One Hundred Dollars a Month

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