18 Home Canning & Preserving Tips

Many local farmer’s markets in West Tennessee have closed their open bays to the general public. I (Litsa) was sad to see them go since I was a regular (twice a week) at our local farmer’s market. I enjoyed the local potatoes, banana peppers, acorn squash, tomatoes, and more this past season.

My kitchen was covered in produce but mostly tomatoes. They were the bulk of my purchase(s) this past season due to the request of homemade salsa. A few friends had placed large requests of salsa to purchase. Thus, I found myself surrounded by tomatoes for two months. As I peeled and processed tomatoes like Renae did this season, I thought about canning tips that might help future canning adventures and/or those new to canning.

These are a few of my canning tips:

Print off your multiple copies of your canning recipe so that you can write on it or check off what you’ve put into your BIG pot (at some point you are sure to be interrupted)
Make sure that you have all of your ingredients ready for one batch at a time. IF you are doubling your batch, make sure you have enough ingredients. IF you are tripling or…..(refer to your printed recipe to check off ingredients accurately)
Begin with a clean and tidy kitchen/work space. You will need more spoons and counter space than you intend to use.
You might want to protect your floors with newspaper as you can. Drippings will spot your floors. I didn’t use newspapers this season but I mopped and mopped and mopped the spots off (without Dr. Seuss’s help of Thing One & Thing Two). Protecting floors with newspapers might keep you (and me) from having to do extra mopping later.
Make sure you have extra jars (and buy Ball jars on sale to save you money).
Make sure that if you are recycling your jars from previous uses that you use new seals (and that the rings are not rusty).
Make sure that your jars, seals, and rings match in size & quantity before you begin.
Have extra spices on hand that your canning recipe calls for so that you don’t have to run to the store (if you run out due to under estimating).
Can with a friend and/or family member (talking and added help are handy for a tedious job).
Make sure you have shelf space allocated for your finished jars.
Use dish towels to catch the water on your counter tops when you pull the jars from the boiling water.
Use jar tongs (and have an extra set if your tongs come apart).
Know your oven/stove top language (my oven showed an error every time I canned (five sessions) and needed to be reset—luckily an electrician lived here).
Freeze ingredients if you are not ready to use them yet. Label freezer bags accordingly (and set them in a freezer section for future canning purposes).
Wear gloves when working with hot peppers.
Try to can on cool days and/or early mornings—the stove and stove top plus dishwasher will heat up your kitchen.
Allow more time than you think you’ll need (start early so that you don’t finish late). Plan an easy lunch or dinner on your canning day.
Write down what worked and what you’d do differently on one of your printed recipes immediately after finishing your canning session.

Canning is definitely an adventure. It’s not a task I’d take up without much thought into the cost and time effectiveness of it. It is rewarding to see a finished product but the time it takes to effectively produce that product is relevant to this list of canning tips too. I can definitely say that I’ve learned more than I ever knew about canning this past summer. If you’re ready to begin your own canning adventures, let friends that garden know. Their surplus will be a reward to your investment in canning.

Refer to our canning recipes in the recipe index as you create a file of your own favorite canning recipes.

Were you busy canning this season? What did you can?

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Litsa @How to Have it All

Litsa is a stay at home mom to a beautiful little girl. She is a native of Greece and now resides in Tennessee. As a former teacher, Litsa wears many hats that it takes to make a home a functioning home!