New to canning and have some supply questions

[Luke E.]

 Okay, My wife and I have decided that we'd like to start canning some food. We have plans to put in a large garden (between 1/4 and 1/2 acre) next year but have some things that we'd like to get going with this winter as well. We eat a lot of chili and soups during the winter and try to not make more than we can eat but that never seems to work out so we've decided to start purposely cooking to much and canning the left overs. I'd also like to start canning venison broth and my wife make homemade cream of mushroom, chicken, etc that we'd like to can some of as well. 

 I have a few questions about canning supply sources though,

 

- Where is the cheapest places to buy quality jars and lids?

 

- Where is the best place to look for a pressure canner?

 

- Would somebody be willing to put together a list of canning supplies needed in order to get started?

 

- Are there any common mistakes or pitfalls that are commonly made when purchasing "starter" canning items?

 

 

Thanks for and help or advice you can give.

 

Edit: We have talked through potential jar sizes and what we might would can in them and have decided that whatever pressure canner we buy, it needs to be able to accommodate up to the half gallon size jars. That is unless you OG canners have a reason to avoid that large of a jar. 

Edited October 20, 2014 by Luke E.

[monkeylizard]

Start looking for jars at garage sales and estate sales. That's where you'll usually find the best prices. If the rings have any rust, toss em out and get fresh ones. Use fresh lids every time. You can re-use them if you're sealing dry goods with a vacuum pump, but if used for true canning, they're single-use.

 

As far as retail for the jars, my mom says Fred's has the best prices, but always keep an eye out for clearance racks at any retailers that sell them (Kroger, Publix, Wal-Mart, Target, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc.). Sometimes you'll get lucky and they'll be moving old stock at a good price. Be careful though as most are priced high enough that even on sale they're still higher than Fred's.

 

Mason, Ball, Kerr, and Golden Harvest are all good. GH is the generic line made by Ball-Mason. If you see a great price on jars other than these, there may be a reason they're so cheap. Off-brand jars would probably be fine in water-bath canning for fruits and jams, but I personally wouldn't pressure can them.

 

If you have or get a FoodSaver with a vacuum hose, you can get an adapter for vacuum sealing dry goods in your jars. You'll need either a standard or a wide-mouth adapter depending on what jars you're using. It's a great way to buy in bulk and divide it up into smaller portions that will keep a loooooong time, or to just keep dry stuff fresh that you don't use often. We don't go through a lot of chocolate chips. I can seal them up so they last a lot longer than just a twist-tie on the bag.

 

Check Wal-Mart for the Ball (or Mason?) Canning book. It's a soft cover book about the size of a magazine. It will help you with guides for different needs for different foods. You'll need either a pressure canner or a water bath canner depending on what you're canning. Pressure canner for chili for sure. You need a jar lifter and a tool to lift the lids out of their sterilizing boiling water without getting your bacteria-laden hands on them. I like the kind with a little magnet on the end. Anything else are nice to have tools, but not necessary. A funnel, for example. It makes filling the jars a LOT easier, but you can live without one.

 

Pressure canners can run a wide range from $50'ish to north of $600. I'd suggest starting with a simple one and seeing if you're going to stick with it. You'll want one with a pressure gauge, not just a wobbly pressure valve, if you plan to can low-acid foods and or meats. I personally won't can anything with meat. I know some do and have no problems, but it's a riskier move for home canning than fruits and veggies. All-American makes some of the best rated canners, but you pay for them. AFAIK, they're all still made in the USA. there are both electric and stove-top models. Some stove-top models are not to be used on glass cooktops, so check into that before purchasing. It will vary by model.

[Luke E.]

Start looking for jars at garage sales and estate sales. That's where you'll usually find the best prices. If the rings have any rust, toss em out and get fresh ones. Use fresh lids every time. You can re-use them if you're sealing dry goods with a vacuum pump, but if used for true canning, they're single-use.

 

As far as retail for the jars, my mom says Fred's has the best prices, but always keep an eye out for clearance racks at any retailers that sell them (Kroger, Publix, Wal-Mart, Target, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc.). Sometimes you'll get lucky and they'll be moving old stock at a good price. Be careful though as most are priced high enough that even on sale they're still higher than Fred's.

 

Mason, Ball, Kerr, and Golden Harvest are all good. GH is the generic line made by Ball-Mason. If you see a great price on jars other than these, there may be a reason they're so cheap. Off-brand jars would probably be fine in water-bath canning for fruits and jams, but I personally wouldn't pressure can them.

