How to can for beginners is one of the most frequently asked questions among homesteaders.
And that’s why I thought of providing you with a comprehensive guideline.
And let me tell you first that canning is a scientific method that’s easier than you thought.
Just like pickling, it’s a great way to preserve your fresh crops and enjoy them year-long.
So, without any worry, let’s explore the essentials of canning that every beginner can do.
What Is Canning?
Canning is a process of preserving food for a longer shelf life.
Usually, canning follows the method of keeping food sealed in an airtight jar or container. The usual shelf life canning ensures is several months or years depending on circumstances.
The method of canning is quite popular among various cultures across the globe. It was initiated in 1809 in France after extensive research made by Nicolas Appert.
Soon, canning got introduced as an industry in the USA by Robert Ayars in 1812 in New York City.
Why Preserve Food?
The main reason for preserving food is to stop spoilage.
As we all know, foods start to spoil over time due to humidity, oxygen, bacteria, and many more reasons. Canning helps us to prevent it and keep our foods edible for a long time.
Preserving food helps us to control food wastage to a great extent. Sometimes, the production is more than our capacity to consume. In such cases, some amount of food will always get wasted. Preserving makes sure that we can prevent it.
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, most of them grow seasonally. Some examples are beans, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, etc. Food preservation methods help us to keep a variety of them in the pantry year long.
There are different types of food preservation among which canning and pickling are the most popular. These two methods differ but the purpose is just the same.
Though these methods can’t preserve foods eternally, they definitely help extend the shelf life of foods.
How Much Money Can You Save By Canning Your Own Food?
Canning your own food is rewarding and it can help you to save dollars.
Buying canned foods is really expensive and if you want to enjoy certain off-season foods, you need to invest a lot. Canning, on the other hand, is way cheaper and great for sustenance.
How to can for beginners is one of the amazing things to learn as a homesteader.
Now, you must be wondering how difficult canning is.
Let me give you the answer!
Is It Hard To Start Canning?
Though canning isn’t one of the simplest household tasks, all it requires is knowledge.
You need to know the right method and give it a try multiple times until success. There are multiple steps of canning that you need to follow exactly like a recipe.
I started canning three years ago and failed miserably twice. The third time, I got a hang of it and finally, started feeling like an expert.
Now, I’m so good at it that I can easily share the best method with beginners.
What Is The Easiest Thing To Can For A Beginner?
For a beginner, the easiest thing to can is fruits like tomatoes, cucumbers, and leafy greens.
Though there are various types of other fruits that you can start canning, these already have a good shelf life.
That’s why the chances of spoilage are less as compared to other foods.
What Foods Cannot Be Canned?
Starchy foods such as rice, noodles, and pasta cannot be canned.
Canning involves heating food and then storing it inside cans. Now, the starch of these foods tends to interfere with the heat toward the center of the jars.
Also, foods that are low in acid shouldn’t be canned. That’s because these foods have very high pH level, which is usually more than 4.6. So, they have a high chance of contamination, also known as botulism.
Some examples of vegetables that you can’t can are corn, potatoes, asparagus, beets, green beans, etc. Among fruits, it’s really unsafe to can some types of tomatoes and figs. Also, you shouldn’t can fish, seafood, meat, and milk for the same reason.
Fruits usually have higher acidic content than most vegetables. That’s why you can’t can some vegetables.
In case you don’t know, fruits are produced by flowers and vegetables are the other parts of plants.
What All Foods Can Be Canned?
As mentioned above, it’s possible to can most fruits that have high acidic content.
You can also can jams, jellies, pickles, tomatoes, salsa, chutneys, sauces, and fillings. It means that canning is safe for a variety of fruits and condiments.
How to can for beginners is as simple as picking fruits and veggies. Now, let me simplify it further!
5 Steps To Home Canning
Here are the 7 steps that you need to follow for canning foods:
- Sterilizing the canning jars for 10 minutes is the foremost thing to get started.
