Without a pot to can in...

[westtxamber]

So, I sort of stumbled my way into wanting to be a prepper and canning seems to be an obvious way to go. I know nothing about canning, other than what I've pulled up online. I want to go and get the supplies needed for it but I'm not sure what I should be looking for. I've heard about pressure canners and I've seen you can use a regular pot of hot water, but is one better than the other? I'm on a tight budget so I can't afford to be wrong and so I turn to you guys... what's the most inexpensive route to go when I want to be able to can cooked foods? Also jar lids, is there a more reliable brand when it comes to sealing? If you guys have any tips or tricks for a beginner please post! Thanks guys.

 

[Wannabefree]

Water bath (big pot) is just for high acid foods like tomatoes, pickles, jellies and jams. There are alot of things that can't be canned in a water bath. If you want to can things like green beans you'll need a pressure canner. Hope that helps.

 

[so lucky]

You may want to go to the library and check out some books on preserving and home canning. There is too much necessary information to be relayed in a post or two. Also, if you know anyone who owns and uses a pressure canner, you might want to ask if you could observe/help can a batch or two of something. Pressure canners cost around $80 or so, even for a cheaper one. Don't rush into making a purchase till you know what you want. Good luck--with spring and summer coming, there will be lots of stuff to can!

 

[~gd]

You may want to go to the library and check out some books on preserving and home canning. There is too much necessary information to be relayed in a post or two. Also, if you know anyone who owns and uses a pressure canner, you might want to ask if you could observe/help can a batch or two of something. Pressure canners cost around $80 or so, even for a cheaper one. Don't rush into making a purchase till you know what you want. Good luck--with spring and summer coming, there will be lots of stuff to can!

The coopertive extension service out of your county Ag office [even counties that don't have Ag-business have Ag offices, Fed funds] often offer canning advice and even lessons on safely canning foods. Check the phone book of your county seat. Since we have a lot of people that pressure can you can even take your presser canner in for a safety check on the seal and pressure guage. Ours won't recommend a brand but will give data on safety.

 

[k15n1]

If you buy a pressure canner, you can use it as a water bath, too. Just leave the vent open... You should be able to buy a pressure canner (not a pressure cooker) for under 100 $. Don't worry about gasket-less models. They're nice, but much more expensive and the advantage will not exhibit itself for years and years. Better to get started on the SS life. When canning is a habit, you'll have saved so much money you can upgrade!

You can use any tall-enough pot for the boiling-water-bath method. Check out Savers, etc. Make a wire mesh rack to keep the jars off the very bottom of the pot. Several layers of metal screen will work. I made mine out of fencing wire, and it's better than the one I bought. It's less tippy, etc. Lifting the entire rack out seems like a good idea, but I didn't find myself using that feature. I've even heard of people using a wash rag in a pinch, not that I'd recommend it.

 

[snapshot]

Before I got my bottom rack I would put down canning rings in the bottom of the pot. Worked fine and for free. And Amber, I went and got (ordered) a copy of the Ball Blue Book before I got any supplies. It tells exactly what is needed for what type of canning.

 

[ORChick]

Unless you have a burning need/desire to start pressure canning right now (Deer carcass hanging in the garage or a field of beans) I would strongly recommend starting with the water bath canning. You can can fruit this way, as well as jams and jellies, and pickles ... and it is a good way to learn the basic steps. As stated, you can use a large pot (soup kettle/stock pot) as long as you can rig up a bottom rack to keep the jars off the bottom. Or, lacking a big pot, you can buy a water bath canner (they are relatively cheap), and use it for other things (like making stock.) I water bath canned for years (decades! ) before I graduated up to pressure canning just last year, and was very familiar with the process, and had thought very long about whether pressure canning was for me, before ever having that large pressure producing device in my kitchen. (We don't particularly like canned veggies, so for a long time I never saw a good reason to take that extra step)

 

[pinkfox]

i agree with ORChick,
I would start with hot water bath methods, you can do fruit, anything high in acid ect this way, and its a good and cost effective way to get started...

after that it depends on What your planning on canning.
see for me, a pressure canner would probably go to waste, i dont eat much in terms of canned veggies...beyond the occasional can of peas or carrots im not a "veggie" person...
i do however go through alot of stewed diced ect tomatoes and pasta sauce ect and canned fruits, jams, ect...so for me personaly it makes more sense to just stick wiht waterbath canning right now since ill be doing mostly tomatoe based. i can freeze the extra veggies that cant be waterbath canned so it seems like a large investment for something i probably woudlnt get much use off for now at least.

 

[gram of 5]

I agree, start with "water bath" first. Get some good canning books from the library. Remember, follow directions, there isn't much deviating from the process. Too risky. I always make sure I start with a clean area.

If you are looking to purchase a water bath canner, I recommend yard sales, you can find jars at sales also. Not as common as they used to be, but they are there, if you go to lots of sales. Especially estate sales. A big (20 qt) soup pot will do, as long as the jars are covered by water and you have head space in the pot. Maybe even start with canning in pints. Just remember to put an old clean facecloth in the bottom of pot before you put your jars in. The jars should never "touch" the bottom of the pan. Also, when you do can, make sure you have a full pot of jars so when you are processing the water bath the jars don't fall over.

Lots to learn, but oh so rewarding. Just start small so you can see if you enjoy it. Tomatoes are a great way to start. Easy to process and very useful. Oh, I never reuse my canning lids to recan anything. Buy new lids, but you can also find clean/unrusted bands in yard sales.

If you eventually find you like it and want to get deeper into canning and do meats, soups and such a pressure canner is handy, but very expensive. Oh also, make sure you understand and follow directions. Even watch someone use a pressure canner and get tips from them. Lots of rules to follow there, but not impossible to do.

Hope you will enjoy it as much as I do!!

Good luck!!

 

[Beekissed]

The Blue Ball Canning Book~a must! Just a pamphlet that tells how long to cook different kinds of jars of food, how to jar it, how to get the lids to seal, etc.