Canning is one of the coolest skills to learn. It’s not hard once you get the hang of it and it allows you to eat all your favorite homegrown fruits and veggies whenever you want. Plus, if you’re trying to save money and have no desire to clip a single coupon, and have a big garden, canning is the answer. Once you learn how to preserve fruits and veggies when they’re in season, you can enjoy them all year long.
Of course, there’s always an initial investment. But that’s where this list comes in. I’ve tested and tried a whole bunch of canning products through the years and I’ve come up with a list of the most awesome ones. So now you don’t have to waste your money on junkity junk canning supplies and you can just order, borrow or find the good stuff at a garage sale.
Also, just a warning, once you realize how cool canning is, you just might become obsessed. There’s no going back!
Jars and Supplies:
The most popular canning jars are Kerr or Ball. While I tend to lean toward whichever are cheapest, I do like Ball a bit more than Kerr. I also like the wide-mouth variety waaaay more than regular because it is so much easier to get the food out. Below you’ll find links to my favorite Ball jars. Just remember, if you are new to canning, on any given summer, it’s a pretty safe bet that you will be able to find a steal of a deal on used canning jars from someone’s yard sale. Just be sure to inspect every jar for cracks or chips before you buy them. Here are some of my favorites:
- Ball Jar Crystal Jelly Jars with Lids and Bands– perfect size for gifting jam to neighbors at Christmas!
- Ball Regular-Mouth Mason Jars with Lids and Bands – These end up being a little too small for me when I’m canning for my family.
- Ball Wide-Mouth Pint Mason Jars with Lids and Bands – But these ones seem to be the perfect size for our family of 4!
- Ball Wide-Mouth 24 oz Mason Jars with Lids and Bands– For some reason, these jars are harder to find than the others, so when I see them, I snatch some up!
- Ball Plastic Storage Caps – I use these all the time to preserve a jar I’ve opened but didn’t need all of. Perfect for fridge storage.
- Ball Canning Lids and Rings – Because you can’t reuse the lids from year to year, you’ll need to stock up on those. And I always keep some extra rings on hand just in case!
Now if I want some super pretty jars to give to friends and family, I buy Weck jars. Actually, I’m totally obsessed with them because they make everything I can so pretty sitting there on the shelf! How to Use Weck Canning Jars.
You can find deals on Amazon from time to time, but I normally wait for a big end of season sale at Williams-Sonoma or Crate and Barrel and buy my Weck jars there. The Weck tulip jars are my favorite for gift giving.
Pectin
- Ball RealFruitTM Instant Pectin – Flex Batch– This is my favorite pectin, and it goes on sale on Amazon often, so you can normally get a really good deal on it!
- Certo Premium Liquid Fruit Pectin – Although you can use this for jams, it seems like it’s more often used for canning jellies.
- Pomona’s Universal Pectin – Perfect for low sugar recipes!
- Ball Jar Citric Acid – This is what I use instead of lemon juice when canning tomatoes. Lemon juice works too, but I find that it changes the taste a bit, so I prefer this!
- The Coolest Labels on the Block – If you plan on giving away homemade jams, jellies, or your famous pickles for the holidays, and are looking for some super cute canning labels, you’ll want to buy these most adorable labels!
- Set of 60 Ball Dissolvable Labels – Waaay more effective than a Sharpie on the lid method. Plus, they dissolve in water when I wash the jars so I can easily reuse them!
Equipment:
- All American-Quart Pressure Cooker/Canner– I use this when I’m canning meats, corn or beans. My mother in law gave it to me for Christmas a few years ago and it’s like the Rolls-Royce of pressure cookers! It’s awesome. How to Use a Pressure Canner.
- Presto Pressure Canner/Cooker– This pressure cooker will certainly do the trick too, and is very highly rated!
- Granite Ware Steel/Porcelain Water-Bath Canner with Rack– This canner is perfect for preserving tomatoes or fruit,plus I love it because I can process 7 quart jars at a time. How to Use a Hot Water Bath Canner.
- Presto 7 Function Canning Kit– This kit will make your life sooooo much easier. The magnet is so you can easily grab and place your lids on the jars. The funnel makes putting the food into the jars a lot cleaner {plus, I use mine for other things throughout the year}. The bubble remover, well, removes bubbles from your liquid before you seal the jar. And, the jar lifting tongs allow you to lift jars individually out of your water bath–because remember, they are hot, and sometimes a little heavy, so being able to lift them singly helps.
This year we invested in a Camp Chef Explorer 2 Burner Range. Our new home doesn’t have A/C and well, word on the street is New England summers can be humid and so the last thing I want to do is heat up the house in the middle of August. I’ve never done any sort of canning outside before, but several of my East Coast friends have assured me canning outside in the early morning hours is the only way to get it done here so I’m going to give it a go!
