This basic process is only for quick canning of fruits, vegetables, jams and jellies, and preserves. If you plan on canning meats, sauces, seafood, or poultry, you will need to look into pressure canning (recipes coming soon).
Items needed for Canning
- Water bath canning pot
- Glass canning jars
- Lids
- Bands (if the lids are not coated in rubber)
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
- Funnel
Optional items
- Jar lifting rack
- Jar tongs
- Rubber spatula
I have the water bath canning pot, the lifting rack, funnel, rubber spatula, and hot jar tongs. You can find them online or most stores like Wal-Mart, Target etc. I happened to find my canning kit at a local thrift store, which are great places to find used kitchen products.
Canning Process
The first thing you want to do is place enough water in the pot to completely cover the canning jars you’ll be using. Bring the water to a boil; you’ll need to have water set aside to account for evaporation. While the water is coming to a boil, wash the canning jars and lids in warm soapy water and rinse. I know what you’re thinking. What about sterilization? Well, in doing my research, sterilization of the jars and lids has not been necessary for decades as long as the canning process is 10 minutes or longer. Now that you have washed the jars and lids, you can begin preparing your canned food ingredients. Make sure they are washed, cut to the appropriate size, and that you have your recipe handy. Once the ingredients are collected, you are ready to fill the jars. How far you fill your jars depends on the recipe you are following. Some recipes call for headspace of anywhere between 1/4 inch from the top to 1 1/2 inch from the top. Too much headspace can cause a weak seal and a lower vacuum. Too little headspace can cause the food to become lodged under the seal and create a seal break.
Use these guidelines for headspace:
Juices, jams, jellies, and relishes need 1/4 inch Fruits, tomatoes and pickles need 1/2 inch. Meats and vegetables need 1 to 1 1/2 inch
After you have filled the jars to the appropriate levels, place the lid on the jar and tighten to a finger-tight fit. Now you are ready to carefully lower the filled jars into the boiling water. Make sure the jars are fully submerged in the boiling water. If the jars on not fully submerged, add more hot water to cover the jars. Remember if you didn’t sterilize your jars, you need to boil for 10 minutes or longer. Make sure you follow your recipe instructions. When your canning time has come to an end, turn off the heat, carefully remove the pot from the burner and allow everything to rest for 5 minutes. This allows settling and will reduce the siphoning of any liquid. After the resting period, remove the jars and place them on a towel to avoid temperature displacement and potentially breaking the hot jars. It’s important you don’t tip the jars or shake them.
Finally!
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be impatient and excited. So you need to be extra vigilant that you don’t mess with the jars. You can, of course, check on them every now and then by LOOKING at them. If the canning process was done properly you should hear the lids popping. Check the lids to see if the round dimple in the middle of the lid has sunken in. This is an indicator that the lids popped and the seal is good. After the jars are completely cooled, you can move them to their storage area. Congratulations on your Water Bath Canning Process! Be sure to let me know what your canning results were.
This is my very first posted recipe on Edible Fares! I didn’t even think about it until after it was posted, but why not start off with good ol’ spiciness? This is sure to get the taste buds moving.
I think next time I’m going to add in the cauliflower and cut back on the oil. There are a ton of different vegetables you can use for this recipe so go ahead and play around with it and see what you come up with. I’d love to hear your version of pickled vegetables.
