Books, books, books!! Once you read a few and get the necessities like a boiling water bath (BWB) canner, tongs, a rack, lid lifter, and funnel, and a few supplies like jars, and new lids. Your set to to go to the next level, which could be pickles or jellies. I would do the pickles first to get the feel of dealing with jars and heat processing. Then, do a few jellies, and decide if you want sugar or no sugar, or even a freezer jam. These all need a pectin to set, but some more experienced people have made jellies with no pectin added. An example is cranberry sauce. Boil the crans with sugar and they set up all by themsleves. Once you have some questions, suggest you search this forum as it contains quite a lot of recipes, tips, help, and many many other related questions about home canning, processing, pressure canning, preserving, meat curing, and even sausage making.

Most of the books have picture tutorials...old favorites like the Ball Blue book is the way I learned. You read the instructions thoroughly and then you put the book on the counter beside you and follow it step by step. I still do that after all these years. I don't want to waste my time and realize I have left off doing something that I needed to do...Waterbath canning is a great way to start but buy a canner and just get started by following the directions carefully.

You might advertise on your local freecycle or craigslist too and see if you can meet someone willing to teach you "in person". Otherwise, the Ball Blue Book is a must! Also, Ellie Topps Small Batch Preserving has good info.
Check your library for additional sources.

Just be sure that you have access to CURRENT information. Much has changed over the years as far as processing times, safety issues, etc. Many of our grandmothers were lucky! As science discovers more things, processes are updated.

Don't hesitate to ask questions here. Several are Master Food Preservers (trained through a local extension service) and others have years and years of experience. The best part is everyone is willing to share information and recipes!

Welcome to Harvest!!!
Deanna

Bookmark the National Center for Home Food Preservation. It's the crème de la crème of online sites for up-to-date information on canning. Also, if you scroll down the page you'll see a FREE self-paced online course to learn all the basics.

Happy preserving. As Deanna said, there're lots of people here to help.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: National Center for Home Food Preservation

Great! Thanks everyone for your suggestions and help. I'm eager to get started, and I'll start by reading that website, and checking into the recommended books. I really appreciate it!

Sally

Do some shopping for the necessary supplies and equipment too. The cost will be quite small for these, unless you go fancy with a pressure canner and plan to do some really 'serious' stuff, which may not be wise for a beginner. Here is a link to some of these basic items.

Here is a link that might be useful: Home canning setup

Sally, I learned (and am still learning) from books. It isn't difficult, and perfectly safe as long as you follow instructions and use recipes from good, reliable sources. Don't try to change or adjust recipes until you are confident that you know what you're doing. I, who never met a recipe I didn't want to alter don't mess around with anything more than a few spices when I'm following a recipe.

I first started on Bread and Butter Pickles. They're pretty easy and almost everyone likes them. Then I moved on to Jams, which are less fuss than Jellies.

The best advice I can give from my own experience is not to skimp on the quality of your ingredients. Good fruit makes good jam...bad fruit doesn't. Have fun!

I agree with you on the good quality ingredients - they make a big difference in the taste of food.

Thanks for the confidence boosting! I do try to follow a recipe at least the first time I make something (well, maybe not always...okay, maybe sometimes) lol, but I certainly will follow the recipe and directions while canning.

Sally

but I certainly will follow the recipe and directions while canning.

Then you have already learned the first, and most important lesson of canning. Way to go!

Welcome to the wonderful work of home food preservation!!! :-)

Dave

One of the easy things to do for pickles is to use a mix from Ball or Mrs. Wages. I use these for half sours and regular pickles of all kinds, sweet, B&B, dill, sour, etc. The mixes have spices and salt, and when I make a batch of something I also like adding fresh herbs, and mixing two brands of a dill pickle mix, or other type. In this way, you get a nicer flaver. My sweet mixed pickles are very good, and even when made with Splenda, you couldn't easily tell the difference, compared to lots of sugar. For pickling cukes, suggest using very fresh picked right from the garden, within minutes. The fresher they are, the crisper the pickles will be. A new product for home pickle making is Pickle Crisp. Its added to every jar prior to filling with a boiling brine. Be sure to also get plenty of vinegar, and the very necessary pickling salt, if a mix isn't used. Ever had pickled garlic cloves? YUM!

No, I haven't had pickled garlic cloves, but I have a feeling I'd love them.

I'm planning on growing cukes for the first time this summer. I've done squash and tomatoes and other summer veggies, but never cukes.

I got "Small Batch Preserving" from the library today.

This is going to be fun.

Sally

When you grow cukes, be sure they are the pickling kind. These are crunchier and smaller than regular cukes. There are several different varieies in the pickling cuke family. I start the seeds out in the garden. To ward off the downey mildew in late summer, I spray Serenade Solutions. Its also worked very well for melons and any squash type. Pickles also go great with dill, so plant some for the seeds and the feaves (weed) When I make the pickled garlic, I buy a 3 pound jar of peeled cloves from Costco. I simply cut off the dry tan color root end. Pack in jars, and mix pickling salt and white distilled vinegar with a little water to taste. Bring to a boil, pour brine ito the previously filled jars. Add red hot pepper flakes for some heat, or fresh dill weed for some dill flavored ones. I made them by the quart as you can sit down and eat a whole jar like peanuts! If you canning tomatoes, usually the meatier ones work best. Most plum types as well as an Oxheart are great choices. Less boiling out the water, the better the flavor. I'll be growing broccoli and seedless watermelon this year. The seeds cost $14 for about 6 seeds. Just planted bunch of shallots, and my Musik garlic is all green shoots now (was worried they would not sprout).

