Easy Canning Tips

It seems that since the 1950's there has been a steady decline in the practice of home canning. The grandparents and parents of the generations that began with the baby boom era did not seem to have the time to practice home canning or to teach it to their children. This article will show you how easy it is to prepare canned goods that are safe and nutritious.

In today's hustle and bustle society with families that typically have two working parents or a single parent the practice of home canning makes more sense than it ever did before. By preparing larger amounts of food when you have time and canning them you will find that your shelves are quickly stocked with nutritious home cooked meals that are there waiting to simply be warmed.

With obesity and fast foods so much in the media today, it is surprising that more people have not turned to home canning as a solution to fast meal preparations and nutrition. Using the guidelines below will allow you to can dishes that you prepare adding just 15 - 20 minutes to your time in the kitchen.

You will need:

Canning jars
canning lids
screw on rings
pressure cooker
water
sauce pan

STEPS:

1. Make sure that the jars you use have no cracks in them, especially at the top. No nicks or sharp edges should be at the tops of your jars. If you happen to find a nick or sharp edge discard the jar.

2. Wash jars well in warm soapy water. Rinse well.

3. Place your lids in a pan and pour boiling water over them. Do not boil them but allow them to rest and cool in this pan.

4. Fill your jars with your prepared dishes to within 1 inch of the top.

5. Using a narrow spatula, remove the air bubles form the jar.

6. Wipe top of jar free of any spillage with a damp cloth.

7. Remove lid from the pan you poured the boiling water in over them, place on the top of your jar. Screw retaining ring onto jar tightly.

8. Fruits, tomatoes, jellies, jams, preserves and pickled items should be placed into the pressure cooker with water filled to an inch above the top of the jars and allowed to boil with the cooker uncovered for seven minutes. Remove from cooker and place in an area that is dry and free from drafts to cool. Remove rings.

9. All other foods are placed into the pressure cooker on a grid or rack. Add 2 inches of boiling water.

10. Lock lid into place and build 10 psi of pressure. Adjust heat to maintain 10 psi for 10 minutes.

11. Allow to cool for another 10 minutes and open petcock. After any hissing has stopped, remove the lid.

12. Place jars on a rack to cool. Once they have cooled inspect them to insure that the button in the center of the lid is depressed. Remove rings after jars are completely cool and store.

13. When you are ready to use your canned foods inspect them again to make sure that the button in the center is still depressed. If the lid has released it is because the contents were not heated to the proper temperature for the appropriate length of time to kill bacteria and yeast.

14. Open container and look for any cloudiness in the liquid within the jar. The contents should also smell just as you would expect freshly cooked dishes to smell. Be sure to heat them to at least 110 degrees before tasting.

WARNINGS:

In the past many home canners would leave the retaining rings on their jars. This is a mistake. The jar will remain sealed without the ring if the contents were properly prepared. Leaving the ring in place can cause the seal to remain intact on a jar that has spoiled. This can be misleading when you open the container and cause you to heat foods that are not healthy.

If there is any doubt that your lid sealed itself during the canning process repeat it.