 

If you have or get a FoodSaver with a vacuum hose, you can get an adapter for vacuum sealing dry goods in your jars. You'll need either a standard or a wide-mouth adapter depending on what jars you're using. It's a great way to buy in bulk and divide it up into smaller portions that will keep a loooooong time, or to just keep dry stuff fresh that you don't use often. We don't go through a lot of chocolate chips. I can seal them up so they last a lot longer than just a twist-tie on the bag.

 

Check Wal-Mart for the Ball (or Mason?) Canning book. It's a soft cover book about the size of a magazine. It will help you with guides for different needs for different foods. You'll need either a pressure canner or a water bath canner depending on what you're canning. Pressure canner for chili for sure. You need a jar lifter and a tool to lift the lids out of their sterilizing boiling water without getting your bacteria-laden hands on them. I like the kind with a little magnet on the end. Anything else are nice to have tools, but not necessary. A funnel, for example. It makes filling the jars a LOT easier, but you can live without one.

 

Pressure canners can run a wide range from $50'ish to north of $600. I'd suggest starting with a simple one and seeing if you're going to stick with it. You'll want one with a pressure gauge, not just a wobbly pressure valve, if you plan to can low-acid foods and or meats. I personally won't can anything with meat. I know some do and have no problems, but it's a riskier move for home canning than fruits and veggies. All-American makes some of the best rated canners, but you pay for them. AFAIK, they're all still made in the USA. there are both electric and stove-top models. Some stove-top models are not to be used on glass cooktops, so check into that before purchasing. It will vary by model.

 

 Did NOT know that the lids are single use but makes plenty of sense. I'm not planning on canning just meat but things like chili would have some amount of meat in them and then venison stock wouldn't be meat per say but is a derivative so the same would apply? I've got a friend that canned some meat and while he claims that it is really good, it looked like fecal matter and I'd have to be powerful hungry in order to get where I'd need to be mentally to eat it! My point there is, I don't think that we'll be canning hunks of meat.

 

 My sister's mother in law does a lot of canning and you kind of touch on something that I noticed she mentioned as well, I am familiar with what a pressure canner is as well as what a water bath canner is but you both mentioned somethings should be canned in one or the other. What dictates whether or not something has to be canned under pressure or water bath?

 

 We have a Fred's here in Murfreesboro so i'll check to see what they've got. I wish that'd I'd have thought about all this back in the spring so that I could have been stopping at yard sales to look for jars when I passed by them.

 

 I do have a vacuum sealer but if it had an adapter for jars with it, It's now missing and I don't remember it. I suppose I can find the website for the manufacturer of mine and see about getting another. I suppose that would be good for beans, flour, etc.. huh?

[Jamie Jackson]

monkeylizard's post is spot-on! :up:

 

We can a few hundred jars each year. Sometimes 300-400 jars...depends on the garden and meat sale prices... (edited: only about 200 jars of goods this year...)

 

First and foremost purchase and read Ball's Bluebook...please. :pleased:

 

 

To the best of my knowledge the 1/2 gallon and gallon sized jars are not safe for pressure canning, and I wouldn't trust water bath canning in them myself.

For vacuum sealed dry storage? Yes.

 

The type of food you are canning and the acidity of the foods, to a large degree determine water vs pressure canning...it's well explained in the simple to follow Ball's Bluebook.

 

We pressure can all meat and meat containing foods we process. You pressure can all items for the item (like "meat") that takes the longest period of time to safely can...iirc 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts, we use 15 pound pressure r/t elevation.

 

Initially you need to rigidly follow the guidelines/instructions/recipes...Safety is an absolute necessity. But canning is very easy and simple...just be meticulous each and every time.

