Home Canning Lets You Save Money and Eat Healthier

You may ask - why should I can? Today, more than ever, we are looking for ways to save money; eat better and healthier, and live greener more sustainable lives. Home canning offers benefits that are relevant to our lifestyles today.
First a little history lesson. Prior to the 1800s, food preservation was done by drying fruits and the smoking of meats and fish. This worked well up until Napoleon Bonaparte decided to conquer all of Europe. He did not want his armies to be dependent for food while in enemy lands, instead he wanted them to carry their own food. One of his scientists, Nicolas Appert, discovered that by heating food for several hours in loosely corked bottles that were then sealed, that no germs could get to the food and so, it did not spoil. Soon afterward, in the early 1800s, Americans began to can food.
In regard's to today's challenge of saving money, the Burpee Seed Company writes that produce prices have doubled. They estimate that for every $50 that is spent on seed and fertilizer, the gardener can grow $1250 worth of produce. Team that with home canning, and you get the pleasure and the great taste of food from your garden all year long, as well as saving on your grocery bill. In addition, if the power goes out or some mechanical failure happens, none of what you have canned will go bad.
By preserving your own food, you will know every ingredient that is in the jar. According to a 2009 National Gardening Association research, people grow their own food because it tastes better, to save money, for higher quality food and they want to know that they food they are eating is safe.
If, like me right now, you are unable to grow your own, there are farmer's markets almost in every town, with more springing up all the time. So, whether you grow your own food or buy locally-grown produce, the carbon footprint that is created by the transporting of the fruits and vegetables that you eat during the off season is lowered. A 2008 study by Weber and Matthews found that the production and delivery of food accounts for 15% of greenhouse gas emissions.
As shown, home canning, which started out as a way for soldiers to transport and store food safely, gives you and your family a way to save money; eat better and healthier and live more sustainable life styles.

The Right Use of Jars and Lids in Home Canning

Glass jars are no doubt the very best way to proceed in home canning whether it be pressure canning or hot water water boiling canning. I would never use metal containers because of the one-time use and most importantly the requirement and expense of sealing equipment in using metal cans.

THe Mason jar with its regular and wide mouths with the open threaded neck for the ring and lids that Seal are definitely the best for home canning. Your Mason jar requires only lids each time of use in home canning.You must wash the jars before every use in hot water. The use of a mild detergent is necessary with a complete rinse after such a cleaning. This will not sterilize the jars but it does clean the jars for prolonged water boiling or pressure canning.

However if your are thinking about preparing jams,jellies or pickled items,then it requires sterilization of your jars in the home canning procedure. This is a simple procedure and easily accomplished by placing the empty jars into a boiling water canner. You fill both the jars and canner with hot,but not boiling water,to one inch above the jar mouth. This should be boiled for ten minutes at altitudes of less then 1000 feet and add an additional minute for every 1000 foot change in altitude. I will provide a reference at the end where you can locate a chart on this complete procedure.

The jar requires a good lid and sealing gasket. In the processing of foods the lid gasket seals the jar sealing surface but leaves enough space to allow air to escape from the jar allowing the gasket to form a airtight seal on your home canning jar. I would purchase only the number of lids that you will need in your home canning endeavors for one season. In this way you can be assured that you have fresh lids and gaskets.

Now you have your jars filled and in order to release the air bubbles using a flat plastic spatula,no metal please,insert between the food and the edge of the jar. Moving the jar slowly in a circle,push the spatula up and down to encourage the release and escape of air bubbles.You should clean the rim of the jar removing any particles that would prevent an air tight seal.

You are now ready for action! Proceed to place the lid gasket on to the cleaned rim of your jar and fit the flat metal lid into the metal screw ring and turn it slowly down on to the gasket being careful not to over tighten the lid in this procedure. It is time to process your filled jars and when this is done carefully remove home canning jars with a jar grip remover.

It will not be necessary to re-tightened the lids. The cooling of the jars results in the contents of the jar to contract which in turn pulls the self sealing lid firmly to the mouth of the jar resulting in a high vacuum being formed. The jars should be cooled for twelve to twenty four hours at room temperature in an upright position.

Then it is time to remove the screw rings from the jars and begin testing each lid for the proper seal. This is easily done by pressing the center of the lid to see if it is concave. Then lift the jar by its lid to see if it will come off and if you cannot accomplish and the center does not want to flex up or down you have a good seal and your home canning is concluded.

There is more detailed information on altitude charts and much much more at http://www.gardenersgardening.com/boilingwaterbathcanning.html

Essential Home Canning Equipment For Food Canning

One of the best option that people choose when it comes into their homes is to preserve their foods in terms of food canning. Pressure canning, water bath method and using other techniques have been learned based on th kind of food to processed. With this, there are various home canning equipment which have been used for making the canning process a lot easier.

Opt for a wing nut system canner. Steer clear of pressure cooker and canner which contains plastic gasket seal as it can wear down and crack in time. Then from time to time it will be requiring a replacement which could be costly and time consuming on your part. Wing nut system on the other hand does not require gaskets replacement thus, you have an equipment anytime you want to use it. This is one big advantage you can get using the wing nut system.

Your equipment for home canning, particularly canner parts, must be kept altogether to prevent loss and from frantically searching looking for them when you need them. Constantly check the wing nuts, pressure gauge, pressure regulator as well as other canning supplies. keep in mind that a canner or a pressure cooker without vent regulator is worthless. When storing equipment, store the loose parts right inside the canner to secure them.

