It’s great to challenge yourself to learn new homesteading skills – something many people call reskilling. But when you’re starting out it can be tough to know exactly what to do. Here are some resources to help you learn how to can and preserve your food.
Can it Forward Workshop From Ball
Something that Ball is offering this year is a fun live workshop on August 17th, Can it Forward Day. You can find out details and for their experts to answer here. The workshops will run from 10am to 2pm EST and you can watch them live! If you are subscribed to the newsletter I will remind you.
TRY IT!
It may seem scary – it was for me – but one of the best ways to learn is by doing. That’s why I’m hosting a Can it, Dry it, Freeze it Challenge for the month of August with some great prize giveaways! Check out the challenge, commit yourself to doing something new, and give it a shot! I recommend starting with one of the water bath canning recipes to minimize the hassle your first time canning. You’ll soon be addicted to the ping, ping, ping of sealing jars.
Join a Local Meet Up
One of the best things I did when I started canning was to connect with my mother-in-law to tap into her experience and knowledge. It was really helpful because she had the confidence I lacked and I had the desire and extra set of hands to be put to work. 🙂 Check with your local county extension office, Meetup.com, or if you have a food preservation group in your area, they might be able to coordinate something with you. Often you can exchange recipes, food, and combine canners to have multiple canners going at once.
Get a Couple Great Books
I love having access to a variety of resources to refer back to when I’m canning.
Ball Canning Blue Book – A must resource and quite possibly the final authority on all things canning. Low in illustrations, high on how-tos and the steps you need for any of the techniques you need for canning of all kinds. This is the 2004 edition – see how to win a copy below!
Backyard Farming on an Acre (More or Less) – If you want to be able to go from garden to pantry full of produce, this is the book you’ll want to help you get started.
Yes, You Can! And Freeze and Dry it, Too: The Modern Step-by-Step Guide to Preserving Food – I like this book for it’s fabulous illustrations of all the basic techniques and it will guide you on more than just canning. Great resource. (Enter to win this book in the August Food Preservation Challenge!)
Getting Prepared – This Untrained Housewife Guide will help you determine what your family needs to prepare for various emergency situations and includes some pre-made meals you can can in a pressure canner for a 30 day no-cook meal plan.
Ball canning company sent me some canning supplies to try out and provided the Blue Books for giveaway prizes but all opinions are my own. Additional supplies can be picked up here through our affiliate store which helps support this website.
I tried making Dandelion Jelly this summer….it never solidified enough. I reboiled it a second time with more pectin, and only 1/4-1/2 the jar solidified on SOME of them. No idea what I am doing wrong. Maybe I followed a bad recipe 🙁
I asked the “what exactly do they mean in a recipe when they say “canning salt” – though maybe you know
Canning salt is also called pickling salt. It’s coarse salt.
Actually just the opposite. Rather than course, canning salt is very fine, which makes it easier to dissolve into a brine mixture.
A friend of mine mentioned canning milk to use for cooking. She said it turns out like evaporated milk. Is this possible?
I really enjoy canning but do not like the results I get when canning peaches. The peaches always look “fuzzy” or stringy in the jars. Am I not trimming off enough of the area around the seed? Never have figured that one out.
I have been water bath canning for 20+ years, but I’m petrified to try pressure canning…HELP!!!
I remember my Gran canning when I was little – in fact, I still have a jar of her figs that I can’t bear to get rid of although she’s been gone for some 15 years now (the seal looks just as tight as the day she put them up, actually). This year, if my cucumbers will cooperate, I’m going to give canning a try for the first time and make my own pickles. I have absolutely *none* of the supplies yet other than mason jars that I have for craft projects, so this should be interesting!
Oops – I forgot to mention, but you might be able to guess – the question about how long canned food stays good is mine. I’m curious about the figs LOL
I am going to preserve more rose hips long terms this year and wonder if there is a recipe to can them other than just drying them?
Hello, and what a great post about beginning canning! I’ve been canning for two years, but there are still a lot of things that scare me. For instance, soups. I make a mean ‘Green Soup’ with pureed zucchini and chicken stock, but I can’t figure out whether or not it’s okay to can it, or if I have to freeze it. Any thoughts?
Soups need to be pressure-canned. You’re better off freezing it if you don’t have a pressure-canner.
I made jalapeno jelly and it didn’t set. I always follow my directions but they never ever set for me. My jars are still sealed can I fix these or do I have to throw them out?
I asked what the difference is between pressure cooker canning and water bath canning…like when do you use one over the other?
Is there any way to save a jelly that didnt set?
I’m having my first canning party sat and have no idea how to make jellys. Sieves / strainers/ blenders??? I’ve only made salsa and jalapeños. What is your #1 tip you could give me?