 

The only thing we waterbath can are fruits, jams, jellies, and pickled items. And we pickle a lot of vegetables....okra, green tomatoes, cukes, peppers, green beans and on and on. :pleased:

 

 

After you've "conquered" the processes, you might then want to look into "guerrila-canning". But only after you have the basic's down cold. :cool:

 

Jackie Clay:  "Growing and Canning Your Own Food"

http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Canning-Your-Own-Food-ebook/dp/B00B5LAG0M

 

 

 

Ball Bluebook:

http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete-Book-Home-Preserving/dp/0778801314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413803927&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+ball+book+of+preserving

 

National Center for Home Food Preservation: (great resource)

http://nchfp.uga.edu/index.html

 

Canning Kit:

http://www.amazon.com/Back-Basics-286-5-Piece-Canning/dp/B0002BF1WY

 

Waterbath canner:

http://www.amazon.com/Granite-0707-1-Porcelain-Water-Bath-21-5-Quart/dp/B0001UZL8A/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1413804156&sr=1-1&keywords=waterbath+canner+with+rack

 

Pressure canner(s):

 

All American...we have a 930, but unless you can a lot at one time, a smaller version will serve you well. An All American will also serve future generations...you can take that to the bank my friend.

http://www.allamericancanner.com/allamericanpressurecanner.htm

 

Presto: excellent canners as well

http://www.amazon.com/Presto-01781-23-Quart-Pressure-Canner/dp/B0000BYCFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413804381&sr=8-1&keywords=presto+cooker+canner

Edited October 20, 2014 by prag

[peejman]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/canning.aspx#axzz3Ggh0j4Cc

 

 

You might keep an eye out for garage sales and/or estate auctions.  I've heard of folks finding someone one cleaning out grandma's old house and effectively giving away boxes of canning related stuff. 

[Jamie Jackson]

Good article peejman. :up:

 

I thought I was the only person on TGO that read Mother Earth News LOL.

 

There's actually good info there if you can get past the left-leaning dribble.

[peejman]

Good article peejman. :up:

 

I thought I was the only person on TGO that read Mother Earth News LOL.

 

There's actually good info there if you can get past the left-leaning dribble.

 

 

Agreed.  I get their emails and they typically have pretty good stuff when it comes to gardening or simply DIY type stuff.  When they try to talk about anything technical....

 

[Dennis1209]

All the above is spot on advice! It can not be over stated to read "Ball's Blue Book of Canning" !

 

Two things that were not touched upon much I'll add to is...

 

Sounds like you're not going to can as much as I do so, a Presto pressure canner that will process 7 quart jars might be your choice. Personally two years ago I bought the "All American Pressure Canner" monster that does 14 quart jars. It was an "investment" of about $300.00. Sure does save time and will last me generations to come. Another consideration with cheaper models is the gasket, keeping it cleaned, oiled and replaced when necessary. Always keep a spare lid gasket if you get a gasket model. The better pressure canners don't use the seal.

 

I've shy ed away from water bathing anything, hotter is always better when it comes to food safety. Over the last decade the FDA has changed it's guidelines on canning different foods and the change have always been from water bath to pressure canning.

 

After you lift your jars out of the canner and place them on the counter / table to cool for a minimum of 12 hours, don't touch them what-so-ever to prevent the seal from un-seating.

 

He's a critical canning step many canners neglect.  Many times the food in the jars will escape from inside the jar for several reasons, quick pressure change, over filling them being two.  After your jars have set at room temperature for a minimum of twelve hours un-touched, check them to make sure the lids are properly sealed (again in the Ball canning book). Completely and gently wash the entire lid and jar in hot soapy water and rinse to prevent contamination of your sterilized food inside, you won't need to store the jars with the ring on but wash it too for reuse. Lightly dry you lids / jars with a towel, air dry and store.

 

The most important item is, is your food safe to eat the next time you grab a jar? Again Mr. Ball has the answer in THE BOOK. One thing I have found with any tomato based / high acidity product like pasta sauce, stewed tomato's, salsa, etc. is...  The lid starts to rust bad after a year or so, so be careful on that.

 

Many of my canned foods like ham & beans, stews, chili, etc. after 6 months of storage look like something flushed down the toilet bowl, but, but, but (pun intended). It's still delicious, safe and normally re-generates to its former appearance when heated on the stove.

Edited October 20, 2014 by Dennis1209

[monkeylizard]

Ball's Bluebook of Canning is the magazine-sized softcover book I was thinking of. Wal-Mart has them.

 

As stated above, pressure vs water bath depends on the acidity. High acid foods (most fruits and pickled veggies, but not all tomatoes) can be done safely in a water bath, but can also be done in a pressure canner. Low-acid foods (most unpickled vegetables, meats, stews, etc) MUST be done in a pressure canner. Since you have no equipment, you may as well start with the pressure canner and use it for everything. The exception would be if you'll ONLY be doing fruits and jams and pickled veggies, then you can get by with water bath canning and its lower expense. As Dennis said, the FDA revises their guidelines every so often and it's ALWAYS towards more pressure canning and less water bath canning. You can use the pressure canner pot for water bath canning. You can also pressure can most fruits that only require a water bath. Too much pressure will make your fruits mushy, so follow the guides if you pressure can fruits instead of a water bath. I think strawberries are always to be water bath processed.

