This time of the year I always have a lot of extra vegetables from the garden. But I don’t want them to go to waste so I’ve turned to home canning as a way to help preserve them and cut down on our out of pocket expenses at the same time. Vegetable canning is easy once you get all of the supplies bought, but the initial cost is worth the investment I promise. Scour rummage sales, thrift stores, and online bargain sites for the canning supplies you will need to cut down on your out of pocket expenses. But just remember, you will get your money back after just a few years.
Things you will need in order to start your vegetable canning adventure include:
A water bath canner or pressure cooker. A water bath canner is a large pot with a rack inserted inside to fit the jars. If you choose to jar preserves, fruits, or pickle foods, a water bath canner would be the best choice of equipment. A pressure cooker canner is a heavy-duty pot with a steam tight lid, is the best choice and I use it for vegetables and meats.
Jars, lids, and screw bands need to be sterilized to cut down on your bacteria growing which could lead to spoiled food. Canning involves a procedure that vacuum seals food in jars and, when those jars are heated, air is let out disabling the growth of bacteria that can spoil the foods.
Growing your own vegetables in the garden is a very frugal way to have items to can. But if you don’t have room for a garden visit your local farmer’s market to get your fresh fruit and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables homegrown or purchased locally are extremely cost effective, support your local farmers, and are healthy choices for you and your family.
While it may seem like a time-consuming endeavor, canning and preserving when done once can yield several months or an entire season worth of fruits, vegetables, and meats that you can just grab and go when it is mealtime. The food is preserved by you, grown by you, and tasty as well as saving money and time in preparing an everyday meal.
Canning Green Beans
Pick, wash, and snap your green beans then place into your jars. Boil water to cover your green beans with and add a teaspoon of salt to each jar. Pour boiling water over your beans, put on the flat (that was in boiling water), screw down your lid until tightly in place. Then place into your pressure canner and pressure cook them for 10 pounds for 20 minutes. Let the steam cool, remove the lid, then remove your jars and let them cool for 24 hours before putting them into the cabinet. Make sure they sealed before you store them other wise you will have a surprise on your hands that isn’t so pleasant.
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