By Kitty R. Lynn
So here you are — you have decided to preserve some of your healthy harvest. Where to begin? You have collected your tools, you have the food, found your recipe and now what?
I saw a great phrase once that canning is just one step beyond cooking. This seems to take away some of the anxious feelings about canning food. Let’s figure out what will help this to be an activity that is not just about food sustainability and good nutrition but also about pleasure.
I find it’s really helpful to focus on the process of every aspect of preserving food. First, you want it to be as nutritious and delicious as possible. No sense putting food into jars if it’s not something you will eat. Choosing foods to preserve that are peak and plentiful is also important as cost is also a factor.
It is also important to create a time to do the canning so you are not feeling rushed and overwhelmed. For example, it takes about 3 hours to cook and blend all the good flavours of the tomatoes, onions, peppers and spices that go in chili sauce. Preparation of the veggies for the sauce can take an hour or more as well. So knowing your time requirements, it’s best to start early on a day when you have plenty of time.
It is important to look at your recipe and to collect everything together before you start even chopping veggies. Some recipes have separate steps so read the recipe through two times to get it clear in your mind. It’s best to set up your water bath canner and have it starting to heat the water as this will take some time. It will be ready when you are. You will get your jars ready at this time too. Wash rinse and sterilize the jars, lids and rings. The lids must be in boiling water to heat the red rubber attached to the lid. This ensures a tight seal. Put the lids in a small saucepan with water and put it on the stove. They will be ready to turn on and heat up when you are ready for them. The jars can be sterilized in boiling water or in a pan in the oven with a little water at 225 degrees for 20 minutes. Keep the jars hot until you are ready for them.
Now we are ready to chop veggies or fruit and prepare the food. Have separate containers on hand for the food and the peelings — that way you are not trying to tidy up as you do the steps in the recipe. Once you have cooked the fruit/veggies according to your recipe you can fill your jars. Do one jar at a time. Fill each jar to within 1/4 to 1/2 inch from the top (depending on what you are canning). Remove air bubbles by running a small spatula or a chopstick around the inside edge of the whole jar. This is important because air bubbles can alter canning effectiveness.
Wipe any food from the rim of your jar, centre your lid, and then twist on the ring until finger tight. If it is too tight, air will not escape when water bathing the jars; but it also must be tight enough to stop food or juices from escaping. Place the jars in your water bath canner filled with boiling water. The water will stop boiling momentarily, bring it back to a boil and start timing. Water bath your jars according to recipe directions. When the time is up wait a moment, remove the jars and place them in a draft-free spot. I put a towel over them to avoid cool air hitting them and cracking a jar. Let the jars cool completely, then put the canned food away until the first snowfall.