Canning Books: {Some of my favorites}
- Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
-This book should pretty much be known as the bible of home preserving. Not only does it have all of the basics plus a lot more, pretty much everyone I know who cans owns it.
- Tart and Sweet: 101 Canning and Pickling Recipes for the Modern Kitchen
Perfect if you want to learn about small-batch canning!
- Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It: And Other Cooking Projects –
Ohmygoodness the recipes in this book are the bomb.
- The Everything Canning and Preserving Book– Just like it says in the title, it covers everything!
- Urban Pantry: Tips and Recipes for a Thrifty, Sustainable and Seasonal Kitchen
– Avid chef and gardener Amy Pennington demystifies canning and pickling for the urban kitchen.
- The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook– Not only does this book include more than 100 original jam, jelly, and marmalade recipes, but master jam artisan Rachel Saunders shares all of her technical preserving knowledge, as well as her unique jam maker’s perspective on fruit.
- Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round
– I loved this book because it gives tips for canning all year round.
- Put ‘em Up!: A Comprehensive Home Preserving Guide– The step-by-step instructions in Put ‘em Up will have the most timid beginners filling their pantries and freezers with the preserved goodness of summer in no time.
- The Amish Canning Cookbook: Plain and Simple Living at Its Homemade Best- There really is a part of me that thinks I should have been born Amish. I crave that simple lifestyle, so of course I totally love this book!
Well there you have it, all my favorite canning supplies all in one spot. And if you are looking for some tried and true tested recipes, pop on over HERE where you’ll find my favorite 54 Canning Recipes in Season Order. That way, you can browse everything in one place, and plan out your 2018 can-a-palooza {totally a thing}.
Happy Canning!
~Mavis
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Joanna says
Some other tips:
If you have a ceramic top or glass top range/cooktop, and your owner’s manual says you are able to can on it, Presto is the only canner you can use. It has a flat disc on the bottom that is the size of the burner, and won’t encroach on the rest of the cooktop like the All American will.
The classic speckled enamel water bath pot also cannot be used on a glass cooktop, as the bottom is ridged and you have to use flat pots.
If you have a Presto and it has a dial gauge, you can take off the black-topped mushroom-looking weight and replace it with a three-piece weight regulator to keep the pressure constant. Dial regulators have to be calibrated every year, and you need to be in the kitchen to watch it to make sure the pressure doesn’t drop. With the three-piece, you just put the number of pieces you need (each piece is worth 5lb of pressure) and listen to it rock consistently. They’re available on Amazon or through the Presto site.
Deb K says
i haven’tcanned anything before. Is it possible to can fruit if you’re not allowed to eat sugar? I figured jams and jellies, etc. we’re probably out but not sure about anything else with fruit. Thanks for any advise.
Teresa says
Deb,
You can preserve without sugar, Fruits like pears, cherries, peaches will need some ascorbic acid added (Fruit Fresh is a brand name) Jams and jellies can be made without sugar also. Look for the sugar-free pectin boxes and follow the instructions. My father-in-law was a diabetic and I canned various things for him for years, all sugar free. Check with your local Extension Service they are a good source of information too. Hope that helps.
Deb K says
Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.
Gee says
As Teresa said, you just need to get sugar-free pectin. I use Ball “low or no sugar needed pectin.” The label folds out and gives you directions for various types of fruit, which is very handy.
Deb K says
Thanks.
Wendy L says
I enjoy using 2006 Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. It’s 400 recipes are very good. We have tried several with good results. Costco carries the book.
Deb K says
Thanks.
E in Upstate NY says
Mavis, some comments to add about canning.
For your Canadian readers, Bernardin is the Canadian side of Ball. They too sell jars and canning books.
If you are gifted Great Aunt Mary or Grandma’s canning supplies, if the canning books are older than 1970 era [sorry don’t remember exact cut off date], enjoy reading canning history. Testing has proven that certain procedures and recipes in these earlier books are not safe.
If gifted old unused canning lids, yes, they can be used. However, they do need to be cleaned [sterilized] and when preparing them to use, they need to be boiled. Canning lids sold today have a different sealing material which are to be heated, not boiled.
In North America, the ultimate site for safe canning recipes and instructions is the National Center for Home Food Preservation, nchfp.uga.edu/.
Be aware that some of the recipes in the Amish canning book that you have listed are not safe. Pinterest is a common place to research recipes. There too are posted many interesting and intriguing recipes which are not safe. Many places will say that their recipes are tested. There are two kinds of testing: one for taste and ease in making, and the other, for safety. Many places do the first kind, very few do the second.
