This past summer was my first time canning with any goal of filling our pantry. I had canned jam before with my grandma, but I was still pretty much a beginner canner with a lot to learn!
As I put away my canners for the last time this fall, I look back on what I have learned this year:
- Sterilizing the jars in the oven is the quickest method
This can be done by pre-heating an oven to 275* F. Wash jars in soapy water and rinse. Place the still wet jars on a cooking sheet and place in oven for 20 minutes.
- Always have more jars and lids ready than what the recipe says it will make
It’s extremely annoying to think you have the right amount of jars and need to wash and sterilize just two more jars before processing in the canner. Trust me, just wash a couple extra to begin with.
- There will never be enough stove space – use a turkey fryer to process jars outdoors, or don’t try to can multiple products at the same time
If you’re planning to get a lot of canning done in one weekend, don’t try to do it all in one day – especially if what you’re canning needs to be cooked on the stove first, such as spaghetti sauce.
Do all the prep work at once, then can one product. If there’s enough time, start the next one. But don’t rush, just use the whole weekend if you can. It will save your sanity…
Canning is a LOT of work and time. By the time all of the ingredients were chopped and prepped I would be thinking that I was just about done – or the time consuming part anyways. Not true.
Making the product was probably the quickest step in the process. But there’s also getting the jars sterilized; bringing the canner to boil; processing the jars in canner. Of course there’s also the clean-up afterwards. Have I ever mentioned that I hate washing dishes?
But was it worth it? Without a doubt, absolutely. As I look in our pantry and freezer, I feel good knowing that I created quality, homegrown food that my husband I will enjoy throughout the year.
I did experience one failure this year while canning. I was going to can a batch of elderberry jelly, but it didn’t set properly. I ended up re-doing the process of adding the sure jell.
Overall, we ended up with: 7 quarts of spaghetti sauce, 4 pints of pizza sauce, 6 quarts of elderberry syrup, 10 pints elderberry jelly, 4 quarts of apple pie filling, 48 pints of salsa, 16 pints of applesauce, 36 quarts of frozen green beans, and 12 quarts of frozen carrots.