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GETTING STARTED WITH WATER-BATH CANNING

To be well organized and prepared to water-bath can, it’s best to gather your supplies and get them ready before you gather your ingredients. Having all of your tools and ingredients readily available will make the process go more smoothly.

Although you can buy used canning jars and bands or reuse yours for many years, you do need to make sure they’re in good condition. Jars that have chips or bands that are bent may hinder the sealing and are more likely to break when heated. However, you cannot reuse lids. Once you break the seal to open your jars, the lids are most likely warped and unable to reseal. So instead of running the risk of wasting your food, toss all used lids and buy new ones.

You may hear of people canning with recycled glass jars (from commercially packaged mayonnaise, applesauce, or other products). This is not recommended. These jars may not be made of glass that can withstand the high temperatures of canning, and lids and bands may not fit tightly enough on recycled jars. In any case, used canning jars can be had for pennies, so the cost savings just isn’t worth the risk. The following checklist will help you get organized.

Basic Instructions for Water-Bath Canning

Being prepared will make the process much easier, especially until you form your own routine. Once you have it down, it will be just like anything else; you’ll develop a rhythm and preferences. Until you find your rhythm, follow these foolproof steps and you’ll have a pantry full of delicious, nutritious food in no time!

1. Wash all of your jars, lids, and bands in hot, soapy water. Make sure to rinse them well and allow them to air-dry.

2. When working with glass, you want to minimize the risk of breakage. The best way to do this is to simmer, not boil, your jars in the canner as you’re preparing the food, and at the same time, simmer the lids and bands in a saucepan of water to keep them warm until you are ready to pour the ingredients into them.

3. If the jars are too cool when the ingredients are added to them, they’re more likely to crack or break from the sudden temperature change. If you have a dishwasher this step can be simplified. You can easily load your dishwasher with the bands and jars and wash and heat them that way. Leave them in the closed dishwasher until ready to fill.