Canning season is now!! Here's how you can join in!
/Y'all simply must start canning. It is a simple way to save a season for later in the year. I know you can do it!!
Here are two video tutorials that will help you along. You should definitely watch the jam-making one, not least because Oliver's voice is the most precious thing in the whole world, and you will die and fall in love with it and him. You will understand why several people have suggested I figure out a way to bottle his voice.
The only update I wish to make is that Ball says you no longer need to heat the lids in hot water to soften the rubber flange. They are using a new rubber blend that doesn't need pre-softening.
Here too is a list of canning equipment that will make your preservation efforts
more fun, easier and safer.
- Freshest possible ingredients- Don’t use substandard ingredients; taste will suffer!
- Canning pot- a tall pot which can accommodate your jars and enough water to cover them during processing
- Canning rack- a pot insert that holds your jars safely in place during processing, preventing anxiety-producing sounds and cracked jars
- Jar lifter- silicone-covered tongs which make putting your jars into the pot and taking them out much safer and easier
- Stainless steel ladle- You need a ladle to fill your jars; stainless won’t leach or melt.
- Stainless canning funnel- A funnel reduces the chance that you’ll spill valuable jam over the sides of the jar; this makes a mess, is sticky and you risk burning yourself.
- Bubble remover- I use a chopstick, but you can also buy tools made specifically for bubbling your jams.
- Jars- aka Mason jars, popular brands include Ball, Kerr, Weck, and so forth.
- Lids and bands, or rubber rings if using Weck
- Pectin- liquid, powder, all-natural (Pomona’s); I use pectin very, very rarely.
- Thermapen, candy thermometer, or the like
- Food mill- useful and/or necessary for certain recipes
- Jar labels- label what you canned and when
Don't you want to have a magnificent stash like this?? You can! Hah!