 

As for the vacuum adapter, I've never seen a food sealer that came with the jar adapter. You have to buy that seperately. I've never found one in stores. Amazon seemed to have the best prices. I got a regular and a wide-mouth adapter for my FoodSaver brand sealer. You only need the adapter sized for the jars you'll be using. I bought both so I can use whichever mouthed jar I happen to have available. You have to have a sealer with a vacuum hose or they won't work. If yours just does bags, you're out of luck.

 

Regular vs wide-mouth is exactly what it says. The jar on the left is regular. The one on the right is wide-mouth. You can get both mouths in most sizes until you get down into the little jelly jars. I've only seen those in wide-mouth. They're so small I guess it's hard to get a tapered top. You'll need rings and lids to match your jars. Regular ones look nicer, but wide-mouth are easier to fill. Regulars also take fewer bumps to the ring/lid in storage than widemouth. If you bump 2 regulars against each other, the glass sides touch, not the rings. Widemouths will bump rings, potentially disturbing a weak seal. Just something to consider.

 

 

Edited October 20, 2014 by monkeylizard

[gregintenn]

 

Low-acid foods (most unpickled vegetables, meats, stews, etc) MUST be done in a pressure canner.

I've read and heard this all my life. Anybody care to share the reason behind this?

[monkeylizard]

Botulism. The critters die at boiling temps, but not their spores. You have to kill them with higher than boiling temps (i.e. pressure canner) or with a low pH level (high acidity). Below 4.6 pH is considered safe for water bath.

Edited October 20, 2014 by monkeylizard

[monkeylizard]

Personally two years ago I bought the "All American Pressure Canner" monster that does 14 quart jars.

 

You can call me jealous. That's a hoss! 

[dralarms]

Well, I've been canning tomatoes (cooked down) for years without even water bathing them, I'm eating some right now canned during 2009. They are still good. Just made chili with some last week. Now this years tomatoes were put in a water bath to see how they hold up, but my mom canned tomatoes all her life the way I used to do it (she taught me), the only ones I've ever had go bad were some I failed to get hot enough when cooking them down, tried to use a bigger pot and my stove could not get the pot hot enough.

[Dennis1209]

Well, I've been canning tomatoes (cooked down) for years without even water bathing them, I'm eating some right now canned during 2009. They are still good. Just made chili with some last week. Now this years tomatoes were put in a water bath to see how they hold up, but my mom canned tomatoes all her life the way I used to do it (she taught me), the only ones I've ever had go bad were some I failed to get hot enough when cooking them down, tried to use a bigger pot and my stove could not get the pot hot enough.

 

Yea, I've talked to a bunch of old time canners that canned long before we got all the alphabet soup agencies and they didn't use pressure canners or follow all the guidelines we have today and they did just fine. Today with technology, much more is known on food safety and the FDA probably has a safety fudge factor in their recommendations. I'd rather be safe than sorry when it comes to food safety and process something too hot or too long than take short cuts.

 

I know all about not being able to get the All American monster pot, or large water bath pot on the gas stove hot enough in a reasonable period of time, so I cheat :ugh:

 

I use a hand propane torch to heat it up to the point where the gas stove can handle the load :up:  

[monkeylizard]

I wonder if I could fit that monster on my natural gas grill and if it could get it hot enough. It's way too heavy for my glass cooktop.

[Jamie Jackson]

Yeah, my grandmother and my mother-in-law have canned things in manners I personally wouldn't try these days. I'd much rather err on the side of caution.

 

It's good to know alternatives, even the "guerrila-canning" I mentioned in my first post.

 

But for someone just getting into canning, please use caution. Botulinum toxin is a nasty thing... :2cents:

 

 

 

I too cool my freshly canned goods overnight, then remove the rings and wash the jars in warm soapy water and rinse-dry-label-date.

 

I check my canned goods several times each year to make sure they maintain a good seal, they are stored in a climate controlled environment.

Not having the rings in place also allows you to pick up on something that looses it's seal very easily.

