For the final post in our series on putting food by, we're going to teach you how to make your very own homemade canned goods! If you'd like to learn about more food preservation techniques, check out our post on making dried fruits and veggies and our guide for freezing produce.

You've probably noticed that canned food you get from the grocery store is packed with tons of extra salt, sugar, and preservatives. But making your own sauces and canned produce at home gives you complete control over the quality of the ingredients and additives. Canning leftover produce from your garden or local farmer's market is a great way to save money on produce throughout the winter, and it's something anyone can learn to do. Canning can be a lot of work, but there's hardly anything more satisfying than filling up your pantry with homemade sauces, jellies, and canned produce.

This guide will introduce you to the basics of home canning including supplies, canning techniques, and how to ensure your canned goods won't spoil. You will need a few special supplies like canning tongs, but many recipes are simple enough to make at home without any expensive or unusual equipment. The peace of mind that comes with having plenty of nutritious food stocked up for your family is more than worth the time and effort it takes.

Necessary Canning Supplies

The basic supplies you will need for canning are as follows:

• Canning jars, lids, and rings (these usually all come together and you can find them at any major grocery or department store)
• Canning jar tongs (can be purchased online or at most supermarkets)
• Large pot with lid (must be large enough to cover the top of your canning jars by 2-3 inches)

These supplies are optional, but a good idea to have if you are canning a large amount of food:

• Cake stand (to keep the jars from touching the bottom of the pot)
  • As an alternative, you can place a layer of extra canning jar rings on the bottom of the pan to set your jars on
• Bubble tool & magnetic lid wand
  • As an alternative, you can simply use a skewer, rubber spatula, or other long, narrow tool to remove bubbles, and use tongs instead of a lid wand to remove lids from boiling water
• Wide-mouth funnel (to make pouring your food into the jars easier)
• Another large pot (to heat cans prior to filling them)

Most of these supplies are things you probably already have in your kitchen, but one thing you will need to purchase if you don't own one already is a pair of canning tongs. These tongs are specially designed to grip canning jars and you should not substitute them for any other kitchen tongs. Canning requires handling extremely hot, heavy glass jars, full of boiling liquid, so using anything except canning tongs can be dangerous. There's no reason to risk burning yourself or having a dropped jar explode glass and molten food all over your kitchen. Canning is simple enough to learn, but to be safe you need to have the proper tools and use caution when handling hot jars.

Water Bath Canning VS Pressure Canning

There are two different methods for canning: water bath canning and pressure canning. Which method you use depends on the type of food you want to can.

High-acid foods can be canned using a water bath, which is the method we will introduce you to in this blog post. You can use a water bath canner to process most fruits, pickled foods, jams, jellies, and fruit butters. Tomatoes can also be processed in a water bath canner if you make them slightly more acidic by adding extra lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar.

Low-acid foods must be canned using a pressure canner. You can find these at most kitchen and appliance stores. Pressure canners require some extra knowledge to operate properly and take extra vigilance to keep the pressure constant and ensure that there's no risk of contamination. We recommend using a water bath canner first if you are just a beginner, and then moving on to pressure canning once you get the hang of it. You can learn more about pressure canning vs. water bath canning here. 

Filling Your Canning Jars

Once you have all your supplies, you'll want to wash them all thoroughly with hot, soapy water and set them aside on a clean surface. The most important part of canning is preventing bacteria growth and contamination so the food you can won't spoil, so it's very important to start with clean tools.

For the next step, you'll want to boil a large pot of water to process your cans in. It should be large enough to cover your canning jars with at least 2 inches of water. It should reach a full, rolling boil before you process your canned food.

Since most canning food recipes yield a hot mixture, you will want to warm up the jars before you pour in your mixture in order to remove any risk of them cracking or breaking due to the sudden temperature change. One way to do this is by boiling water in a second pan that's large enough to fit several jars into. You'll simply remove the lids and rings from your jars, place them all in the boiling water, and keep them there until you are ready to fill the jars with your recipe. Another way to do this is to wash your jars and lids in the dishwasher on heated dry and leave the dishwasher door closed so they stay warm until you're ready to use them.