- The next step is to fill half of the jars with water and boil them for 4-5 minutes.
- Then, you need to add the food and additional canning ingredients (if any) to the canning jar.
- Closing the lid of the canning jars is the fifth step that you need to do carefully.
- Finally, you need to keep the canning jars in a cool, shady place or in the refrigerator.
Methods For Canning & Preserving
Two very popular canning methods are pressure canning and water bath canning.
Pressure Canning
When it comes to preserving low-acid foods, pressure canning is the best method.
The Clostridium botulinum spores are mostly found in low-acid foods that should be processed at a high temperature. A pressure canner allows you to heat the foods at 240 degrees Fahrenheit, which is ideal for such foods.
Pressure canning involves boiling the canning jars in a sealed pressure canner by adding 1-2 inches of water.
You can pressure can low-acid foods such as legumes, vegetables, poultry, meat, seafood, etc. These have a pH scale of 4.6 or above.
Water Bath Canning
The best way to preserve high-acid foods is water bath canning.
This method involves boiling the canning jars inside a large container filled with water one inch below the jars. When the temperature reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit, the Clostridium botulinum spores can’t survive.
This way, the foods inside the jars get rid of botulism and reach an appropriate stage for storage. Pickled vegetables, most fruits, sauces, and salsas are the foods that you can preserve in this method.
These foods are high in acid with a pH scale below 4.6.
Tips For Food Safety
If you want to can a variety of foods, it’s important to ensure safety. Here are a few tips that you need to follow:
- The canning method you choose should be up-to-date and approved by the USDA.
- You need to select premium-quality canning jars made of glass or food-grade materials.
- Using a pressure canner is the best way to can low-acid foods such as vegetables.
- To water bath can of tomatoes, adding citric acid or lemon juice will be beneficial.
- The USDA approves larger-sized pressure canners as these are the safest options.
How to can for beginners is almost known to you now. But, are there any chances of spoilage? Well, let me tell you more about it!
How Can You Tell If Food Has Botulism?
You need to check whether the food has molds or the color has changed.
Also, checking whether there’s foam or water leaking from the can may help you detect botulism. If the food is smelling bad, that can also be a sign of botulism.
The worst part is that botulism toxin doesn’t have any typical taste or smell. So, detecting it can be really tricky.
How Long Is Home Canned Fruit Good For?
Home-canned fruits can sustain for one year or more depending on circumstances.
It mostly depends on the canning method, temperature, and other factors. If there’s chemical spoilage, the causes are usually hydrogen gas production inside the jars.
Canning For Beginners Kit
Here are some canning essentials that you can check out:
Norpro Canning Essentials
It’s a set of six canning tools such as jar lifters, jar wench, fennel, measurer, lid lifter, and handles.
Granite Ware Canner Kit
It’s a compact canner kit including a premium quality canner and seven other pieces of equipment.
Leonice Store Canning Kit
This is an amazing starter kit including equipment for both pressure canning and water bath canning.
Mason Jars for Canning
Mason jars are the best for canning and this one from Spanla is a set of 24 pieces.
Penida Store Canning Supplies
Canning will be easier with this set of all the essential accessories that you need.
Is Canning Better Than Freezing?
Freezing and canning both are ideal for preserving food.
Freezing retains most of the nutrients whereas canning involves heating, which can reduce some vitamins.
But, to increase the shelf life of foods, both methods are perfect.
What Are The Best Foods To Store For Survival?
Legumes, meat, poultry, fruits, and vegetables are the best foods to store for survival.
These foods contain the essential nutrients that you need on a daily basis.
While legumes, meat, and poultry are enriched with protein and carbs, fruits and vegetables contain macronutrients like vitamins and minerals.
Conclusion
How to can for beginners is really easy now as you know all the essential tips.
I’m sure you’ll be able to achieve the skill quickly by following them.
But, make sure that you follow the USDA guidelines first before getting started.
Below is a Pinterest friendly photo…. so you can pin it to your Homestead Lifestyle Board!!
