Hey, all:

I know nothing at all about canning, but want to learn. (We're up to our eyeballs in tomatoes and apples over here, with other stuff on its way.) What are the good books and web sites for this? Is there such a thing as "Canning for Dummies"? 'Cuz that's pretty much where I am.

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

Google is your friend

The Ball Company (they sell the jars, lids, and bands you will need) puts out a pretty good book, that covers the basics and doesn't presume that you have any experience. The main thing to decide is whether a water bath canner or a pressure canner is what you need in terms of equipment. You can download the Ball book and other information from good sources like USDA and the University of Georgia at this website: Free Publications to Download Here about Home Canning, Freezing, Preserving and Makign Jams and Jellies!

Also, you can contact the agricultural extension service in your state and they will be happy to respond. I Googled "Colorado Extension Service" and in a couple of clicks came up with this: Colorado State University Extension - Publications Online, Alphabetic Order Just scroll down to "Food Preservation," and enjoy! I am eating some of the butter pickles we made last week, and next week, the crisp, cold-pack dills will be ready. Yum!

Looks good to me.


Bullseye

I also have a propane fired very portable canning "stove" which permits you to move the operation outside, so that you do not raise the temperature in your kitchen to uncomfortable levels.

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Five screws and 3-1/2 inches.

What Bullseye said -- and don't forget to adjust processing time for altitude!

The key to canning tomatoes is---boil the jars and the rings and lids, boil and peel tomatoes and boil again. Fill jars to the top , put a kitchen knife in the jar and raise it up and down several times, wipe the rim clean and then tighten the lid and ring. Turn upside down until cool. As said above there are cook books with all of the info. Good luck and have fun.

. . .and send me a jar of something good.


Bullseye

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Five screws and 3-1/2 inches.

on BookFinder.com: Search for New & Used Books, Textbooks, Out-of-Print and Rare Books add to their search
author "farm journal"
title "freezing & caning cookbook"

also google
"kerr" & "ball" they both make jars, lids, etc.
"presto", "mirror", & "all american" all makers of pressure cooker/canners.
on each of the above company's site, you will find mass books & pamphlets on "how to"

a GREAT hobby with SUPER rewards!

Jim

If you try canning, be sure and pick up a second book called "Botulism for Dummies."

Never hurts to be prepared!

My mom and aunts were prolific canners. Jam, jelly, fruit, juice, tomatoes, pickles... man, I ate some great food growing up! Mom died almost 2 years ago. I have one quart bottle of her 'bread and butter' pickles left. I'll probably save it until way after it goes bad.

Oh. "Canning for Dummies." I thought that this was going to be about a visit to Singapore.

Oh, well.

Canning is not for "Dummies" It's not hard but one must be very careful to follow the steps and be sure to be ultra sanitary "for your protection" Or certain death will occur.

For "maters" it's way easier to freeze them. Blanch in boiling water till the skins crack. Remove the skins, put in freezer bags(place on flat plate) and freeze. Some folks squeeze them (after boiling)first to get most of the water and seeds out.

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Still Running Against the Wind

Yes, the Ball canning book is probably the best place to start. Easy read, well laid out, covers the basics and most of the safety issues relative to cook time, pressure etc.

Amazon has the All American canner on sale for $200 with free shipping, which is a good price. In fact that combo of the canner, the book, and the various associated tools for $250 is not a bad way to get into the game.
Amazon.com: All American 921 All-American 21-1/2-Quart Pressure Cooker/Canner: Kitchen & Dining

The Presto is the other popular canner and will get you into the game for less money.
Amazon.com: Presto 1781 23-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker/Canner: Kitchen & Dining

The All American does not use a sealing gasket between the lid and pot, it relies on machined metal to metal contact and equal torque on the wing nuts to create a seal. If you get one of these make sure to read the instructions about using some Vaseline to help make that seal. The All American is one heavy duty piece of gear and will last many generations.

I've used both the All American and the Presto and actually prefer the Presto for its easy to install lid and its lighter weight. We canned a bunch of meat earlier this year and when you get that All American full it is really heavy.

The Presto uses a gasket to seal and you can buy replacement gaskets if/when needed. In addition, the Presto only comes with one weight if I remember correctly, the 15 lb. I believe. You will want a 10 and 5 lb. weight as well for the various types of foods. You can get a three weight set for the presto, and it is well worth the cost. It makes for much less time jacking with the burner level trying to hold the canner at the required temp. The part number for this weight set is Presto 50332, and I got mine at the local Ace hardware.

These weight gauges are calibrated for the specific make/model and should not be used on other makes/models.

This site does a pretty good job of explaining the differences between a weighted gauge canner and a dial gauge canner.
National Center for Home Food Preservation | UGA Publications

With all the prep work, cook and cool down time, canning can be a very time consuming process. Which is why we usually try to batch our stuff in quantities and sometimes in conjunction with other family members where we all get together on a weekend and can up a storm. It's also why we made this multi canner burner so we can cook 4 batches at a time and do it outside or on the porch to keep the heat out of the kitchen.

The canner on the left is the All American, the other three are Presto's.