Basically, the home canning equipment includes jars. Prefer glasses that can tolerate high heat, like the Mason or Kerr canning jars intentionally made for pressure canning and boiling bath. Apart from a canner, metal coverings and screw bands are also included. Eventually, metal lids are only used once and discarded when the content is completely consumed. Conversely, screw bands can be used repetitively.

If you can afford and get them, home canning equipment pieces should be anodized aluminum and stainless steel made. Do not choose cast iron, galvanized zinc, copper or brass since they negatively react with acid or salt in foods. Other equipment used for home canning include saucepans and pots, colander, cutting board, heat-resistant ladles and spoons, knives, potato peeler, measuring spoons and cups in different sizes, a mixing bowl and a funnel especially-made for jars.

There is more. For you to complete you home canning equipment, you need to incorporate dry towels, permanent marker, cheesecloth, non-metal spatula, timer, air lifter, kitchen scale and more.

Home Canning Tomatoes

Tomatoes are probably the most popular food item grown in gardens. Usually there is an abundance of this crop once they begin to ripen. Home Canning Tomatoes is one way to ensure that the overstock of produce will not go to waste. By canning your own tomatoes you will also be able to enjoy the flavorful taste of you home grown tomatoes long after the season ends.

Ways to Preserve Tomatoes

There is an assortment of ways to preserve tomatoes. They may be canned, frozen or in some cases even dried. The most popular way of preserving tomatoes is to canning. This versatile method allows you to utilize the canned tomatoes in a variety of techniques that can be used later to make soups, chili or stews. Who wouldn€t want that same great fresh tasting flavor even in the cold winter months?

Preparing Tomatoes for Canning

Only a stainless steel pot or saucepan and stainless steel utensils should be used when preparing tomatoes for canning. Because the tomatoes have such a high acidic value, using any other type of pot may result in bitter tasting canned tomatoes that have a less than desirable color about them.

Canning Tomatoes Safely

It is important to remember that in order to ensure safety tomatoes must be canned correctly. Only choose disease free, fresh firm tomatoes for canning. Tomatoes tend to be a high acidic food item. Boiling Water Bath Canning or Pressure Canning methods are the recommended processing technique to be used when home canning tomatoes. According to some sources using a pressure canner may even yield higher quality flavor with more nutritious value. Either however, is an acceptable means of preserving tomatoes.
The USDA recommends that all home canned tomatoes be acidified prior to canning to ensure safety from botulism. This is achieved by adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or teaspoon of citric acid per quart. Using pints, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or teaspoon of citric acid.

Processing times for hot packed crushed tomatoes in water bath canning is 35 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts. If using a pressure canner the processing time is 15 minutes for both pints and quarts. You must be sure to set the dial gauges on the pressure cooker to 11lbs. of pressure and the weighted gauge should be set at 10lbs. of pressure.

Following these instructions should assure the quality of taste when Home Canning Tomatoes. Just think about how happy you and your family will be this winter when you are enjoying the same great flavor you had this summer.

Homemade Canning - The Home Canning Essential Equipment Checklist

Before beginning to can at home, it is important to have the right equipment on hand. There are two types of homemade canning: boiling water canning and high pressure canning. However, aside from the style of pans used for canning, the rest of the supplies are identical.

Essential Supplies Needed for Canning

The following are the supplies and equipment you will need to successfully can meats and produce at home:

Canning jars Boiling canner Pressure canner Or Dutch oven Large kettle to pre-boil equipment in Jar tongs Proper canning jars Canning lids Lid rims Wide mouth funnel Food mill Food sieve Colander Spoons Heat proof rubber spatulas Measuring cups Different sized bowls Towels Bakers cooling rack Knives Cutting board Filtered water (preferably also distilled) Food to can Waterproof labels and label marker

Use the Right Kind of Canner

A boiling canner is used for high-acid foods such as fruits, jams, tomatoes, pickles, relishes, preserves, and tomato based salsas and sauces. High-acid foods only need to be brought up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of boiling water, for the specific time specified in the recipe.

A high-pressure canner is used for low-acid foods such as vegetables, meats, grains, noodles, and low acid sauces. These low-acid foods need to be brought to a temperature of 240 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit for the time specified in the recipe.

With either type of canning, it is important to carefully follow the directions for the type of food being canned to ensure quality and food safety.

The Importance of the Right Jars and Lids

It is important to only use jars purchased for canning. Standard canning jars are tempered, and the mouth is specially threaded for canning at home. Do not reuse jars which originally housed store bought foods, these are not tempered for the canning process and may crack or explode when boiled or pressure canned or even while being handled.

Use flat lids with screw bands made specifically for the brand of canning jars purchased. Do not reuse the flat lid part or reused jar lids from store bought foods as these may not seal properly and will allow bacteria and spoilage of the food canned.

Carefully inspect the jars for chips or cracks, especially around the rim of the mouth and discard any cracked or chipped jars. Also, carefully inspect the lids for rust or damage and discard any lids with cracks in the rubber seal, a non-existent rubber seal, rust, dings or bends. These lids may not seal correctly and allow for food spoilage.

Other Canning Equipment Needed

When purchasing other canning equipment, use products that are made for home canning, especially when it comes to the pan inserts used to keep the jars upright and the tongs used to remove hot jars from the pans. Not having essential equipment can cause the jars to fall over during the canning process and get water in them. Not having the proper jar tongs can lead to burns or dropped and broken jars.

Other than purchasing replacement jars for broken or chipped jars and purchasing new flat-lids, the rest of the equipment is a one-time purchase and is really an investment. Once purchased, it can be reused multiple times.

Getting the proper equipment before beginning the homemade canning process is indeed a must to save time and money.