As far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing like being able to go into my basement in the middle of January and retrieve a jar of raspberry or strawberry jam that I had made myself. Just because you live in a city, doesn’t mean you can’t can your own fruits and vegetables.
A few years back, I put in a few raspberry plants and they produce enough berries for about 32 jars of jam as well as numerous pies. I also drive out to a nearby farm (20-30 miles away) to pick strawberries when then become available. I then spend the rest of the day canning my harvest. If you have no berry or vegetable farms near you, Farmers Markets are also a good source for fresh fruit and vegetables.
When Christmas or birthdays arrive, rather than buy my loved ones the latest plastic trinket from a department store, they usually get a basket filled with homemade jams, jellies, chutneys, relishes, pickles and applesauce.
Many people are intimidated by the whole idea of canning but once you get a few basic concepts down, it’s not difficult at all. There are two basic types of foods – high acids and low acids. Most vegetables are low acids while your fruits (tomatoes included) are considered to be high acid foods. High acid foods are typically processed in a boiling water bath whereas it is essential that low acid foods be processed using the steam pressure canner method. I will only be talking about high acid canning in this post.
ITEMS YOU WILL NEED TO GET STARTED
1. Boiling water bath canner
This looks like a huge pot that contains a metal basket upon which you place your filled jars for processing. The basket is used to keep your jars off of the bottom of your kettle and away from each other so they don’t break during the boiling process. You can find boiling water bath canners at many hardware stores or places like Home Depot or Menard’s.
2. Canning Jars
You will need glass canning jars or Mason jars as some people refer to them. The two most popular brands are Kerr and Ball and most recipes call for either a half pint, pint or quart jar. They come in a variety of styles including rather fancy jars which are perfect for gift giving. One important note: YOU MUST NOT USE COMMERCIAL SINGLE-PURPOSE JARS. By these I mean jars in which comes mayonnaise, pickles, peanut butter or any other jar which is used to package commercial foods. Because of the variety of sizes of the width of the jars as well as possible invisible scratches on the rim which occur during packaging, it is very likely that your lids will not seal properly. Additionally, a commercials jar tend to break during boiling water processing. Thus, you should only use jars that are specifically intended for home canning. Before filling with hot fruit, jars should be sterilized in boiling water for 10 minutes.
3. Caps and Lids
Canning lids come in two pieces: The rings (or bands) and the vacuum lid. The vacuum lid is placed on the mouth of the jar so the rubber part (sealing compound) of the vacuum lid rests on the rim. The ring is then screwed on by hand on the jar so that it is snug. Be careful not to overtighten the ring. Tools such as a wrench or other device should not be used. Hand-tightening the lid just until you have no more give is the right amount. Before placing the vacuum lids on the jars, they must be simmered in hot water (180 degrees).
4. Kitchen Tongs
I use metal kitchen tongs to easily grasp my lids from my saucepan of hot water and place them on the jars. Extreme care should be taken to avoid scratching the lids while removing them from your saucepan.
5. Jar Lifter
A jar lifter is used to remove your jars from the boiling bath canner. They should be rubber coated with heat resistant handles. The rubber coating helps prevent jars from slipping while removing them from the canner. You can find a jar lifter wherever canning supplies are sold. They look similar to tongs except that they open wide enough to accommodate a canning jar.
6. Large Stock Pot
You will need a big pot for preparing your fruit.
7. Basic kitchen supplies
You will need other basic kitchen supplies such as measuring cups, colander, ladle, knives, wooden spoons (for stirring), a chef’s thermometer (for testing the temperature of your water), and a rubber spatula (used for releasing air bubbles from the jar without the risk of scratching your jars).
RASPBERRY JAM STEP-BY-STEP
In this example, I will provide step-by-step instructions for making raspberry jam. With the exception of the ingredients for this particular recipe, the steps are basically the same for most jam, jelly and chutney recipes.
Ingredients:
2 quarts of raspberries, washed and drained.
1/3 cup water
1 tbl of freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbl of fresh lemon peel
1 package of powdered pectin
6 cups of sugar
Makes about 6 pints
1. Visually examine each jar for nicks or scratches. If jar is defective, do not use it.
2. Wash jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water. Rinse.
3. Place jars in large pot filled with water. Jars must boil for 10 minutes to sterilize. Leave jars in hot water until ready for use.
4. Place lids in small saucepan filled with water. Simmer until temperature reaches 180 degrees. DO NOT BOIL LIDS.
5. Fill canner with enough water to cover jars by about 2 or 3 inches. Give water enough time to get near boiling point before cooking your fruit.
6. Combine raspberries, water, lemon juice, peel and pectin in a large sauce pot. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and stir frequently.
7. Stir in sugar. Bring again to rolling boil and boil hard for 1 minute.
8. By this time, your lids should be 180 degrees and your canner water near boiling.
9. Using a ladle and funnel, pour fruit mixture into hot jars, leaving about ¼ inch head room.
10. Run your rubber spatula gently between fruit and jar to release any air bubbles, if necessary.
11. Wipe any spillage on the top and threads of jar with a damp cloth.
12. Remove lid from saucepan with tongs and place on rim of jar, lining up the rubber sealing compound with rim. Retrieve ring and screw on evenly and firmly.
13. As each jar is filled, stand it on the rack in the canner. Water in canner should be hot, but not yet boiling. If needed, add more water so that jars are covered by 2-3 inches.
14. Repeat process for rest of jars. When all your jars are filled, bring the water in your canner to a full boil and process for 10 minutes.
15. After 10 minutes, remove jars from canner and place on counter top.
After jars are removed and begin to cool, a vacuum inside the jar will pull the lid down in the center so that there will be a slight indentation and seal the lid onto the jar. As jars begin to seal, you will hear a slight pinging sound. This is a good thing – this means that your jars are now vacuum sealed and your food will keep for a long time in a dry place. Within 24 hours, all of your jars should be sealed. To test if your jars have sealed, press in the center of the lid. If it pings as you press and is not concave, your jar did not seal properly and the product should be used immediately.
A NOTE ABOUT PECTIN
Pectin is a natural substance and it is this material which causes jams and jellies to gel. I use a brand called Sure-Jell but there are other brands available as well. Many fruit jam and jelly recipes call for the addition of pectin. Some fruit contains more natural pectin than others and underripe fruit contains more pectin than ripe or overripe fruit. Strawberries, for example, contain a lot of natural pectin and most recipes for strawberry jam require that no additional pectin be added. To make sure that your strawberry jam has enough natural pectin so that it will properly gel, about ¼ of your strawberries should be slightly underripe. This will ensure your jam will gel as expected.
There are two types of pectin: liquid or powdered. Note that these are not interchangeable so whichever type is called for in the recipe should be used. I have found that most jams, jellies or chutneys using cranberries will invariably call for liquid pectin.
IN CONCLUSION
I hope this will help in getting you started. For a great book with easy instructions and excellent recipes, I recommend the Ball Blue Book of Preserving. It serves as a great starting point for the beginning canner and a fantastic reference and cookbook for the experienced one.
Happy Canning!
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