My observation is that in the global world of canning, the US has the most invested into safe canning procedures and have the most stringent testing. One can go to other countries and find procedures and recipes that are deemed unsafe here. For example jelly/jam just turned upside down to seal. [not being water bathed.]
Sorry, this is much longer than originally intended. No one wants to give their family members food poisoning, and using unsafe canning recipes has the potential of doing just that.
All the above being said, agree with you, Mavis, canning is the bomb. For many years, couldn’t have fed my family as well as I did if I hadn’t canned.
Jamie says
Thank you for your long comment! So many good points I agree with!
Donna says
I don’t know if you’ve heard about them, but Tattler does make reusable canning lids that can be used for many years. So you’re not having to run out and buy more lids.
https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=tattler+reusable+canning+lids&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=78615135639705&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=t&ref=pd_sl_1wlei9a7nm_e
Happy canning,
Pat says
These are awesome! I had my husband get me a bunch for Christmas a few years ago.
Dena says
Before buying canning lids, check the box for the copyright date (the “C” with a circle around it). Buy or use only a box with a date that is less than 3 years from the currant year. I called the Ball company as I happened upon a really good sale for boxes of lids (that a lot of stores keep from year to year). The Ball rep told me that the rubber on the Ball lids has what could be called, a ‘use by date’ for initial use. Once heated onto the canning jar, they are good for a number of years, but PRIOR to that, use a box of lids with the date closest to the year you are in currently. Using lids from 4 or more years ago can lead to not sealing properly, & then all your work for that jar(s) is wasted. Not to bad for a 20 minute pressure canning session, but if you’re spending 90 minutes canning salmon, then you want to make sure that 90 minutes is well spent.
I also got a 2 burner propane stove, as my glass top stove/oven in my kitchen had a weight limit (for warranty purposes) of 24 lbs; that is the weight of my pressure cannier EMPTY. If I had it to do over again, I would get the 3 burner: 1 burner for the pressure cannier, 1 burner for the water bath heating the glass jars, & 1 burner for either heating the lids or heating the produce! I can on my back porch, & have a system down now, but it is necessary to have a good check list so one is not constantly running through the screen door back into the kitchen for forgotten items!
debbie in alaska says
Mavis, does your home have an attic fan? When I lived in New England we didn’t have AC but we had an attic fan that would pull in outside evening air and push out the hot air from the house and it was magical!! I would choose that any day over AC. New England summers are indeed humid. Hope your body loves it.
Mavis Butterfield says
I don’t think it does.
Gee says
Or you can try what we did when we were in our big old Victorian house. We put a whole-house fan in the top half of an upstairs room. Then we’d open all the downstairs windows at night. The fan would draw the cool air in and cool the whole house. Then we’d close all the windows in the morning and the house would stay at least twenty degrees cooler than outside. We’d also close the curtains on the south side to prevent the sun from heating the house.
Gee says
Actually, we put the fan in the top half of a window upstairs. Duh.
Gee says
I just wanted to add another excellent canning book to your list: “Growing and Canning Your Own Food” by Jackie Clay-Atkinson from Backwoods Home Magazine fame. It’s available on Amazon. I mention it for the adventurous who want to try canning (and/or growing) your own meats. I’ve been doing it for several years now. If you want a really quick, good dinner, can up some chicken breasts and some hamburg. The meat is ready to go, and it’s not taking up space in the freezer. 🙂
This book also has some recipes for meals-in-a-jar that are very handy, also, not to mention being yummy.
HollyG says
We found an Weck electric canner on Craigslist last year. The man found it in the back of his father’s hardware store – it had been a store display and never used. I love it because I can plug it in out on the back deck and can there so I don’t heat up the house. It even has a steam juicer attachment.
Fancy Pantry – 1986 by Helen Witty is another great canning book. It has wonderful, small-batch recipes.
Linda Noss says
Agree with you Mavis, canning is addictive. Such a neat skill to learn. A great way to eat healthy and save money. Hard to fall asleep sometimes thinking of what to can next. Love your site. Good luck in New England.
Dana says
Has anyone tried canning with an electric pressure cooker? I had luck with salsa and hot sauce last summer but the cucumbers were so mushy.
mandy says
I can’t wait to see you put that burner to use. I dream of canning outdoors. So loving this new chapter in your life 🙂
SandyF says
Have you checked out the bakery “3 Little Figs” in MA 278 Highland Ave Somerville, MA 02143
Also-I am a Master Food Preserver. We can only teach to use Ball or similar canning jars-not Weck.
You can contact and Master Food Preserve website or often attend free workshops. The closest program to you is in ME. https://extension.umaine.edu/food-health/food-preservation/master-food-preservers/
They require some volunteer hours, but it is great fun and supports local farms,food safety and promotes healthy eating. It may be a bit far for you-but it is a wonderful program!