How to Can Fruit to Preserve your Premium Foods
What do you do to keep your Premium Foods stored securely for an emergency? Do you have foods stored that will not spoil or get buggy? Have you ever thought about what you would eat if there was a disaster? I think of that probably more than I should lately will all the natural disasters that have happened and all the talk of what the huge sun spots can do to our environment. If something were to happen during the summer we’d be ok because I have a home garden with potatoes, cabbages and other vegetables. I have rhubarb which would give lots of Vitamin C and black currents that are so good. And there are lots of wild greens and fruits such as blueberries and raspberries in Alaska.
But what would we eat in winter? I use to can food in the summer, so last summer I thought I better start putting food up again for winter use and for a rainy day! Canning is very easy and canned food can last for years in a cool, dark place. And we have a great room that is cool and dark to keep the canned food. I have friends that pressure can foods but I have never used a pressure canner before. I do all my canning using mason glass jars and new seals for every jar. I use the water bath method. Although people do also put vegetables up by the water bath method, I prefer that vegetables be canned in a pressure canner and I may decide to do that this year with some veggies. But this winter I have a room full of home canned peaches, pears, cherries, applesauce and apricots. And we have some huge bags of legumes, beans and rice which we will rotate in use and replace as used to keep them fresh.
It is really easy to can food. Let me list what you need and what to do.
You need: a large canning kettle, mason jars, lids with seals for the mason jars, and a lifter which comes with the canning kettle and tongs. A Funnel is very helpful to have when pouring your syrup over your fruit.
How to can:
1. Prepare your fruit. Blanch your fruit in hot water if you are peeling the skin which helps to remove the skin. Then cut your fruit in slices. I usually cut enough fruit for a canning load of quart jars.
Mason jar lids (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When you are ready to indulge in the middle of winter and have some sweet freshly canned fruit, upon opening the jar you should hear a whoosh of air come from the jar. I have never had any fruit go bad using this method of canning.
Are you planning to do anything for food storage? I’d love to hear what you are doing.
nice info
Simple but smart idea. Thanks for sharing.
My mother canned fruit and a few vegetables. Always came out great. I prefer to freeze things though.
I’m going to start gardening and canning for the first time this summer, so I really appreciate these tips! Thank you, Colleen!!!
Your Welcome Layne,
You will love it. I even enjoy canning….knowing what good I am doing for my family.
Thank you, I have always wanted to do this!! My grandmother did it for years and years.
Growing up my mom would can a ton of things. I should have participated so that I could now do it for my family. I know how important it is to have an emergency supply of food. Perhaps soon I can learn this skill. Although I think I heard that having a glass top stove isn’t the best for canning, do you know about that?
Glass top is ok. But you have to have such a high heat for so long canning that it may discolor the glass, I don’t know. When I can it’s going for a good 1/2 day all day long. I usually can on an electric but gas is great too.
I never thought about canning. With this option , I wouldn’t have so much thrown away food. I hate waste.
I have been canning for quite awhile now and I love it.It tastes so much better than boughten canned food.Thanks for sharing your ideas.You can never know enough about htis because it all has to be done properly for safety.
Wow, I’ve always wanted to start canning but never felt like I could successfully. Thanks for the great information, I think this will help motivate me to get started!
I really want to start canning my garden’s yield. We give way so much to keep it from spoiling.
I have always thought canning was cool although I have never done it. Maybe someday….
I have always wanted to try canning.. am afraid I will do something wrong and make everyone sick though lol!
I know the feeling Debbie. If you water bath fruit for canning and pressure can veggies you should be fine. OR Boil the veggies you can water bath method 5 minutes to kill any stuff if you are worried. But you would know…the lids seal breaks or it has bubbly stuff (so I am told) around the lid or smells bad. But I have never in all my years of canning had a problem. If the seal doesn’t take…then we eat it right away. But I’ve had very few seals that haven’t sealed.
i would love to can my own food it would be all fruit my husband dont eat vegtables
Fruit is a good start…well its a GREAT start! You can’t believe how much better home canned food tastes.
I really wish I had more time to can 🙁
I do canning and I also have a dehydrator. I use these to preserve our good foods.
I have a dehydrator too but need more practice with it. I’ve dried herbs for now and they are so good
I love it! I am planning to have a garden and start canning all my veggies this year!
I’ve always wanted to learn how to can things, but to me it seems complex. This simplified things! Thanks!
I am just starting to can items. I plan o doing as much as possible this year.
Great Kim! You have the winter to read up on it. Depending where you live you can start getting great fresh stuff by May for sure!
I’ve been wanting to learn how to can, but have been afraid of doing it wrong. Thanks so much for showing me the right way to preserve food with canning.
I’ve always wanted to try my hand at canning, but I’ve never been in an area that had ready fruit or vegetables on hand. I have about the brownish thumb around and can even kill a cactus, so I hope I never have to survive by my own garden. Maybe someday this will change.
I really need to get into canning soon. Thanks for the tips!
my dad makes and cans jams 😀
Wow..another guy who loves to can! Great for all of you!
we can and we keep stuff in plastic containers
great stephanie
My husband canned home made peach butter and sliced peaches from our tree last summer. They are wonderful, especially the ones that have a cinnamon stick in the jar. We know now that he ought to pack the jars with more fruit before pouring in the syrup, but they are mighty tasty. We will definitely consider canning more stuff this year! I love that you only have to buy new seals, that the jars and rings can be used over and over again.
Emily! What a great husband. I don’t know many men who would can! Good for him and you 🙂 Yes its wonderful that you only have to buy seals once you have your main setup…
But you may find yourself buying more and more jars 🙂
Unfortunately we do not have any canned food if a disaster were to occur. Great advice, though. I will share with my husband. We do, however, have plenty of freeze dried food to keep us going for a while.
I’m glad you have freeze dried! That would certainly help out.
I wish I had the time but it’s so nice to read and see pictures of how canning really is like!
I really do want to try canning, every year I say I am going to try it. I just wish I knew someone that has done it before, that could be with me when I try it .