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When most people find out I can produce as a hobby, they usually make a joke about Ma Ingalls.
Then they ask if I can teach them.
But canning is an easy, fun hobby that helps you reduce your carbon footprint by reusing containers (the Mason jars are reusable, unless they’re cracked or chipped) and allows you to use local produce throughout the winter season. Canning is easy and some recipes can easily be done after a workday.
Canning has historically served a few purposes: Local delicacies, such as oysters and peaches, could be shipped long distances in a days before refrigeration. Most frontier families, though, used canning to preserve the bounty that came with the spring and summer harvest seasons, thereby preventing the winter from being an unending stream of nothing but cabbages, beets and other vegetables that could survive in a cellar.
Since modern people tend to think of pickles as things you buy, not things you make, preserving food has become somewhat of a mysterious art. The fact is, though, that canning, pickling and preserving food is easy, safe and tasty.
What You Need
You don’t need a lot of equipment to start canning. Obviously, you need jars and lids (I buy mine at a local hardware store.) Wash the jars and lids thoroughly, but there’s no need to sterilize them before beginning. You also need a large pot—canning pots typically have a rack on the bottom to keep the jars from coming into direct contact with the bottom of the pot (they might get too hot and crack), but I canned for years with a regular large stockpot I bought for a dollar at a yard sale and never had any problems.
Other than that, everything else is negotiable. I would recommend a jar lifter and a lid lifter—both are cheap and, while I’ve worked without them, lifting a jar filled out of boiling water will certainly let you know how heatproof your hotpads are. A filling funnel will also make the process a lot cleaner.
You also don’t need a pressure canner. Pressure canning is used for low-acid foods such as meat and vegetables. Pickling the vegetables by adding vinegar raises the acid level to the point where the bacteria is killed off. If you want to branch out into pressure canning—you want to can your own green beans or tuna, for example—there are plenty of books available on the subject.
In a Jam
Making jam is the best starting point for the beginning canner, and peach jam is a great way to use up the summer’s best fruit. Ask your local farmstand if they offer “canning peaches;” this is just code for “peaches that don’t look so good.” Since you’ll be peeling and chopping the peaches, looks don’t matter.
I use the peach jam recipe from the “Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.”
Peach Jam
You need: six 8-ounce jars and lids
Four cups (about 2 pounds) finely chopped pitted, peeled peaches (see note)
2 T lemon juice (use bottled lemon juice, as the acidity is more stable than in fresh lemons)
1 package regular powdered fruit pectin
5 cups granulated sugar.
Wash jars, lids and screw bands in hot, soapy water. Place jars in your canner and add water to the jars and canners until it reaches the top of the jars. Cover and bring the water to a simmer; do not boil. Set screw bands aside; place lids in a small saucepan cover with water and bring to a simmer. Do not boil.
Combine peaches and lemon juice in a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Add sugar all at once and return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼ space between jam and top of jars. Remove air bubbles by sliding a rubber spatula along the inside edge of the jar. Add more jam if necessary to maintain ¼ inch of space. Wipe rim of jar with a damp towel. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to “fingertip-tight.” Don’t make it too tight, as the lid will get tighter after processing.
Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.
NOTE: To easily peel peaches, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Plunge peaches into boiling water and leave for 30-45 seconds, then plunge into a bowl of ice water. The skins will come right off.
In a Pickle
While you can make traditional cucumber pickles, pickled green beans are a great change and, since green beans are easier to find than pickling cucumbers (you can’t use regular cucumbers), are a better start for the beginning canner. Recipe from Ball’s Complete Book of Home Preserving.
Dilled Beans
Makes about six pint jars.
You need:
Six jars and lids
3 T pickling or canning salt (NOT table salt)
3 cups white vinegar
3 cups water
2 ¼ lbs green beans, trimmed and cut into jar-length pieces
2 ¼ yellow wax beans, trimmed and cut into jar-length pieces (see note)
3 small red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into thin strips
18 whole black peppercorns
6 sprigs fresh dill
6 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
Prepare canner, jars and lids as in recipe above.
In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine salt, vinegar and water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve salt. Add green and yellow beans and red peppers. Return to a boil. Remove from heat. Place 3 peppercorns, 1 sprig of dill and 1 clove garlic in each hot jar. Pack beans and pepper strips into hot jars to within a generous ½ inch of top of jar. Ladle hot pickling liquid into jar to cover beans and peppers, leaving ½ inch of space between liquid and top of jar. Remove air bubbles by sliding a rubber spatula along the inside of the jar. Add more hot pickling liquid if necessary. Wipe rim with a damp towel. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.
NOTE: I often have trouble finding yellow beans, so I usually make this recipe with 4 ½ lbs of green beans.
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