Canning and other preservation skills are not taught to most people these days. You don’t learn the difference between a water bath and pressure canner in school. Most people that didn’t grow up with a family member who canned are having to learn through the internet. Which is amazing, but can leave you without specific and important information regarding proper and safe canning. There is also so many helpful tips that we don’t always know because of this lack of exposure as well. In this post I am going to share five canning tips for beginners.
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Canning Tips for Beginners
There is so many tips we could give you, a list that would never end, pertaining to canning and preserving foods. Canning is easy but precise. Preserving is wise but lots to learn. It can be super helpful to just have a few extra tips here and there to encourage you on your journey and show you it can be easy even if it is precise, sometimes lots to learn, and often time consuming. So though this is just vie of the many tips and informations you need to know as it concerns canning foods, hopefully you can glean lots of growth from this post! I know when I learned these facts it changed the game for me! So without further ado, here is five canning tips for beginners.
1.) Pressure Canning VS. Water Bath
There is a very simple difference between the pressure canner and the water bath. So as you are approaching the canning season, with each recipe when you ask yourself which system to use, yo will know right away.
In short, the difference between pressure canning and the water bath system is that a water bath canna high-acidic foods while a pressure canner cans low-acid foods.
To further explain, a few examples of foods you can in a pressure canner are:
- Beans
- Potatoes
- Corn
- Meats
- Stews
While a few foods you would can in a water bath are:
- Tomatoes
- Salsas
- Fruits and Berries (which means MOST jams and jellies)
- Pickles
That is the simple difference. But if you are ever second guessing yourself there is a beautiful resource to help you. The book linked below (along with a pressure canner and water bath with all the accessories) will tell you exactly which foods are considered what acidity and which canning method to use.
The accessories are a must for canning no matter what system you use. If you think you will be pressure canning first and don’t buy the water bath kit, be sure to still buy accessories so you have them for your pressure canning kit. They are used less with pressure canning, but are still used. Next to the pressure canner is a picture linked to a kit of accessories off of Amazon. They are a must!
2.) Know the Specific Vinegar for Canning
Just recently vinegar producers began making a type of vinegar that is not safe to use for canning. It will not properly preserve your canned goods and they will not be edible. So it is extremely important to know that you have the right vinegar, and equally as important to know what is correct.
Any acidity that is below 5% means it is not safe for canning goods. Anything 5% and over is safe. The vinegar will say on the bottle what percent acidic it is, and if it does not then DO NOT test your luck. Make sure you know exactly how acidic the vinegar is that you are using for your canned goods. Below is a link to a vinegar that is 5% acidic and is made specifically for canning. You cannot go wrong with that.
3.) Pectin Secret Recipe Guides
Pectin in used so often in home canning and you will need millions of packages to get through a good canning season. But their usefulness doesn’t end at preserving jams. Most all pectin boxes comes with a folded piece of paper. Once you open it up you will realize it is basically a novel and it is all about canning. This paper is full of basic recipes for canning with pectin. Each recipe assumes the use of one bag of powdered pectin (1.75 OZ) and is not listed in the recipe because of that. Other than that it is a so easy to follow and helps you find super simple recipes that most people tend to over complicate on the internet these days.
I did not know about this until this year and it seriously has been so incredibly helpful already. This is a major favorite of the five canning tips for beginners. Because it requires nothing fancy and is just such an accessible tool for the beginner canner. Make sure that you keep one of those papers around so that you have it when you need it. Seriously the most helpful tool in the canning world and it’s folded up at the bottom of a pectin box. Don’t take it for granted you guys, it’s incredible!
If you are asking what pectin to use, and which ones will have this little paper, the simple answer is that it isn’t super important which one you use and that they do most all have this paper inside. I do recommend a specific brand and type of pectin (powdered specifically) and that is linked below to make it super easy.
Recent Post: Simple and Incredible Raspberry Rhubarb Jam Recipe
4.) The Safety of Reusing Jars
There are three parts to a canning jar. The first is the actual jar. The second is the lid and the third is the band or ring. Certain parts can be used repeatedly, and others you cannot reuse. At least in my opinion you should never reuse the lids. The jar can be used until it is cracked, or if any seams start to show. The rings can be used until they rust or dent. But the lids should never be reused. The lids are seriously the glue that hold the preservation of the canned goods together. Use them once and throw them out for good measure. There is too many specific things that have to be in check with a lid for it to do its job properly. Just to be safe, never reuse a lid.
If that kills you inside then I recommend keeping them for storing things in the fridge or the freezer since the lid isn’t doing the preserving in these cases. You can also reuse them if the jar is holding things like noodles, cereal or things like that.
All of this being said, it is really important to have new lids, good rings and good quality jars. Below are links to sets of both regular and wide mouth lids and rings.
Though there is another way to buy the lids as well. Since the rings are reusable you can throw out the lids when you are done and buy them separately so you aren’t having to buy new rings every time. Below are the links.
Try to stick to brands that are reputable. Many illnesses and bacteria’s form from bad lids on your home canned goods. Ball is a great business to buy from. They are the foundation to the canning industry.
5.) Knowing What to Can in Which Sized Jars
This one can seem self explanatory until we don’t actually realize or understand how long it takes to finish things. Remember that this post is canning tips for beginners. Part of us has to go back to the basics. Canning jars come in all sorts of sizes and that is because you will go through a large jar of stew faster than a large jar of jam. Make sure that you are being smart about what you can in what sized jar. The very small ones I use for jams, spreads and syrups. The next size up can also be jams, sliced vegetables, and things like that. Larger jars are pie fillings, ciders, stews and things like that. There is so many different sizes and shapes so let me break it down even more specifically.
This leaves a lot of diversity for whatever you may be canning. They all come in regular mouth and wide mouth. It really doesn’t matter which mouth you choose. I mix it up with every batch of food I preserve. I mixed it up with the links to the different sized jars so you can see the different types and what they look like. But feel free to look around on the Ball page to see if you prefer one sized mouth over the other.
Again, there is so many things to know and practice as you learn how to preserve food by canning it. This post was just on five of those millions of canning tips for beginners. To learn more, specifically from us, follow our Instagram page and subscribe to our email list. This way you will be the most up to date on what we are putting out. Thank you so much for reading and we hope you gleaned so much from this post as you begin to can your homemade goods. God bless you and let us know if there is anything specific you want to learn next from us, or any prayer requests or questions!
Enjoy!
