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Water Bath & Pickling - Two Methods for Canning Foods at Home

Sep 11, 2020 11:57AM ● By Kaitlyn Malone
Canning is an excellent way to store food for the winter, and it even makes perfect gifts for your friends and family, especially for the holidays! You can even can foods in your own home! But can you can and do the can-can!? I’m sure few have tried; that would be uncanny. Effective canning sterilizes the bacteria that generally causes spoilage and will allow you to store food for up to five years in the right conditions.

There are two methods for canning at home. One type of canning is called the “Water Bath Method,” which involves filling the jars with the fruits or veggies and boiling them in water after the lids have been placed on the jars. The other type is called “Pickling,” which means that you would add vinegar to your ingredients to ferment the food and make it last longer. For those familiar with the phrase, “we can pickle that” from the tv show Portlandia, you have an idea of the doors this could open!

  • For a step by step guide on how to pickle, see The Old Farmer’s Almanac website here.

  • They also have instructions on how to can using the “Water Bath Method” here.


Create some delicious jams and collect some beautiful seasonal fruits and veggies for the winter and enjoy all season long! Check out our article here for places to pick your fruit in the Upper Valley.

You can choose from a variety of summer veggies like green beans, tomatoes, and peppers. You can even make the tomato sauce first before you can it and add it to any homemade soups or portions of pasta in the coming months. You can also make homemade jams from fresh summer fruits and berries like figs, strawberries, and peaches. I, for one, would love to receive a gift of homemade jam this fall or winter.

Below are some canning ideas for you to try:


Tomato Sauce

Tomato sauce is a staple in so many amazing recipes such as lasagna, spaghetti, pizza, and various soups. You can add it to so many dishes to create a rich flavor; it wouldn't have otherwise. By finding some fresh tomatoes, prep, and puree and boil down to half their volume, you can create an amazing sauce that has concentrated it’s sweet tomato flavors. There are a variety of great recipes online if you would like to add any seasoning. Here is a link for a recipe that also guides you on how to can the sauce as well.


Pickling Beets

Beets are a great vegetable to pickle, and they are packed with nutrients! Not only do beets have amazing health benefits, but they are also quite tasty. They go great on any salads, in wraps, and can also be suitable as a side dish to your dinner. There is always a little bit of prep that takes place when canning, but canning beets won’t be hard at all. Here is a recipe for you to use if this peaks your interest.


Peach Cardamom Jam

Jams are more straightforward than you may think! You can spread jams on toast, cakes, or cookies, and add it to a cheese platter to balance the savory with a bit of a summery sweet taste! For a delicious alternative to your classic blackberry jam, try this recipe for Peach Cardamom Jam in the link.

You can buy glass jars perfect for canning at The Co-op, Hanover True Value Hardware, or online. 

Wishing you all a wonderful experience on your canning endeavors!

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