So I very fortunate that my grandmother canned when she was younger and was able to get the whole work up of canning supplies! It's not something that you necessarily need but i will link all the canning supplies I have right here if you want to take a look!
First and foremost: ANY POT CAN BE USED FOR CANNING!!!! All you need is a pot that can fit your jar in it with an inch of water above the lid!! So if you have a big soup pot or pasta pot it can be used for canning! All you need to get started is a pot, jars, and your items to can! Now many wont agree with this statement but almost anything you can can be canned in a water bather!! Look up a rebel canning group on facebook and research more!! I'm not big into pressure canning and back in the day I'm sure they didn't really have pressure canners (I could be wrong but from wary I've found they didnt) but they canned everything to preserve it!!
I will post a recipe below that i used for my carrots recently and will be using for all my vegetables this summer! I plan on switching everything in my pantry from store bought cans to veggies and sauces i have personally canned!!! I want to know what is in my food and have control over what my kids are eating to make sure they aren't filling themselves with preservatives and chemicals!
To water bath its pretty easy! Follow whatever recipe you are using ( the one i follow is below) and get the jars ready! While getting the jars ready boil the water in the pot you plan on canning! Also get a small pot and boil the lids you plan on using on the jars! Fill up the jars according to your recipe and put on a lid from the pot (be careful they will be hot) and add a ring over top. Tighten it just tight enough that it secures the lid but not too tight. Once all the jars have lids and rings on top it's item to can!! MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SOMETHING ON THE BOTTOM OF YOUR POT TO KEEP THE JARS FROM DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE PAN!! You dont want your jars to shatter so make sure you have something lining the bottom of the pan! I have an insert but if you google there are many different things you can use to keep them from touching the bottom of the pot! Next stick you jars into the boiling water and let them process for the amount of time your recipe calls for! recipe and item will call for a different time so make sure you read! Once the time is up put a towel down on your counter and carefully remove your jars from the pot and set them down on the towel.
Leave them sit for 12-24 hours to make sure they seal properly! Some cans may ping when they seal so be on the lookout so it doesn't startle you like it did me!
When the 12-24 hours are up take the rings off the top of the jars. If you can pick up the entire jar buy grabbing the lid then they are sealed properly and can be stored in you pantry for 6 months to a year easily! Make sure you periodically check your seals to make sure none of them pop open and spoil! My first time trying it found an easy chocolate syrup recipe so if they didn't seal I didn't waste tons of money in vegetables! If they dont seal properly you can always try to reprocess them or you can stick them in the fridge and eat them within the next few days! As I'm making my way through this journey i am learning and realizing it's not that hard to preserve! Sure its a learning curb but once you get the hang of it you will be saying why didn't i do this sooner like i am! The hardest part i feel is if making a sauce or something harder like that is prepping the sauce to be canned! From there it's a walk in the park! If i can do this with 6 kids and a hectic life I'm sure you can too! Let me know if you decide to can or use the recipe below! I'd love to hear others experiences!!
