Canning

Open can of green beans

Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container, including jars, as well as and steel and tin cans. Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although under specific circumstances, it can be much longer. A freeze-dried canned product, such as canned dried lentils, could last as long as thirty years in an edible state.

Materials needed

• Glass, for mason jars
• Some kind of metal for a strong lid
• Rubber or Wax for sealing
• A large pot of or pressure canner
• A jar-lifter
• Clean towels

Crafting instructions

There are two main methods to canning food water bath canning (for high-acid foods) and pressure canning (for low-acid foods)

Water bath canning

1. Sterilize jars by boiling or washing in hot, soapy water.
2. Fill jars, leaving appropriate headspace (1/2" to 1")
3. Wipe rims and apply lid
4. Submerge jars in boiling water (must cover jars by 1–2 inches)
5. Process jars for the time specified in a recipe (depends on altitude/food).
6. Remove jars with a jar lifter, place on a towel, and let cool 12–24 hours.
7. Check seals—press the center of the lid; it should not pop up.
8. Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate any unsealed jars.

Pressure Canning

1. Sterilize jars by boiling or washing in hot, soapy water.
2. Fill jars, leaving appropriate headspace (1/2" to 1")
3. Wipe rims, apply lid
4. Place jars in the pressure canner with the recommended amount of water.
5. Seal canner and vent steam for 10 minutes before applying pressure weight.
6. Process at pressure (usually 10–15 PSI) for the time your recipe calls for.
7. Let pressure drop naturally before opening.
8. Remove jars, cool, check seals, and store.

Dependencies

• Steel
• Glass
• Tin
  • Canning
    • Food

See also

• Food preservation
• Pot-in-pot refrigerator
• Refrigeration

References

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Canning, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors).

External links

• Andress, Elizabeth; Kuhn, Gerald. (1998rev.) "II. Early History of USDA Home Canning Recommendations". Critical Review of Home Preservation Literature and Current Research. University of Georgia
• Andress, Elizabeth. (2014rev.) "II. Using Boiling Water Canners". Preserving Food: Using Boiling Water Canners. Athens, GA: University of Georgia, Cooperative Extension.
• Absorption refrigerator. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.