches at the market, then you are still one upping the Dole variety because you have bought those peaches in season and at their prime, and hopefully supported a local farmer in doing so. The actual peaches you make at home contain less preservatives, less sugar, probably fewer chemicals if said peaches happen to be organic. It's a serious boon to the pantry shelves too. Suddenly you have storehouse shelves worthy of a Martha Stewart set. Pretty little jars all in a row, only instead of being cutsy, these jewel toned concoctions gracing my shelves are pratical too, waiting for the blahs of winter to brighten my spirits and my tastebuds.

The biggest requirements in canning are patience and a chunk of time. But not as much as you'd think. Give a day over to it and you can put up a surprising amount of food. And since it's basically a mindless task once the food you are canning is actually made, I find it to be pretty relaxing, and even better if you have invited a friend to share the time with. One of my favorite canning traditions is to spend a day making and caning salsa with my friend Sally, someone I seldom see. At day's end, not only do we both net a great amount of delicious garden fresh salsa, we have chit chatted the day away and spent quality time together.

My kids are still pretty young to be able to hang with standing next to a pot of boiling water all day but I can see that down the line, this will be a fun family tradition. All of us dicing and slicing and listening to the satisfying pop of jar lids. Come to think of it, a family canning tradition has already been started. For the last two years my Dad and I have made jam with his gorgeous wild plums from Spring City and then give them as Christmas gifts. It is so much fun and we've even started getting a little crazy with our recipe, including hot peppers in this year's version just to make it interesting.

So if you are interested in trying canning, the equipment needed is manageable and pretty low cost. The most important thing you need is a large size pot so you can create a water bath to sterilize and process your jars. Though you can use whatever huge pot you have, I would recommend spending the $30ish to get an actual canning pot because it comes with a metal rack with handles that fit down inside the pot and holds the jars all snuggly and allows you to lift them out of the hot water easily when the jars are done. If you don't want to buy a canner then ask your grandmother if she still has one on the back shelf, or check the thrift stores. (Maybe it is because this is Utah, homeland to food storage afficionados, but I reguarly see canners and lots of jars at thrift stores in town.) But canners are readily available from just about any online retailer you can think of. Once you've got the canner all you need are glass jars, metal jar rings, and a fresh pack of jar lids which contain a wax seal that when heated adheres to the top of the glass jar and seals in all the foody, fruity goodness of whatever you are canning. A funnel or a plastic measuring cup with the bottom cut out is also nice to keep spills at bay when filling the jars. And if your canner doesn't have a rack a jar lifter or sturdy pair of tongs.

In a nutshell, here are the basic steps for canning:

1. Prepare the food, fruit, or jam recipe as directed.

2. Fill canner about 3/4 full with water (or enough so that jars will be submerged and covered with an inch or two of water) and crank the heat up until it comes to a boil.

3. Sterilize glass jars you plan to fill either by submerging in boiling water in canner for 15 minutes, then fill, or run through a quick dishwasher cycle and then use the jars directly afterwards while they are still hot from the drying cycle. This prevents the glass from cracking when you fill the jars with hot stuff.

4. Fill all jars with your chosen yumminess (use little funnel apparatus to prevent major mess) and then wipe rims of jars with a clean, damp towel.

5. Put on lids and then twist metal rings on tight.

6. Fill metal canning rack with jars (or strategically stack loose jars in pot so they don't bang into each other and break.) Lift rack into canner, set timer and process jars for recommended time. I use Ball's chart in the Ball Blue Book to figure out exact times and then I tack on an additional 15 minutes because I live over 6000 feet. I periodically double check the water level in the canner to make sure all jars remain covered by at least an inch of water.

7. When time is up, remove rack carefully from boiling water (or remove jars with a jar lifter or tongs) and line up jars on counter until cool. Listen for the lovely popping sounds the lids make that indicate they are properly sealed and will keep your food fresh for at least a year or more!

There are so many great online resources for canning instruction as well as recipes. I was excited to come across this awesome site called Canning Across America with super cool tagline: JOIN THE CANVOLUTION that has great recipes and resources and even sponsor events around the country like demos and home canning parties. I love the thought of a home canning party. I may just have to have one. Maybe you should too?