Sally, you've received lots of great suggestions and information from others here. Paul and Bernice Noll (an older couple in Oregon who have had a very interesting life, share photos and information of their adventures, and also love to can and put up food) have a website that might be helpful to you. Note that they use a STEAM CANNER (which some of us use, but which hasn't received the USDA's approval, I believe) rather than a BOILING WATER BATH - BWB. So, since you're trying to learn "the right way" first, just ignore their use of the Steam Canner. However, the step-by-step photos they share will probably be of interest to you. Since you don't have your mother-in-law around to show you, maybe the Nolls can help you out. Good luck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Paul and Bernice Noll's webpage

I concur with the others....read the Ball Blue Book! And use more knowledgeable folks as mentors (you've come to the right place here for starters). And I also agree that pickles are the easiest thing to begin with.

Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions!
--Gina

Here is a link that might be useful: Lindsey's Luscious

Sally,

Welcome to the forum! I got _Small Batch Preserving_ out of my local library so many times that I eventually felt too guilty and bought a copy. ;-)

Like several others, I advise starting with the _Ball Blue Book_, which has recipes for all the basics and step-by-step instructions all according to the strictest safety standards, well illustrated.

Follow it to make something simple such as jam or pickles or tomato sauce.

Then move on to other things that strike your fancy!

You can definitely learn from books this way (I did), but it's nice to have folks to ask questions of, and this forum is the place to find them. Tell us how it goes!

You will need, to start, other than the BBB:
-- some jars
-- some two-part lids (screw bands and rings) (if you buy jars new they will come with these, but if you get jars second hand you'll need to buy new lids)
-- a big pot (you don't have to buy an official "canner," especially if you are starting out and not sure if you'll like it; anything that is more than about two inches taller than the tallest jars you want to use; if you start with a jam done in half-pint and half-cup jars, whatever pot you cook pasta in will probably do
-- a rack of some kind for the bottom of the pot (you can do without this but the chance of a jar breaking is higher; you can tie together some extra lid rings with twist ties, or, as I did, look in the dollar store for a cheap cake cooling rack that will fit in your pot)
-- a jar lifter (you this is the one thing I wished I had had when I started that I didn't --- it makes it MUCH easier to handle the hot jars; it costs no more than about $5 at most hardware stores --- look wherever the jars are sold).

That's all! You may want a funnel, a "proper" canner with rack, a lid lifter, a food mill, etc. down the line if you get into the canning a lot. It CAN be addictive!

Hope to hear all about your canning adventures.

Zabby in Ontario (originally a big-city girl with NO canners in her family or friends, who now produces ALL her own tomato products, jams, and much more, so if I can do it you can!)

Wow, thanks again. I'm copying and pasting this whole thread into my computer, it has so much good advice. Now I just have to wait till either I or the Farmer's Market has some good cucumbers or okra to pickle. I know I plan to head out blueberry picking as soon as they ripen. I have green strawberries in my garden right now. I can't wait...I can't wait...I can't wait!

Sally

Sally (Zone 8) "can't wait?" Sheesh! I can't even see the back yard yet under the snow and ice! It's indoor seed-starting time here, and you've got green strawberries???

AARRRGGGH! --Gina in the North Country

Yeah, well, sorry. If it makes you feel any better, most of the veggie plants shut down production from late June through early September, cause it's just too hot. It's also too hot for people to do anything, either.

Sally

All of the canning items mentioned above are from the canning setup link I provided above.

My aunt and uncle lived in Stephenville. Beautiful fruit (especially tomatoes and watermelons) early in the season, but the summers were almost unbearable. Outdoor exercise took place about 6 a.m. because once the heat struck anyone who had the option "hibernated" indoors for the rest of the day. So while I appreciate your early tomatoes, I totally understand there's a downside in the heat and short growing season.

Carol

Thanks again, Ksrogers. Actually, I have one of those big black pots with a rack in it. DH picked the set up at an estate sale for $1.50, so I guess he got a good deal. I still need to get the other stuff, though.

Sally

Check that big pot. If it has a chip out of teh botom someplace, it can rust quickly and them leak! The racks inside get rusty too, unles its a stainless steel one. My funnel is stainless and fits nice and snug in the mouth of regular jars. Instead of the magnetic wand for lids, I use a wmall rack that holds 12 lids vertially. The jar tongs are a necessity and no one easily can without a set of them. They have curved jaws so you can even pick up jars that are lying on their sides.

Sally,

That sounds great! You should have room in there for anything you want to try.

Be aware that the racks that come with those big black enamel canners don't work well for smaller jars (they fall through the holes!) but they fit bigger ones very nicely.

Have fun!

Z

I'll check it out for any damage before I use it. Thanks for the heads up. Sally

And for the beginners.. Another old post that is still very useful.

Ken - I wish I would have read this post last year when I started canning!! At the time, I was reading these boards obsessively and can't believe I missed it. But even with a year under my belt, I am still pretty confused. First thing tomorrow, I am out to find the Ball Blue Book. Thanks for bumping this!!

I only spent a couple of minutes pulling out a few pertinent threads to bring back to life. Didn't even do a search, just a quick read down subject titles..

Just wanted to add that aside from this forum, you can get tested recipes from the National Center for Food Preservation (http://www.uga.edu/nchfp). They set the guidelines for safety in home canned food.

At Ball's website, www.freshpreserving.com, a ton of information. I find their recipes mush easier to follow than the NCHFP's. They also have step by step video tutorials for using a canner and a boiling water bath. There are several great "problem solver" charts which list the problems along will all possible causes for each problem.

I learned by reading books. At a church I attended, they had a canning class. I really didn't absorb much, I was so overwhelmed. Be careful with Craiglist people. Common sence I know. I started out gardening, then started canning. Moved on to pickling then wine making, which turned into vinegar making and Pop making that turned into seed saving.... A natural progression I guess....

Here is a link that might be useful: Ask Jackie