From: "Ruth Gallot" member of Frugal=Folks-Life

A few people have asked about canning recently and I feel like I have 
given vague and perhaps less than satisfactory answers which was not 
intended to be difficult, but rather because canning is a huge 
subject.  There are volumes written on it.  So I thought I would type 
up a few basic points that might help people to get started.  Please 
understand that these are MY opinions only as a home canner, not as 
anything else.  I realize that different people have different 
standards and ideas, which I respect.  I tend to go for the most 
cautious in order to be assured of safety as much as possible.  
Everyone needs to make their own decisions about this, please do not 
flame me if you disagree with any of this and accept it in the spirit 
it is offered.

When I say Canning (also called "jarring" in some areas), I refer to 
preserving food in glass jars/bottles.  There are three primary ways 
of doing this:

Freezer: many jams do well frozen in jars.  There are special jars 
for freezing (the box will say so) but pretty much any jar can be 
used for freezing.  It is just that the Freezer jars may not 
withstand the other two methods.  

Hot-Water Bath: shorter sealing times used for foods with higher acid 
content like pickles and high acid fruits.

Pressure Canning: longer canning times used for low acid foods like 
veggies and meats.

Jars can be purchased at most hardware and grocery stores but tend to 
be seasonally available in some areas.  The currently accepted (and 
most readily available) jars have two piece lids, a "dome" top and a 
screw ring.  The jars and screww rings can be used over and over 
again, the dome tops are once shot deals and can be bought 
seperately.  There are several brands out there, Ball and Kerr are 
the most popular and are virtually the same now as they are made by 
the same company, Alltrista Corp.  There is another brand often 
available in discount stores, GOlden HArvest, which I have found work 
just fine and a re a little cheaper.  I get alot of my jars at yard 
sales or from people who have them abround the house and want to get 
rid of them.

The USDA regualrly updates recommendations on canning times as food 
is not the same as it was in our grandmother's day.  For example, hot 
water bath canning used to be considered fine for tomatoes which 
certainly have acid in them.  However, because hybridization tomatoes 
now have less acid so it is recommended to either pressure can them 
or add some lemon juice to the water.  

You can check directly with the USDA for info or your local Extension 
Service is a wonderful resource...could become your best friend as 
you learn this.  It is a free service.  

A good beginnner book is The Ball Blue Book available at places that 
sell canning jars (grocery stores, hardware stores, Walmart, etc.).  
I have also used and would recommend:  "Putting Food By" 
and "Stocking Up III" (it is a third, updated edition).  "The Joy of 
Pickling" is another good book. These are more expensive but may be 
available at your local library.  

Equipment: For Hot Water Bath canning, all you need is a BIG pot, a 
round wire rack for the bottom, some way of lifting your jars out of 
the boiling water safely (there are jar lifters), a kitchen timer, 
and of course jars.  Other equipment I would recommend are a wide 
mouth funnel, a ladel and a lot of kitchen towels (I always make a 
mess).  A pressure canner is a good investment if you plan to do 
veggies and can be purchased for under $50.  Ours is well over 30 
years old and still going strong.  You can hot-water bath can in a 
pressure canner, too, just don't put on the lid.  By the way a 
pressure cooker and a pressure canner are not the same.  Pressure 
canners are bigger to hold more jars.

Canning Soups:  When deciding on canning times for your mixed 
produce, always can for the longest length of time.  For example if 
you are canning plain tomato soup or sauce (some acid) it is one time 
but if you add mushrooms (virtually no acid) the canning time is much 
longer.  Also, the USDA currently considers it dangerous to can soups 
containing milk (like chowders).

Canning Meat: I have never done this as we do not raise our own meat 
so I can not offer much information other than to say it can be done 
with a pressure canner.  

Having said all this, I would like to assure people that canning is 
really quite easy and a wonderful way of preserving your harvest.  
Canned produce is not vulnerable to electricity outages like frozen 
produce (a real issue for us who live in a cold climate and out in 
the country).  We have occasionally lost a jar to breakage but the 
loss has been minimal.  It can and often is a very HOT thing to do as 
the veggies become ready just when the temp seems to be the highest.  
But it is worth it.  Home canned goods make wonderful and inexpensive 
gifts (last years batch of hot fudge and hot butterscotch sauces were 
a HUGE hit with my friends).  And I just love the look of my pantry 
when it is stocked with multi-colored gleaming jars.  It is a 
wonderful, homey and satisfying feeling just to look at them.  

Sorry to go on and on but it looked like a lot of people were 
interest so I thought I would try to help.  Give it a try...you won't 
be disappointed.  Please feel free to email me privately if you have 
questions or of course, you can post questions here on the board.  

Have agreat day,
Ruth in Maine (who wishes she had veggies to can right now...will 
this cold soggy weather ever stop?!)