At this point in the process, you should have your recipe or food that you want to can ready to go. If you need some good canning recipes, check out some of the links at the end of this post to find some awesome recipes, tips, and tricks.

When you're finally ready to pour your recipe, remove your jars from the dishwasher or boiling pot of water, pouring out any excess water. Then, using your funnel if you have one, pour your food straight into the jar, leaving up to about an inch of headspace at the top, depending on your recipe. Then put on the lids and rings.

When you're putting on the lids, make sure to take extra care and wipe any spilled food or residue off of the mouth of your jar. The flat, round jar lids have a ring of sealant on the bottom that contacts the jar and you will need to inspect each lid to make sure the sealant is complete and intact before you use it. Take care to line up that sealant with the mouth of the jar when you put it on, then screw the ring onto the top of the jar gently until it is “fingertip-tight,” but not too tight. Once all your jars are ready, it's time to process them in the water bath.

Processing Your Canning Jars

For water bath canning, processing your jars is the easiest part. Just lower your filled and lidded jars gently into your boiling water bath. Place the lid on top of your pot and set your timer for the correct processing time.

• Check out this guide for a list of the correct processing times for different fruits, veggies, and mixtures.
• If you live at a high altitude, you will need to adjust your processing time accordingly according to this chart.

After the processing time is up, carefully remove the jars with your canning tongs and place them on a folded towel (the jars will be very hot, so placing them on towels will prevent the jars from cracking or damaging your table surface). You will want to let them sit for about 24 hours to cool completely, and you should avoid moving them or touching the lids during this time, otherwise you could damage the perfect seal you worked so hard to make.

As the jars are cooling, you will hear popping sounds as the lids seal and “pop” into place. Before putting them away, check all the lids to make sure they formed a tight seal. You can usually tell because the lid gets “sucked in” a bit and will look concave on top of the jars. If any of the lids are not sealed on tight, discard the lid, replace it with a new one, and process it again in the water bath.

Are They Sealed, Sterile, and Safe?

Here's the thing about canning: it can be dangerous if you don't do it right. If you don't properly sterilize your jars and lids, process your jars for too short a time, or use a water bath canner for veggies and soups that require a pressure canner instead, you run the risk of contaminating your canned food with dangerous bacteria. That's why it's so important to pay attention to the details and follow directions carefully when canning.

This guide is meant to introduce you to the basics of canning, but before you take on a large or challenging canning project, you should follow an official canning guide. The Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving is a great one to use, and you can probably find a copy of this or other canning books at your local library. Or you can visit the USDA's Online Complete Guide to Home Canning for thorough instructions on all types of canning.

Here are a few more tips to make sure your home-canned goods are safe and sterile:

• Sanitize everything before using it! I know it was mentioned at the beginning, but this is an important step. Your canning tongs, bubble tool, your jar lids and rings... everything should be washed in hot, soapy water and/or boiled before it comes in contact with food.
• Never use a water bath to can veggies, soups, or other mixtures that require a pressure canner instead. A water bath will not process these low-acid foods at a high enough temperature to properly sanitize them, and they will likely be contaminated and spoil.
• Always inspect your canned food for signs of spoiling, like discoloration, mold, or an unusual smell, before eating it.
• Label your jars with the contents and the processing date so you can keep track of your canned goods and when they expire
• Botulism is a rare, but potentially deadly bacterial infection you can get from eating contaminated or spoiled canned goods. Make sure to take the proper precautions and follow a reputable canning guide to minimize your risk of contamination.

Now that you know the basics, it's time to get started! Check out these links for more home canning recipes, tips, and guides.

Useful Links:

• Amish Canning Recipes
• Ball's Online Canning Recipe List
• Ball's Water Bath Canning Guide
• Ball's Pressure Canning Guide
   

How to Dry Fruits And Veggies: Putting Food By

Image credit: Esin Ustun (top), Andrew Deacon (bottom left), Andre Karwath (both bottom right photos).

