A documentation of my preservation and preparation of local foods as I work through the seasons. This will serve as a reference tool for me in the future and as a sharing guide for family and friends...and anyone else interested. Hopefully, I can offer some useful methods, tips and recipes to share with everyone--be they novice or pro--and encourage them to join me in the exciting world of preserving and cooking with local foods.



Thursday, August 11, 2011

A few Canning Tips

Here's two canning tips that you won't find in the books:
Tip #1:  To heat my jars, I use my roaster.  I fill it with jars, either standing or laying down, then add water in and around the jars.  I turn the setting to 200 and forget about them until I'm ready to use them.  (Don't turn much past 200 or the water will boil and the jars may break when you take them out to fill them.)  I also toss in the lids and bands to heat.  As you take some out, add new ones.  For smaller or fewer jars, you could also use a large, deep electric fry pan.

This keeps the jars out of your way but always ready to use.

Tip #2:  Get a pair of gloves with rubber palms and finger tips.  These are so handy when: putting the lids and bands on hot jars, handling hot jars going into or coming out of the canner, keeping hands safe when using a food slicer or knife...  The pair I like most came from Menards.  They are pictured below, called "HyFlex Foam--Ansell".  I like them because the rubber extends over the fingertips, the material part is mesh so your hands won't sweat, they are washable.

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