99 Products to Make at Home: Apple Sauce to Zucchini Pickles!

Home Canning Facts:

1) Home Canning is Thrifty!

Canning jars are readily available, both new and used, and are reusable for decades. Fresh foods, purchased or gathered at the peak of harvest are inexpensive. Having a wide variety of Home Canned foods on hand prevents extra trips to the grocery store(and impulse buys. The average home canner can expect to save 30-50% off the cost of similar prepared foods.

2) Home Canning is Quick and Easy!

If you already cook meals, it is very easy to do small batches of Home Canning at the same time. Home Canning doesn't need to be the week-long project we witnessed in Grandma's day. With modern methods, the home canner can easily produce 8 jars of homemade jam in about 30 minutes or 6 jars of pickled asparagus in 20 minutes.

3) Home Canning is Healthy!

Home Canned fruits, pickles, tomatoes, jams and jellies retain the nutrients just as well as their commercially prepared counterparts without the problems associated with mass produced foods. Canning jars contain no BPA and you have full control over the amount of salt and sugar that is added to the food.

4) Home Canning is Safe!

Recipes for Home Canned products have been laboratory tested for many years and the incidence of problems associated with Home Canned foods have been reduced to negligible numbers through cleanliness and science.

5) Home Canning is Green!

Reusing materials trumps recycling! Canning jars and rings are reusable, for the rest of your life, with minimal care. Canning lids are used once and then can be recycled or, with a small extra investment in Tattler Reusable Lids, the process can be completely reusable. 

Large amounts of food can be processed at one time which spreads the energy cost across the whole batch. For example, a full batch of Home Canned apple sauce made from a local fruit tree would be processed for 20 minutes--that is about 1.5 kWh of energy or 12 cents(in the Seattle area) or about 2 cents of energy per jar of food. The waste goes in the compost, too! Compare that to driving to a store to buy a few cans of apple sauce that are going to cost $1.00 or more each than the Home Canned apple sauce.

6) Home Canning is Inspiring!

People who learn to Preserve foods at home often find themselves looking at processed foods in the grocery store and thinking, "I can make that!"  So, what products can be made and processed at home? More than you might imagine!

After attending an Introduction to Home Canning Class, students will be ready to tackle the following projects with confidence.

Antipasto Relish

Apple Sauce

Apple Juice

Apple Pie Filling

Asparagus Pickles

Barbecue Sauce

Beer Mustard

Beet & Fennel Pickles

Bloody Mary Mix

Chow Chow

Fruit butter (any flavor)

Jams (any flavor)

Jellies (any flavor)

Fruit Syrups (any flavor)

Blood Orange Marmalade

Brandied Apple rings

Bread & Butter Pickles

Bruschetta

Chili Sauce

Chipotle Pepper Sauce

Chutney (all flavors)

Corn Relish

Cranberry Ketchup

Cranberry Mustard

Dill Pickles

Dilly Breans

Fig jam

Fruit in Light Syrup

Giardiniera

Habanero Dill Pickles

Herb Jelly

Herbal Vinegar

Hot Sauce

Jalapeno Jelly

Lemon (or Lime) Curd

Maple & Walnut Syrup

Marinated Mushrooms

Mushroom Ketchup

Piccalilli Relish

Pickled Garlic

Pickled Onions

Pickled Green Tomato Relish

Pickled Sushi Ginger

Pickled Peppers & Pimento

Pickled Three-Bean Salad

Pineapple Salsa

Rum Sauce

Salsa

Sauerkraut

Seafood Cocktail Sauce

Steak Sauce

Sweet Pickle Relish

Tomato Juice

Tomato Ketchup

Tomato Sauce

Tomatoes Sauce with Garlic & Basil

Zucchini Pickles

Classes are forming up all Summer! Visit the Registration Page to Sign-up or email vic.phelps at gmail.com

Pressure Canning Classes are also forming up! Visit my Pressure Canning Page!

What Can I Can in My Water Bath Canner?

The list of products that can be made and canned at home is nearly unlimited. Here are some ideas for your Fancy Pantry!

Basics: Water Bath Canning is for High Acid Foods--Fruits, Tomatoes and Pickles

Fruit Products in the Water Bath Canner:
Apples
Apple Juice, Apple Sauce, Apple Butter, Apple Chutney, Apple Pie Filling, Spiced Apple Rings, Apple Mincemeat Pie Filling

Apricots
Apricot Jam, Apricot & Pineapple Jam, Apricot Ice Cream Topper

Blackberries
Blackberry Jam, Blackberry Pie Filling, Blackberry Syrup

Blueberries
Blueberry Jam, Blueberry Pie Filling, Blueberry Syrup

Cherries
Cherry Jam, Cherry Pie Filling, Cherry Ice Cream Topper

Cranberries
Cranberry Juice, Cranberry Jelly, Drunken Cranberry Sauce, Cranberry Sauce, Cranberry BBQ Sauce, Honey Cranberry Relish, Brandied Cranberries, Cranberry Rum Sauce, Cranberry Cordial, Cranberry Lemon Vinegar

Figs
Canned Figs, Fig Jam, Fig Relish, Fig Compote, Fig and Walnut Confit, Balsamic Fig Honey Marinade, Fig & Onion Jam, Fig Preserves, Pickled Figs, Fig Leaf Tea