Drying Your Produce to Make it Last

Drying foods is one of the oldest and simplest ways to preserve produce. It's simple enough that almost anyone could do it with minimal cost or supplies, but it does take time, attention, and dedication to do correctly.

There are two main ways to dry foods: in an oven, or in the sun. Which method you use depends on the amount of time you have, supplies on hand, and weather conditions. Whatever way you do it, removing as much moisture as possible from fruits and veggies extends their shelf life by months, and it can be a delicious new way to enjoy local produce all winter long.

The reason drying works to preserve fruits and veggies is because bacteria and other microorganisms that cause produce to rot need a moist environment to grow. When you remove most of the water from the produce, most bacteria cannot grow inside it anymore. Also, the enzymes that cause fruits and veggies to become overripe and spoil become inactive in dry environments. That's why drying is such an easy and effective way to keep ripe fruit from decaying.

One last thing that makes drying great: dried fruits and veggies require significantly less space to store! If you're short on cabinet space or have a lot of extra produce to preserve, then dehydrating is the way to go. Depending on the type and water content of the produce, drying can reduce the weight of many fruits and veggies to 1/8^th of the original!

Preparing Your Fruits and Veggies for Drying

 

When preserving produce, you always want to start with the ripest, freshest, prettiest fruits and veggies you have. It's a common misconception that you start preserving produce that has already passed it's prime, but in reality, the opposite is true. If you don't start with ripe, firm, unblemished produce, then your end product won't last for very long, and probably won't taste very good either.

Chopping

The first step to prepare your food for drying is to cut it into smaller slices. The smaller and thinner the slices, the quicker they will dry.

Blanching

Almost all veggies, and some fruits, should be blanched before dehydrating. Blanching is a simple process where you briefly cook the food, then dunk it in cold water or ice. This heating-then-cooling process is necessary because it inactivates enzymes that cause the food to continue to ripen, which leads to the produce losing nutrients, color, taste, and texture. Blanching your produce before drying it will not only make it look and taste fresher when you take it out of storage, but it will also be more nutritious.

Vegetables to blanch: All of them!

Fruits to blanch: tomato, apples, peaches, pears, and other fruits that brown

Fruits to boil for 30 seconds before drying: berries with waxy coatings, like cranberries and blueberries (boiling them first allows the moisture to escape through their waxy skin when you dry them)

The basic blanching process is simple: First, you boil the chopped fruit or vegetables for a very brief time (exact times vary depending on the veggie). Then, you remove them from the boiling water and dunk them in a bowl of cold water to cool them down quickly. If you want, you can use steam instead of boiling water for some vegetables (this works best for broccoli, cauliflower, pumpkin, and squash).

For specific preparation and blanching instructions for different fruit and vegetable varieties, visit this guide and scroll down to page 14.

Sun-drying Food

 

The benefits of using sunlight to dry your food are many; it can be done with minimal, easily-available supplies, it won't heat up the inside of your home like an oven will, and it is more sustainable as it doesn't require any electricity. However, sun-drying produce can be challenging or impossible if the weather conditions aren't right. It doesn't work well if there is too much humidity, the temperature is too cool, or there's not enough sunlight.

The first step is laying out your cut pieces of fruits and veggies on screens. Make sure you only put them in one layer, with enough space for air to flow in between. The screens and spacing between pieces will allow the most amount of airflow around the produce as possible and speed up the drying process. Then you just need to find a warm, sunny place to dry them, or take them out to your solar desiccator (discussed further down below).

Keep out the Insects

One of the key points of sun-drying is protecting your drying fruits and veggies from insects and other contaminants outside. There are many ways to do this effectively, the most simple being to cover the produce carefully with a fine netting.

The best place to dry your produce outside is probably on a table in your backyard. To keep insects from climbing up onto the table, put each table leg in a can or bowl of water. Cover the table lightly with a screen or cheesecloth to keep flying insects away. You can suspend the screen over your food by placing a tall object in the center of the table, then draping the screen over the top.

