Is canning on your list of new skills to learn in 2016? If you are interested in this old-fashioned but yet totally modern way to cook for yourself and your loved ones, you and I are new best friends. I love sharing canning with others because it is nowhere near as difficult as most people think and most importantly; girls gotta eat. You need to feed at least yourself (if not many others) three times a day, every day, and doing a good job of that can improve your life immeasurably and canning is one awesome avenue to that improvement. I love lots of other hobbies like sewing and crafting but I have to feed myself and my family and canning have made that better, easier, and more satisfying. I don’t need to sew daily but I definitely need daily nourishment. Canning allows that need to be met in a wholesome and connected way.
This post may contain affiliate links. All opinions remain my own.
I’ll confess a character flaw to you Dear Readers. I don’t give my jars of home canned goodness away to just anyone. It is a lot of work (sweaty, sometimes messy work) to preserve produce and I don’t give a jar away to someone if I think they won’t appreciate it. I gave my beloved little brother only one jar of pasta sauce in his stocking this year because I’m not convinced he’ll actually cook it up and eat it. If I give you a jar of jam, I really like you a lot and you have convinced me that you will not only eat it but love it. If a student gives me a canned or homemade item around the holidays, I’m thrilled beyond words (you knew that I had a day job as a teacher, right?). Not to get all late 90’s, but it should come as no surprise to you that my love language is Acts of Service and to me, canning is an act of service.
Canning is a way of cooking that allows your effort to be shared beyond the mealtime. One of the best parts of teaching people how to can is to hear about to whom they plan on gifting their jars of jam and salsa. One of my goals for this year is to learn much more about canning and then share what I learn with you here.
To start this new year and to help those of you Wildflowers out there who are total newbies to canning: I created an ebook just for you.
I wrote this super handy, only 30-pages long ebook, and you can grab yours here.
In Canning 101: A Comprehensive Guide to Get You Started, I detail all the equipment you need (and what you don’t) to make your first batch of something awesome and a checklist to glance at when you are pulling pots and pans from your cupboard or putting items in your shopping cart. I explain what the heck all the boiling is about, and what goes down in the process. I share 4 easy recipes that I love and I instruct how to be sure you are canning safely and successfully. This ebook is the encouragement you need to try it and I’m positive once you try it, you will see what all the fuss is about. You will go from thinking, “I don’t know about this…” to “What am I going to can next?!” Get bitten by the canning bug here:
Furthermore, canning allows you to eat seasonally, but to extend the said season beyond the few days that those ripe berries are at their peak. Here’s a helpful graphic to help you see which types of products are available when so you can see what you can (CAN!) start preserving soon!
Source: Fix.com Blog
To further celebrate the new year, the new ebook, and the awesome new skills you are all about to learn, I have teamed up with the awesome site Mason Jar Lifestyle to bring you a giveaway (that is now closed! But stay tuned for future giveaways!)to help you start canning your way into culinary bliss. If you haven’t check them out you should. They have awesome tools that work with mason jars (which are made in America, are reusable, recyclable, and super sturdy) to fit your modern needs. For example, they sell frogs for flower arranging in giant half gallon mason jars, silicone drinking lids to make your pint and a half jar into a cupholder-worthy travel mug, and super cute ways to make your jarred goods extra adorable. I love them and you will too, even if you are an old hat at canning or mostly here for the sewing and DIY goodness I also share. Check ‘em out.
If you are ready to learn how to can this season, head to www.startcanning.com and enroll in my video e course that will SHOW you in a way a cookbook cannot how to Start Canning.
If you want to see what you need to get started, I created this super helpful Canning Equipment Checklist. Download it now and get your supplies ready now!
Share this post with anyone you think might want to learn more about canning! When I looked, there were no ebook resources that were a just-get-going-guide like this one so I’m hoping it meets a genuine need. By starting to read up on the process and round up the pots, a new canner would be ready just in time for spring preserving.
I’m here to help, Wildflowers! Let me know how I can serve you better!
My sister sent me a box of home-canned items for Christmas – talk about excitement! She had raspberry jam, bruschetta, and salsa just to name a few. I’m still enjoying all the yummy goodness. I felt so special to receive such a gift because I know the time that it took to not only grow but preserve this food. 🙂
I would love to learn about how to can seasoned veggies so that I can add a delish little twist to our plain boring canned veggies :)!
I food prep every Sunday & always make big batch soups & healthy casseroles, & would love to learn how to be able to can them. Right now I just freeze in my mason jars & it turns out okay, but would love to learn more options.
Patty, pressure canning soups and stews is on my to do list for sure. I got a pressure canner this fall and haven’t had the opportunity to use it yet. I’m glad you want to learn also!
That is a great idea Patty! I got a pressure canner this Fall and haven’t made time to try it out- stay tuned!
Info on pressure canning is always great!
Dolly I have that on my to do list. I bought a pressure canner and but my husband didn’t shoot a second buck so I didn’t get to try it out on meat this season. Stay tuned!
Any information on canning is great! I can never learn enough!
Chris I hear ya! I feel like I could learn something new every batch- but that is what I’m here for; to help share what we learn with one another
I would like to learn about eco friendly projects.
Manda thanks for commenting; I plan on helping with projects like that soon:)