Food Canning for the Beginner: Tips and Truths to Know

As we grow our food and move towards local produce year-round, we are inevitably going to have to try to preserve it. There are many methods for doing this.

Freezing works very well for some vegetables, but of course, freezers have serious space limits. Dehydrating works, too, but it won’t work for everything we grow. Plus, dehydrating really changes the texture and taste of fruits and vegetables. Fermentation can add serious nutritive qualities and good bacteria for the gut, but it changes fresh food into something totally different.

Canning is one of the most popular ways of preserving fresh food while making it shelf-stable for months and years to come. However, there is a lot that makes canning an intimidating endeavor.

With a few tips about how to can and truths around the canning process, hopefully, it can be more approachable for those interested in giving it a go.

Water-Bath vs. Pressure Canning

Source: Little Country Cabin/Youtube

The acidity of the food being can make a huge difference to the process that is necessary. High-acidity foods (4.6 pH or lower) can be safely preserved without pressure canning. Foods with higher pH numbers need to be pressure canned in order to be sure dangerous bacteria are removed.

High-acid foods tend to be berries, hard fruits, stone fruits, or foods with vinegar (i.e. pickles and relish). Fruit preserves, jams, juices, and butters are also on this list. Tomatoes and tomato products—salsa, sauces, ketchup—fit within the parameters as well.

Pressure canning is necessary for foods like green beans, beans, carrots, peas, greens of all sorts, beets, okra, corn, and so on. Soups, stews, stocks, and broths should be pressure canned as well.

Whichever type of canning method is being used, it’s very important to follow the directions closely to avoid health risks.

What is Botulism?

Source: Utah State University Extension/Youtube

The major concern with canning and bacteria is botulism. Botulism is a rare ailment that attacks the nervous system and can cause death. It can be caused by an infection in wounds or from clostridium bacteria in contaminated food in low-acid environments without much oxygen (e.g. canned stuff).

Botulin is extra scary because we can’t see, smell, or taste it. However, it is still rare, and it’s important to note that there were only 210 outbreaks in the 18 years between 1996 and 2014, far less than shark attacks and lightning strikes in the same time lapse. That’s not to say we shouldn’t take it seriously, but it’s important to put it in perspective as well.

The best way to avoid the issue is to follow canning recipes, particularly the times and temperatures, very carefully. Also, if the lid, container, or contents seems odd, it’s best to not use the food involved. It seems to go without saying, but never eat something that’s got mold, cloudiness, or active bubbling.

When to Can

To keep things simpler, particularly as a beginner, water-bath canning is much easier and requires less equipment (thus, money) than pressure canning. Plus, it is safer in terms of botulism. It’s more efficient to can high-acidity foods and to freeze the other foods if that option works.

Using produce when it is at its best will help to ensure that it will be at its best when it comes out of the jar. Stuff that’s bruised or shriveled should be excluded as it might cause complications. Canned stews, soups, and sauces are a good way to use less-than-perfect produce.

One problem that can occur when canning is that the harvest has to be quite large all at once to justify the time and energy put into it. So, it is best saved for those moments when a large amount of produce comes in all at once.

Get Good Equipment

Source: RoseRed Homestead — That “Woman with a Gadget”/Youtube

Canning jars are not the same as repurposing glass jars from store-bought jams, spaghetti sauces, and so on. Ball and Kerr mason jars are thicker glass constructed to withstand the conditions—high pressure, high temperatures, etc.—these items undergo.

Jars and screw bands can be used again and again when canning food, but the lids are a one-time thing. The rubber seals in the leads won’t’ seal properly after being opened.

While water-bath canning can be done in any pot, it is obviously much easier to have a large pot designed to handle several jars at once. Canning pots are a thing, and they are common in thrift stores. Canning pressure cookers are much more of an investment.

Either way, canning pot or pressure cooker, getting a jar lifter makes the job infinitely easier. This piece of equipment is too useful not to invest a few bucks on one. Again, check the thrift stores.

A Few More Tips

Source: That 1870’s Homestead/Youtube

Lastly, these tips will help make the experience better and easier.

• Use wooden or plastic tools (not metal) to remove air bubbles before sealing cans.
• Use packaged lemon juice (not fresh lemons) to ensure consistent pH levels.
• Leave about half an inch of head space between the food and the lid.
• Use the size of jar listed in the recipe to make sure the heat penetration is correct.
• Don’t overtighten the screw bands. “Fingertip” tight is enough.
• Don’t put hot jars directly on the countertop. Put them on a dry towel.

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