If you are worried any insects touched your produce while drying outside, you can put it in the freezer for a few hours after you bring them inside to kill any insects or eggs that might have made it onto the food.

Weather Conditions

If you are not using a solar dehydrator, you also have to pay close attention to the temperature and humidity. To simply air-dry food in the sun, it should be a hot day above 85 degrees Fahrenheit, and the humidity should be below 60 percent.

Use a Solar Dehydrator: Perfect for Cold-Weather Sun-Drying

But what if the weather conditions aren't perfect, or you want a quicker, more efficient way to sun-dry your produce? That's what solar dehydrators are for. Solar dehydrators (or solar desiccators) are relatively simple to build and they make sun-drying large batches of fruits and veggies faster and easier. Even if it's not warm enough outside for basic sun-drying, a solar dehydrator can still get the job done.

Most solar dehydrators work by using a wide, flat box painted a dark color to absorb sunlight. This solar heat collector is connected to a box covered by a screen, which is where you place your food to dry. As the sun beats down on the dark inside of the solar-collecting box, it heats up the wood and the air inside, where it rises and heats up the box containing the food. It's a very simple and energy-efficient method that only takes up a small, sunny space in your yard, and they can be disassembled and reassembled for storage.

Build Your Own Solar Dehydrator:

• Here's a guide to making a simple solar dehydrator from cardboard boxes
• Here's a step-by-step tutorial for making a more durable, wooden solar dehydrator

How Long to Sun-Dry

You should leave fruits out in direct sunlight for 3-4 days to remove most of the water. Then move them into the shade to continue drying. They are done when the outsides are leathery and the texture is mostly dry.

Vegetables can be left in the direct sun for one or two days, but any longer than that and they are likely to get scorched. After 1-2 days in the sun, move veggies to the shade to continue drying for a few more days.

Remember to flip your fruits and veggies occasionally, at least once per day, to ensure that they dry evenly and quickly.

Oven Drying Fruits and Veggies

While oven-drying foods uses more energy and produces excess heat (which is not at all pleasant or efficient during the hottest months), it can dry foods faster, more evenly, and without danger of insects or other contaminants.

To oven dry your produce, begin with the same chopping and blanching preparation as you would for sun-drying. Then place your fruits and veggies in a single layer on baking trays. To speed up the process, you can lay them on a grate or drying rack set on top of a baking pan. This allows more airflow around the bottom of the produce, making it dry more quickly and evenly.

Set your oven at the lowest possible temperature, preferable around 150 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don't have small children or pets who could be injured, you can leave the oven door open 2-3 inches to allow even better airflow. Step it up even another notch by setting up a fan to blow across the gap in the oven door.

Let your fruits and vegetables dry in the oven for 4-8 hours until most of the moisture is gone. The exact length of time depends on the water content of the fruits and veggies you choose, and how thick the slices you cut them into are.

Storing Dried Foods

Once your fruits and veggies are fully dehydrated and ready, simply seal them in an airtight container. Ziploc or freezer bags work well, but reusable containers like tupperware or mason jars are best. Seal in your produce with as little air as possible, and they should stay good for about 6-12 months.

Now Go Out and Try It!

Now that you know the basics of drying produce, you should be ready to turn any leftover fruits and veggies that come your way into delicious dehydrated morsels. If you decide to take your food dehydrating to the next level by building a solar desiccator, we would love you to share your experiences (and photos!) on our Facebook Page or in the Voluntary Simplicity Forum.

To finish off, we'll leave you with some more detailed guides for drying certain types of produce, and some recipes for turning your dried fruits and veggies into delicious meals!

More Guides (and Recipes!) for Dehydrated Foods:

• How to Sun-dry and Oven-dry Tomatoes
• This is another detailed guide to oven drying and sun drying produce. It also contains specific instruction for preparing and drying all varieties of fruits and veggies.
• Tips and ideas for eating dried veggies
• A delicious collection of recipes using dried fruit
• Dried Fruit & Nut Granola Recipe