The Time Is Now For Pressure & Water bath Canning - Quarantine 2020

So, you have decided to become a preserver (canner) of the harvest. You know your freezer is small and so is your storage space. The first thing you want to do is get a book, a book about safe canning. You must read it. You must "follow the recipe," just like Colette said in Ratatouee. The science of what can be preserved and how and for how long and in what type of container has been done for you. No, you don't need a granny to teach you. There is a group of scientists that have already done all the work. 

There are books you can buy, like this Bernardin Book (the Ball Book equivalent in Canada) on canning and preserving, just make sure it is the latest edition. This is why I purchased this new edition since mine was 6 years old. 

Here is a paper copy of the USDA free home canning guide I had printed, bound, and mailed to me from a local print shop. It is spiral-bound and in black and white, but it is an extensive safe manual on canning. It is also available for free download from their website. I just want a paper copy for safety reasons, like power outages. 

Once you have read the books and understand the fundamentals, you are going to need jars. Mason canning jars. Approved canning jars, not leftover jars from other foods. 

These days they are like gold, hard to find and the online retailers are gouging poor canners who are on their normal pantry jar runs. Canners are wanting to increase their pantry size in case this winter turns into a festival of quarantine again. The pressure is from the crisis and also from new members of the canning club who are buying what normally would be regular inventory. Try to find canning lids, they are also like gold. 

If you are a serious canner and want to branch out to low acid foods there is the need for a pressure canner. 

This is my 23-quart Presto Pressure canner. When I started pressure canning 6 years ago it was hard to find, like, very hard because pressure canning was not a normal pursuit. Now it is impossible to find a pressure canner anywhere in North America.

I am a freezer girl. I like to have single ingredients for meals frozen. Having shelf-stable supplies is an interest I developed as a hobby. These days it seems I chose the right hobby.

Today I am water bath canning half-sliced peaches in syrup. Why? Because they were on sale 10 pounds for $9.99 and because I could NOT find canned peaches at the store. I will be posting that adventure next. 

I am roasting Jalapenos on the BBQ this evening because I have some leftover from making cowboy candy, 1 1/2 pounds left, and I will freeze them in a vac-sealed bag for hubby's meals in winter.

I also have a small basket of red peppers I will roast and again vac-seal and freeze for my future tomato sauces. It is time to prepare the food supplies for winter. We are all squirrels and this winter might prove more difficult than last. 

~ Cookin Mum ~