Tools of the Trade
The following is a list of the basic canning equipment a home canner will need to operate. Now is the time to take an inventory of your canning supplies and equipment and start gathering screwbands, lids, and jars. If your pressure canner uses a rubber gasket, get a pair of them. If a gasket blows in the middle of a canning project, you’ll need the replacement right at your fingertips.
Check out your local thrift shops and see if you can get a supply of Mason jars cheap. You may have to ask because they don’t always put out jars. Also post a note on your local Freecycle network; sometimes you can get canning equipment, and all it costs is the gas to go pick it up.
Fact
Until the mid-1800s, canning jars included tin lids and sealing wax. Then John Mason created a jar with a threaded lid that was reusable. This innovation was followed by the Lightning jars of Henry Putnam (with easily sealed lid clamps), Ball Jars, and Kerr jars (self-sealing jars with wide mouth). The Kerr system with sealing lids is the one used today.
Basic Canning Equipment
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One or more canning books with recipes (This makes one!)
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Water-bath canner (You can use a large stockpot with a lid. Any pot used as a water-bath canner must have a rack to keep the jars off the bottom.)
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Pressure canner if you intend to put up vegetables, meats, and non-acidic products
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Canning jars—pints, quarts, and jelly Mason jars
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Lids and rings
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Large spoons for mixing and stirring
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Metal soup ladles
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Sharp paring knives
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Veggie peelers
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Canning funnel
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Colander and/or large strainer
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Large slotted spoons
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Measuring cups and spoons
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Squeezer or juicer
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Food mill, food processor, and/or blender
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Canning-jar lifter and lid wand
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Stirrer for getting air bubbles out of jars
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Kitchen timer
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Cheesecloth for making spice balls or large tea balls
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Pickling or canning salt, Fruit-Fresh, powdered and liquid pectin, and ClearJel A
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Kitchen towels
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Aprons
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Disposable rubber gloves
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Long-handled jar scrubber
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Kitchen scale (optional)
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Jelly bags (optional)
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Zester, mandolin, melon baller, apple peeler, or cherry pitter (optional)
Jars, Lids, and Screwbands
Only Mason jars are safe for canning. Commercial jars like those used for mayonnaise and peanut butter were designed for one-time use only. They may crack or shatter in either a water bath or a pressure canner. While the old bail-wire jars look pretty, they are no longer recommended for canning. Save the antique jars for storage purposes.
Use canning jars in sizes suitable for the product and your family’s needs. Canning jars generally are sold in half-pint, pint, and quart sizes with wide and regular mouths. Wide-mouth jars are convenient for packing such foods as whole tomatoes and peach halves. Quart jars are convenient for vegetables and fruits if your family has four or more members.
Essential
Canning as a preserving process gained its first foothold in nineteenth-century France. Napoleon was advancing, and the government offered a generous reward for someone to improve the way foods were preserved to feed the armies. Nicolas Appert won the prize by coming up with a way of cooking and sealing food in bottles fitted with corks, finished in a hot water bath.
Some commercial pasta sauces are packaged in Mason jars. Note, however, that they are not a full quart. Also, make absolutely certain that the screwband fits it perfectly, as some threading on these jars does not match that of the commercially available screwbands.
If you have extra unused lids, store them protected in a dry, cool place. A Rubbermaid storage box with a tight-fitting lid works quite well for storage of extra lids and screwbands. The U.S. Department of Agriculture does not recommend reusing lids because there is a chance they may not seal properly. Before storing used screwbands, wash them in hot soapy water, dry them well, and put them into your storage container.
