Learn water bath canning
Jam, jelly and pickles sealed in jars to keep on the shelf: water bath canning is the way to start, as long as you follow a tested recipe exactly. Here's the video that hooks everyone, and everything you need for your first small batch.
Space neededA stove and a clear counter
First projectFour jars of jam
Skill levelBeginner, with tested recipes
Good forGardeners, cooks, gift givers
The video that hooks everyone
Water bath canning for beginners
Rows of sealed jars of dark jam fill the table, one lifted up with a jar lifter, and the video walks a beginner through water bath canning. Press play and see why it hooks people.
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Tool list
What you need to start
Everything you need for your first project, and nothing you don't. A big pot with a rack, a jar lifter and new jars and lids are most of it. A pressure canner is a different tool for different foods, and it can wait.
Starter kit
01Water bath canner with a rackA deep pot with a lid. The rack keeps jars off the bottom.
02Canning jarsMade for canning, with no chips or cracks. Half-pints for jam.
03New flat lids and bandsLids are single use. Bands can be reused.
04Jar lifterLifts hot jars straight up and out safely.
05Wide-mouth canning funnelFills jars cleanly so rims stay clean.
06Headspace tool or bubble removerMeasures the space at the top and frees air bubbles.
07A tested recipeFrom the USDA or the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
08Kitchen timerProcessing times must be exact.
09Clean towelsFor wiping rims and cooling jars on.
The manual tells you what to look for when you buy each one.
- 1Making up a recipeOnly tested recipes are safe to can. Their acid, amounts, jar size and times were checked in a lab. Change one and you can't know it's safe.
- 2Canning low-acid food in a water bathVegetables, beans, meat and soups need a pressure canner. Boiling water isn't hot enough to make them safe.
- 3Ignoring your altitudeWater boils cooler up high, so tested recipes add time. Find your altitude and use the time your recipe gives for it.
