My Advice for Learning How to Can Safely

Food preserving is near and dear to my heart, and there are so many wonderful blogs and social media accounts sharing canning recipes. But while browsing, I keep running into something that worries me: canning methods that aren't safe, and recipes someone simply "came up with."

A quick caveat: I'm not a canning expert. I'm someone who has read, and re-read, trusted references like the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. (Both are usually available at your local library.)

Why It Matters: Botulism

Once, buried in the comments of a popular canning post, I found a note from a Cooperative Extension food safety agent. She warned that the recipe contained low-acid ingredients and thickeners, so it was not safe for water-bath canning. It needed a pressure canner and a tested recipe. Yikes.

Improperly canned low-acid foods can harbor the bacteria that cause botulism, a rare but potentially deadly illness. It's uncommon, but home-canned foods are one of its most frequent sources. The risk rises when people skip tested recipes, experiment with low-acid ingredients, or take processing shortcuts.

How to Can Safely as a Beginner

• Learn from a reliable source. Start with tested guidance from the USDA, the National Center for Home Food Preservation, your local Cooperative Extension office, or Ball.
• Use tested recipes only, and follow them exactly, including jar sizes, headspace, and processing times. Don't add extra low-acid ingredients like onions, peppers, or garlic to a water-bath recipe, and don't thicken before canning.
• Know your method. High-acid foods like most fruits, jams, and pickles can be water-bath canned. Low-acid foods like vegetables, meats, beans, and soups must be pressure canned.
• Adjust for altitude. Processing times and pressures change with elevation.
• Remember: anyone can start a blog. You don't have to be suspicious of every post, but think critically and confirm recipes against tested sources.
• Beware of "we've always done it this way." "My grandma did it this way and we're fine" isn't proof that a method is safe.
• When in doubt, throw it out. Never taste food from a jar with a bulging lid, leaks, spurting liquid, or an off smell.

Don't Let This Scare You Off!

My goal isn't to frighten anyone away from canning. It's a wonderful skill, and few things are as satisfying as a row of jewel-toned jars you put up yourself, especially from produce you grew or picked. I just want you to be safe and successful.

Trusted Canning Resources

• National Center for Home Food Preservation: USDA-tested recipes and the Complete Guide to Home Canning
• Ball Fresh Preserving: beginner guides, videos, and recipes
• Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving
• Your county's Cooperative Extension office, which often offers canning classes and pressure-canner gauge testing

Want to start with an easy, beginner-friendly project? Try canning applesauce.

What intimidates you about canning? Or if you're a pro, what advice would you give a beginner?