Get started canning using these four tips!

Our backstory:

My husband and I both grew up with family members who canned food straight from their gardens. I remember my Grandma always having canned items in her cabinets, pulling them down every so often to use or serve at family functions. I now regret not learning more about preserving food while she was still living. She was the type of person who would jot down recipes only she could understand on a piece of paper or note card. She didn't have exact measurements written down, because in her head she knew exactly how much she needed. I have her "recipe" for pickled beets (my Dad's favorite), and believe me when I say, it was an adventure trying to get in her head and figure out what she wrote. I once proudly gifted two quarts of beets to my Dad for Father's Day, only to later find out that I added WAY too many whole cloves. So much, that his entire mouth went numb after the first bite! I've humbly been trying to make up for that moment ever since! I'm sure Grandma would have gotten a kick out of that. After doing some research and finding recipes that accurately achieved the end result I was looking for, I was able to fill in the gaps and can closely resemble her beet recipe, that is approved by my Dad, too! It's one of our many favorite recipes to use today!

Needless to say, we aren't experts when it comes to canning. Joe gleaned a lot of preserving wisdom from his parents and grandparents. Together, we have had many trial and error situations. When we began our first garden in 2011, we went in with the knowledge that it was going to be hard to keep up with all of the produce we were harvesting unless we put up our crop, because when Joe plants a garden, it's NOT a small garden. We didn't have the supplies needed to can our produce, so we turned to freezing. We froze fresh salsa that year and the next two years, and it worked for us. We were given my Grandma's old canner and decided to give it a go in the future when we had enough jars and lids. In 2014, we finally jumped in!

From our garden, we were able to can our first batches of salsa. Our first round was made with our yellow tomatoes. It ended up looking more like Italian dressing! I had acquired a lot of peaches from a coworker at the time, so we also made peach pie filling. The second attempt at salsa was much better with regular red tomatoes. Our neighbors had an abundance of apples from their apple trees, and they shared some with us, so we went ahead and made applesauce, apple pie filling, and apple butter as well! Not bad for year one!

All that to say, here are some tips we learned in preserving a bountiful harvest year after year: As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission with the links included in this post.

1. PLAN AHEAD

Make sure you have enough supplies. To start out, you'll need: - Glass jars (our favorites are these Ball wide mouth quart jars, or regular mouth)

- Lids and rings (good to have on hand even if the jars come with the lids and rings, because lids aren't reusable!) Find them here: Wide Mouth Lids or Regular Mouth Lids

- Pressure cooker (for canned goods such as green beans or potatoes)

- OPTIONAL: Turkey fryer (for canned goods needing a water bath, such as salsa, tomatoes, pickles, beets, jalapenos, etc.)

2. HAVE YOUR PRESSURE COOKER GAUGE TESTED ANNUALLY

Having this tested ensures that the amount of pressure shown is accurate. This minimizes the risk of the food not being cooked properly, which can cause serious or deadly foodborne illness. You can get the gauge tested at your local county extension office.

3. FOLLOW A TRUSTED RECIPE

Don't just throw together your produce and pray it works. Always follow a trusted recipe. I have a Ball recipe book that I love to flip through and learn. Mostly all of our recipes that I'll share on this blog are handed down from our family members.

4. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE PROPER STORAGE SPACE

We generally store our canned goods in our safe room. It is recommended to store them in a dark, cool environment.

Above all, don't be afraid of the process. Just start!

You can find more on canning in other blog posts we share under the "Harvest" tab!