[Jamie Jackson]

I wonder if I could fit that monster on my natural gas grill and if it could get it hot enough. It's way too heavy for my glass cooktop.

 

 

I purchased a 2 burner Camp Chef just for outdoor canning and as a backup means. But my large burner on our old electric stove runs our 930 very well. Grated, 14 quarts of meat is heavy, but no issues in several years use thus far.

 

How large or sturdy is your grill?

 

 

Camp Chef link: http://www.campchef.com/explorer-two-burner-stove.html

[Mark A]

I have a 2 burner camp stove that I use when canning in the summer. Anything to keep the heat out of the house. If you want to start cheaper get a fish cooker. Plenty of heat in that burner.

All American is the only way to go with pressure canners.

I would not buy a dedicated water bath canner. Get a stock pot big enough for canning and you will have a pot big enough to cook those large batches of soups etc... I use the rack out of our pressure canner for water bath canning.

Flour is pretty much a no go when canning so cream of anything will be canned with no flour and the flour will be added later when reheating.

I would suggest sticking with standard recipes for a year or so until you are comfortable with canning. Then you can decide to trust your mom or the lady down the street or whomever you want. There are a lot of master canners out there that can guide you if you need to branch out in the future.

We really enjoy canning. We only have enough room to grow food to supplement our meals. We watch farmers markets and buy in bulk a few weeks after each item gets in season. We ask for bulk discounts on "canning grade" food. It seems to work pretty well for us.

Have fun, Mark

[Luke E.]

Flour is pretty much a no go when canning so cream of anything will be canned with no flour and the flour will be added later when reheating.

 

 Good to know, this is exactly the type of thing that I wanted to learn BEFORE hand. What is the reason for not canning flour or anything with flour in it. Is something with small amounts of flour okay or is flour a no go in any amount?

[Luke E.]

 Thanks for all the input guys! My wife and I had planned to sit down together and read through this thread as well as the links that you all have provided but it doesn't look like I'm going to make it home tonight. I got busy helping my parents neighbor fix fences (so that his cattle would quit destroying my food plots) and I have to be here early to get the guys that are replacing the well pump started and then get back to helping the neighbors finish mending fences. My father is also in the hospital and expecting to be discharged sometime in the morning but we're hoping to get back on our canning tutorial again in the next day or so. The Ball canning book has been ordered from Amazon so it should be here soon.

[dralarms]

Good to know, this is exactly the type of thing that I wanted to learn BEFORE hand. What is the reason for not canning flour or anything with flour in it. Is something with small amounts of flour okay or is flour a no go in any amount?

It's got yeast in it. You'll get bottle bombs. Lol

[Jamie Jackson]

Ingredients like flour, corn starch, rice, and pasta will alter the thickness of the liquid, possibly making it too thick for even penetration/distribution of the heat, leaving pockets of unsterilized foods allowing growth of things that will hurt you...bacteria, spores, etc.

 

It is suggested that you add those things (flour, corn starch, rice, pasta, etc) when you open the jar to prepare your meals.

 

Glad you ordered the Blue Book. You'll find some good solid info there. :up:

 

 

additional tip: After filling my jars, I wipe the rim of the jar off with a paper towel that is wet with white vinegar. The vinegar cleans the rim, removes any grease, and allows a better seal...so far so good. I'm certain it could be argued as unnecessary...but it works for me thus far.

[Mark A]

...

Edited October 21, 2014 by Mark A

[Mark A]

additional tip: After filling my jars, I wipe the rim of the jar off with a paper towel that is wet with white vinegar. The vinegar cleans the rim, removes any grease, and allows a better seal...so far so good. I'm certain it could be argued as unnecessary...but it works for me thus far.

 

 

I started doing this when I finally started canning meat. Then I realized that I like the thought off all of my jars getting that treatment so even jams and other fruit stuff get the vinegar treatment now

 

Mark

Edited October 21, 2014 by Mark A

[kckndrgn]

Going long term you can get some reusable lids for canning.  Tattler lids are reusable, they have a two part system, rubber seal and the plastic lid.  I've been slowly transitioning to them.  Bit of a learning curve to using them vs. the traditional lids.

 

Never heard of using vinegar to clean the jars. May try it with my next batch, but 9 times out of ten I'll have 0 jars that don't seal with a damp cloth cleaning the rim of the jar (I use the boiling water from the water bath  pan).  The few times that I have a jar that doesn't seal, it just goes in the fridge and gets used first.