Summer Harvest Canning 101

Summer harvest has arrived and it is full of abundance! We want to make sure none of this wonderful, delicious, and nutritious food we have grown doesn’t go to waste! We aim to enjoy what we grow year-round by drying, fermenting, freezing and canning our food. Today, we will show you how to can and preserve foods from the garden or a local farmers harvest to enjoy the pleasures of home grown food year round!

1. Wash jars to remove any foreign oils or soaps from packaging facility.
2. Sterilize jars by inserting them (gently!) into boiling water that is at a rolling boil for five minutes.
3. Prepare your fruit by making to taste with maple syrup, salt, or lemon, depending on which fruit you use.
4. Make sure fruit substance is at a hotter temperature so jars don’t crack from cold-to-hot expansion.
5. Once sterilized jars have been filled, allow the air to escape from the jars either by tapping the sides or carefully mixing the jars contents.
6. Using brand new lids, apply lids to top, then apply rings over lids.
7. Tighten rings, then go back and very slightly loosen them allowing air to escape when heating and sealing jars in next step.
8. Once water is at a boil, carefully place jars in for 15-20 minutes to seal them. Make sure the water is about 1 inch over the top of the jars to ensure the sealing is effective (Time sealing is dependent on size of jars).
9. Pull jars out of the boiling water pot with the appropriate tools and let sit to cool.
10. Label your jars with the name of contents, date, and batch number for quality control purposes.
11. Enjoy your homemade canned goods!