How to Start Canning at Home

I have wanted to get started for some years now in home canning. My Mother in law has always canned her own vegetables from her garden and home made sauces and jellies for years. It inspired me to get started when I spoke with her about her over all expense and the end results. If you plan on having a garden this year or would rather buy in bulk all of your items that you can. With either choice I'll share some of the better and worse ideas with you for home canning.

First thing you will need to do is gather your supplies to home can. You will need mason jars in various sizes if you plan on canning vegetables as well as jellies or sauces. You will also need lids, ring bands, colander, a funnel, jar lifter, thermometer and a canning kettle or pan. These are items to get you started and you might discover a few other things you'll need down the road with your canning.

Once you've gathered your supplies and are ready to get started with your home canning the first thing you will need to do is boil your mason jars with lids and rings in a pot of hot water and make sure you cover the jars completely.

Stand these jars on a towel to dry and then next get your vegetables prepared for canning. Let's start with an easy project. Tomatoes are very good and you can take them straight from your own garden or buy them at a local farmers market or gardener to get them fresh and better priced than local grocery markets.

You will need to cut out the center core and then remove leaves and then wash thoroughly. Once you've gently rinsed your tomatoes place them in a pot to blanch the skins off. Boil tomatoes and when they are tender you can cut off stove and let tomatoes cool. Once cool peel off skin easily and chop tomatoes into chunks. Add bell peppers and onions if you wish with other spices that you like and seal. Once you seal your canned goods place them back in hot water and boil for 10 minutes to make sure there is no bacteria inside tomatoes.

Jelly is an easy thing to make. Let's start with making Strawberry Jelly. In order to make jelly this way, you'll need fresh strawberries and sugar. Clean the strawberries and remove stems and leaves. Cook about one pound of fresh cleaned strawberries that you have cut up into pieces in 3 cups of sugar on stove. Cook down and stir constantly and check sweetness of your jelly. If it's not sweet enough add more sugar.

Once jelly is sweet enough and strawberries have turned to syrup and the sugar has melted then it's time to pour into jars. Using your jar lifter so as not to burn yourself ease jelly from stove and pour into mason jars. Once poured clean sides of jars of any jelly that might have spilled.

Experimenting is the best thing to know about home canning. Making freezer jam is as easy you just use your fresh berries or fruit with sugar and pectin. Canning pickles can be easy just find a recipe you'll enjoy and go ahead and give it a try.

Home Canning is easy as well as cost efficient. From vinegar to cucumbers or other vegetables and fruits to pectin and sugar there's not much you have to buy. You may wish to store this canning for winter months and through out the year or share with your friends and family.

My family loves the home made jellies I make so you could give as Christmas gift's as well. Wrap a pretty colorful ribbon around the top of your lid and add a gift tag and you are ready. I love having fresh jelly on my toast so we make allot of jelly when I start my canning.