Fruit Cocktail

Grapes
Grape Jam, Grape Jelly, Raisin Sauce

Grapefruit
Grapefruit Jelly, Grapefruit Marmalade

Lemons/Limes
7-up Jelly, Marmalade, Lime Alert Hot Sauce

Mangoes
Mango Salsa, Mango Hot Sauce

Peaches
Peach Nectar, Spiced Peaches, Peach Butter, Peach Pie Filling, Peach Rum Sauce, Peach BBQ Sauce, Peach Fondue

Pears
Spiced Pears, Pear Syrup, Pear Mincemeat, Honey Pears, Pear Butter, Pear Cranberry Jam, Pear Jam, Gingered Pears, Old-Time Pear Mincemeat, Pear Honey, Clove Studded Seckel Pears

Pineapple
Pineapple Slices, Pineapple Ice Cream Topper, Pina Colada Jam

Plums
Plum Butter, Plum Ice Cream Topping, Plum Syrup, Plum BBQ Sauce

Pomegranates
Pom Jam, Pom Jelly, Pom Juice

Pumpkin
Pumpkin Butter, Pumpkin Pineapple Compote, Pumpkin Pie Pickles, Pumpkin Jelly, Pumpkin Marmalade, Pumpkin Pancake Syrup, Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

Raspberries
Raspberry Jam, Raspberry Ice Cream Topper, Chocolate Raspberry Sauce

Strawberries
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling, Strawberry Ice Cream Topper, Strawberry Jam

Tomatoes
Tomato Juice, Tomato Sauce, Tomato Paste, Tomatoes Whole, Tomatoes, Semi-Dried, Bruschetta in a Jar, Roasted Tomatoes & Garlic, Sweet Yellow Tomato Chutney, Barbecue Sauce, Blender Ketchup, Seafood Cocktail Sauce

Also:
Praline Syrup, Almond Syrup, Spiced Honey, Cranberry Ketchup, Cranberry Mustard, Raspberry Vinegar, Roasted Garlic Jelly, Horse Radish Jelly, Mint Jelly, Tomato Ketchup, Relish, Salsa, Pesto, Infused oils, Mustard,


More Recipe Links Are Added Daily(until I get each one linked up or posted!)

Basic Skills: Water Bath Canning

Background Information

Boiling water bath canning is recommended for processing high-acid foods. The temperature of the boiling water bath canner is 212 degrees F (100 degrees C) and will kill bacteria in high-acid foods. The boiling water bath canning method is used for processing fruits, pickles, relishes, acidified tomatoes, fruit jellies, jams, butters, marmalades, and preserves. Always check up-to-date canning information for correct processing times. For higher altitudes, processing times will need to be extended one minute for each 1000 feet above sea level. The time needed to process high-acid foods in boiling water ranges from 5 to 85 minutes depending on the food, style of pack, and jar size.

Equipment Preparation

Steps to Follow

• Assemble all equipment and utensils.
• Place boiling water bath canner, filled half full with water, on the stove burner and begin to heat. Make sure canner has a removable rack that will fit inside the canner. The canner should be large enough to allow the water to boil 1 to 2 inches over the jars when they are placed on the rack in the canner.
• Place an extra kettle of water on the stove burner in case extra boiling water is needed to cover the jars in the canner.
• Check all canning jars for nicks or cracks. Discard if damaged.
• Wash jars and bands in hot soapy water; rinse in hot water. Jars for pickles and fruit juices (which have less than 10 minutes of processing time) should be boiled in hot water for at least 10 minutes. Each 1000 feet above sea level will require 1 additional minute.
• Use new canning lids for each jar. Prepare lids according to manufacturer's directions.

NOTE: Use only standard canning jars for boiling water bath canning. Peanut butter or mayonnaise jars are not acceptable for canning.

Processing

• Make sure water in canner is boiling.*If using the raw pack method, have the water in the canner hot, not boiling. Placing raw pack jars in boiling water may cause the jars to break.
• Place jars in canning rack, then place rack in canner while water is boiling. ** Place jars far enough apart to allow for circulation of water around jars. Water should be 1 to 2 inches over the tops of the jars when boiling.
• Begin timing for processing as soon as the water returns to a rolling boil. Use the table as a processing guide; however, at higher altitudes (over 1,000 feet) you will need to adjust processing times.

The canner should be covered during processing. The hot boiling water should cover the tops of the jars during the entire processing time. (See individual recipes for exact processing time.)

After processing time is completed, remove hot jars and place on a towel or rack to cool. Keep jars out of drafts. DO NOT TURN JARS UPSIDE DOWN. When jars have cooled, check for sealing.

Testing the Seal

3-Way Test For Checking The Seals On The Jars:

• Hear the seal - Hear the "plink" as lid snaps down while jar is cooling, or tap lid with spoon when jar is cold. A clear ringing sound means a seal.
• Observe the seal - If the lid is curved down, the jar is sealed.
• Press the seal - After the jars have cooled, press the center of the lid. If it is down and will not move, the jar is sealed.
• Remove ring bands from jar and store in a cool, dark, dry place. Ring bands free of rust may be reused. Never reuse lids for canning purposes.

NOTE: If a jar is not sealed within 24 hours, reprocess contents with a new lid or refrigerate and use in the next 1 to 2 days.

CAUTION: Never taste or eat food from a jar with an unsealed lid, swollen lid, or if the food shows signs of spoilage.