How To Can Fruits & Vegetables

An introduction to canning summer’s best local produce

Many of us have wonderful memories of grandmothers and mothers who would spend the summer preserving each new crop of fruit or veggies to come from the garden. There’s nothing better than the sweetness of a summer peach jam in the midst of winter.

Learning to can yourself is a matter of understanding the basic steps involved—and there are quite a few. With a little bit of practice, though, it’ll become second nature.

How to Can Fruits and Vegetables

• Read your recipe. And then reread again. Make sure you have everything you need.
• Use only the best ingredients. Buy local produce at the farmers’ market so you can ask how it is grown. The flavour of the fruit or vegetable is being suspended at that moment in its life so it better taste great, because it will taste like that in a few months when the jar is opened.
• Sterilize lids. Put all rings and lids in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a simmer. Leave on until ready to use.
• Sterilize jars. Place empty jars on a rack in the canner full of water (see next step). It’s important to heat the jars so you won’t be adding hot food to cold jars, which would cause them to crack.
• Boil the water. For boiling water method: Load empty jars into canner full of water, put on lid and turn on high. If it comes to a boil before you are ready, turn it off. Return to a boil when you’re ready to fill and begin processing jars.
• Prepare the produce.

◦                     For hot pack method: Cook the jam, jelly, relish, or sauce.

◦                     For cold pack method: Fill jars with veggies or fruit and heat the preserving liquid.

• Fill the jars. A wide mouth funnel really helps here. Leave the appropriate amount of headspace—usually ½ to 1-inch.
• Release air bubbles. Use a skewer to stir the contents of the jar or give the jar a light bang on the counter.
• Put on the lids. Remove lids from simmering water. Wipe mouths of the jars clean and gently put on lids. That means not super tight, but just closed.

Process jars. Once the water in the canner has come to a boil, submerge full jars into the water and process according to directions. Processing time depends on what you are canning, and how big the jars are.

• Let it rest. Once process time is up, turn off water and let jars rest in water about 5 minutes with lid still on.
• Remove jars from water. Be very careful to remove the lid on the canner away from you because a cloud of very hot steam will undoubtedly billow out. Ouch.

Cooling. Put jars on a cooling rack. Once at room temperature they can be put away, or put on display. Is there anything prettier than jars full of homemade canning?

Certain fruits and vegetables are much easier to can than others. Choose a recipe that is going to prove successful—ask friends, family, and read the reviews on blogs. Give this Blackberry Jam Recipe a try.

Canning is about putting away food for the winter, but also about creating traditions and making memories. Sometimes practice doesn’t make perfect jam, but it definitely makes something good enough to eat.

By Jenn Chic.Visit her cooking blog at www.jennchiccooks.com.