Choosing a Water Bath Canner

      You can use a large aluminum or porcelain-covered steel stockpot for water bath canning, or you can purchase one made just for canning. The advantage of choosing a water bath canner is that its metal racks have handles for removing the jars from the pot. Some retailers even have beginner’s sets that include the canner, a jar lifter, racks, and other utensils. If you choose to use a stockpot you already own, you can buy the racks and utensils separately from any canning supply vendor.

      Water bath canners come in several sizes, and the label will tell you how many jars can be processed at once. Most water bath canners can process 14 to 18 (½ pint) jars, 7 to 8 pint jars, or 5 to 7 quart jars. For safe processing, the water level needs to be at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars; keep that in mind as you choose your canner and your jars.

       A Note on Jars and Lids

      It is perfectly acceptable to buy used canning jars. As long as the jars aren’t cracked or chipped, they can be reused for many years. You can often find them at thrift shops, garage sales, and on sites like Freecycle or Craigslist. This can be a very economical way to go, especially if you begin canning in large quantities or you want to have several sizes of jars on hand. New jars are not expensive, generally costing ten dollars per dozen.

      Although you may hear of people canning with recycled glass jars (from commercially packaged mayonnaise, applesauce, or other products), this is not recommended. These jars may not be made of glass that can withstand the high temperatures of canning, and lids and rings may not fit tightly enough on recycled jars. In any event, used canning jars can be had for pennies, so the cost savings from using recycled glass jars just isn’t worth the risk.

      You can also buy and safely use used rings (in fact, they often come with the used jars), but first carefully inspect them for warping, cracks, rust, and other damage. Rings are sold by the dozen or the case, and they are usually available for five dollars or less per dozen, so you may be better off discarding any used rings. You may want to reuse your own rings, however, once you’ve emptied the jars. Just be sure to inspect them before using them again.

      Lids, however, cannot be reused. Once you break the seal to open your jars, the lids are likely warped and unable to reseal, even if they appear to be undamaged. Lids are also extremely inexpensive, so don’t risk your health to save a few pennies.

      The preceding list covers everything you really need to get started in water bath canning. If you find you love canning, you may want to add more equipment and utensils, and you’ll have a better idea of what you do and do not really need once you gain some experience.

Basic Instructions for Water Bath Canning

      1. Before you start preparing your food for canning, fill your canner halfway full with cold tap water. This will be the right water level for one load of pint jars, but you may need to add more water when processing quart jars or two or more racks of half-pint jars. You’ll need 1 to 2 inches of water above the tops of the jars.

      2. Prepare your ingredients while preheating the water in the canner to 140 degrees F for raw foods and 180 degrees F for hot-packed foods. (Check your recipe before beginning.)

      3. Follow the recipe directions for preparing and packing your food. Use a butter knife or thin spatula to remove any air bubbles.

      4. Wipe the rim of each jar with a clean cloth before centering the lid on each. Screw on the band, and adjust it until it is fingertip tight. Be sure to wipe the rims of the jars with a clean towel before placing the lids onto the jars. Fit the lids onto the jars, and lower them one by one with a jar lifter or by loading a rack and lowering it into the canner.

      5. If you use a jar lifter to load the canner, be sure you situate the lifter below the screw band of the lid and keep the jars vertical at all times. If you tip the jars and the contents spill into the sealing area, not only might it leak into your canner but also it can prevent a safe seal.

      6. If necessary, add enough water to reach 1 inch above the jars for short processing times and 2 inches for processing times of 30 minutes or more.

      7. Turn the heat to high, place the lid on the canner, and bring to a vigorous boil.

      8. Once the water is boiling vigorously, start your kitchen timer for the required processing time. Processing time always starts from the boiling point.

      9. Keep the canner covered and the water at a hard boil throughout the processing time. If the water stops boiling at any point, bring it back to a boil and restart the timer.

      10. When the timer goes off at the end of processing, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait 5 minutes before you begin removing the jars.

      11. While you wait, lay one or more towels onto a flat, cleared surface. Use enough towels to allow you to have 1 inch of space between jars.

      12. Lift the rack of jars out of the canner (or remove them one by one using the jar lifter), and place each one onto the towel(s). Let the jars sit undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours.

      13. Check each lid to be sure that you have an airtight seal on each jar. There are three ways to check the seals:

      Note: If you find any jars that have not sealed properly, refrigerate them and use the food within a couple of days.

      14. Secure the sealed lids with rings, and use a marker or canning label to list both the contents and the date of processing before storing the jars in a cool, dark place. Most canned foods can be safely eaten for a year after processing, but check with your agricultural extension or your canner’s instruction guide for storage dates based on the type of food.

      15. The altitude of your geographical location affects water bath canning processing times. See below for additional processing times needed for elevations over 1000 feet (305 meters). Also see the back of the book for the altitude of selected cities in the United States and Canada. To find the exact altitude of your location, use the search features on the EarthTools website (www.earthtools.org).