How To... Do Home Canning

Honestly, y'all if you had told me that home canning is super simple I probably would have grimaced and laughed in your face. It seems like such a complex process. I was for sure that my cans wouldn't seal and I'd be stuck with 12 half-pints of apple butter. They "popped" within 2-3 minutes of coming out of their water bath. Amazing. I could actually hear the sound of my success. Cheesy, I know, but it made me feel pretty cool. So here is a little picture log and step-by-step so you can do your own canning.

What you need:

Pints or Half-pints

Stockpot (mine is 10 qts and fit 5-6 half-pints comfortably)

Dish towels

Jar lifter

Tongs

Ladle

Funnel

And of course, something to can!

I will say that I read several blogs and articles about this and some said to use tongs to get the jars out of the water. It scared me a little bit. Plus being who I am and always needing the "right tools" I bought a little utenstil kit. It really was worth the $6 I paid for it. Just a recommendation.

1. Place a dish cloth in the bottom of your stock pot, put your jars on top of the cloth and fill it with water. This keeps the jars from touching the bottom of the pan, but also keeps you from having to buy a canning rack!
   
   
2. Bring the water to a boil and turn the heat off. Remove the jars from the hot water and place on a dish towel. Don't set them directly on the counter as they are hot and might crack.
   
   
3. In another saucepan, put your rings and lids with water. I put these in two separate saucepans, but you can do them in the same one. Don't boil them. Just get the water warm. I set mine on medium and then when it started to simmer a little, I turned it down to medium-low.
   
   
4. Start filling your jars! I used a funnel and ladled what I was canning into the jars. I filled mine to the bottom line where the grooves start for the lid, maybe slightly above. Wipe the lid of the jars with a damp paper towel.
   
   
5. Remove the lids from the water and blot them. Place them on each jar and press down gently. Remove the rings from the water and screw them on. Don't over tighten, just make them snug.
   
   
6. Take your jar lifter and put the jars back in the stockpot on top of the towel. Make sure that at least 1 inch of water covers the top of the jars.
   
   
7. Bring the pot to a rolling boil. Cover with a lid. Your processing time starts when the water comes to a boil. It's 5 minutes for half pints and 10 minutes for pints.
   
   
8. Remove jars and place on dish towels on the counter. Let them sit overnight. You will probably hear them beginning to "pop" or seal within 2-3 minutes of taking them from the water bath. In the morning, press down on the middle of the lid. If it flexes or pops, then you will need to reprocess the jar or just stick it in the fridge. If you put it in the fridge, use the contents within a week.
   
   
9. If you were successful, your jars can go on the shelf for one year. 
   

 Filled and awaiting their water bath

Waiting for the water to boil

All done!