Welcome to Southern Plate’s Canning Tutorial, complete with music!
At the bottom of this post you’ll find additional handy recipes for home canning. This video is just another sign that I have an incredibly low threshold for boredom!
Introduction To Canning (Formerly known as “Canning: THE MUSICAL!” from Christy SouthernPlate.com on Vimeo.
Canning is an incredibly gratifying and simple process. I love to give home canned jams and preserves as Christmas gifts and this is the prime time of year with fruit in abundance. Whats more, canning can be very economical, especially when you save and reuse your canning jars! If you’re in on the new trend of “going green” this is a great compliment to your efforts.
A lot of people have never attempted canning. Whether they are intimidated or just don’t know where to begin, I am going to show you just how easy it is in this tutorial! I will be focusing on water bath canning. This method works great for high acid foods such as fruits and some vegetables. For meats and other food goods, you’ll need to use the pressure canning method.
No matter which method you use, a current book on home canning is essential. These books offer recipes as well as processing times. There are many available at bookstores and grocers, but I personally recommend contacting your Cooperative Extension Service for a copy of theirs.
The Cooperative Extension Service is a government funded agency with experts in a variety of fields on hand to serve the public by offering much needed information and education. Did you know that your local extension has an expert in food preservation and nutrition on staff? Once you learn to utilize this amazing resource you won’t know how you lived without them! Most extension services even offer classes on different methods of cooking, food preservation, and other topics that can make your life easier as well as further your education – all for little or no cost. To find the extension service nearest to you, visit this link.
I made it a point not to use any special equipment for this tutorial. I wanted you to be able to can with things you had around your house as your main equipment. The one thing I did use was my canning funnel. You don’t have to use this at all. In fact, before I had mine I just used a liquid measuring cup to pour my jams into the jars. I’m exceptionally messy though, so I need my special canning funnel.
The above photo shows the canning jar, metal lid, and metal screw band. On the underside of the metal lid there is a sealing compound. You must always use new metal lid inserts each time you can but the screw band and jar are reusable. The rings around the top of the jar are called “lugs”. This will be helpful later when determining how much head space to leave at the top – or how high we should fill it basically.
Of course you can go to the expense of purchasing a water bath canner, which comes with a rack that holds your jars away from the bottom.
I asked my mother if she had ever used one and she said she had one once, but ended up selling it at a yard sale. For us, its just easier to do it this way and not have to find more space to store a large and cumbersome pot. I can see how serious canners might enjoy one, though. I’m more of a hobbyist canner.
Place jars in bottom of your pot on top of the towel. We are only going to can as many as we can fit in one load and then do a second batch after we finish the first.
Now your jars are sterilized and ready to be filled! Make sure the liquid you are filling them with is hot.
Your jars are going to be hot so pick them up with the tongs and place them carefully back into your pot, on top of the towel in the bottom.
When the time is up, turn the heat off and carefully remove the lid. Using your tongs, remove each jar from the pot and place on a towel lined counter to cool. These are some very strong tongs I am using but I still like to have a pot holder in my left hand to kind of support the bottom of the jar while I am moving it from my pot to the towel.
However, if it isn’t sealed the next day there are two options. You can remove the ring and lid and replace with a new metal lid insert and process again or you can simply refrigerate the jar and begin using it.
My one crock pot yielded a dozen half pint jars and two pint jars of apple butter!
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Peach Preserves
(Makes about 7 half pints)
10 large peaches
6 Cups sugar
Use hard, ripe peches. Wash peaches, Dip them in boiling water for 30-60 seconds until skins loosen. Then, dip them quickly in cold water and slip off skins. Cut in half, remove pits, and cut them in slices. Combine peaches and sugar in a large, thick-bottom saucepan and let htem sit for twelve to eighteen hours in a cool place. Then, heat peach mixture slowly to a boil, stirring often to prevent sticking. Boil gently until fruit is clear and syrup is thick, about 40 minutes. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Remove from ehat nad quickly skim off foam, if neccesary. Fill hot jars immediatelyw ith peaches, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Add boiling syrup to cover peaces, leaving same 1/4 inch head space. Wipe jar rims and apply lids.
Process in boiling water bath.
Half pints, 5 minutes.
Pints, 10 minutes.
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Pear Preserves
(makes about 5 half pints)
6 medium sized pears
2 1/2 C water
1 lemon
1 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 C sugar
Use hard, ripe pears. Wash pears and peel them. Cut them in halves or quarters and remove cores. Wash lemon and cut it into thin slices. Combine 1 1/2 C sugar dn water in large, thick bottom saucepan. Heat over high heat and boil for 2 minutes. Add pears, reduce heat, and boil gently for 15 minutes. Add 1 1/2 C sugar adn lemon slices. Stir until sugar dissolves. Then, increase heat and boil rapidly until pears are clear, about 25 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cover it, and let pears sit for 12 to 24 hours in a cool place. Then, heat pears and syrup to boiling. Fill hot jars immediately with pears, leaving 1/2 Inch head space. Add boiling syrup to cover pears, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe jar rims and apply lids.
Process in boiling water bath.
Half pints, 5 minutes
Whole pints, 10 minutes.
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Peach Butter
(Makes about 8 half pints)
18 medium sized peaches
4 cups sugar
Use fully ripe peaches that have no insect or disease damage. Wash peaches and dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds until skins loosen. Dip quickly in cold water and slip off skins. Cut peaches in half, remove pits, and chop. Place in large, thick bottom sauce pan and cook until soft, adding only enough water to prevent sticking. Press peaches through a sieve or food mill. Mreasure pul. Place two quarts peach pulp in saucepan. Add sugar and cook until butter is thick and has taken on a glossiness or sheen. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking. Fill hot jars immediately with the butter, leaving a 1/4 inch head space. Wipe jar rims and apply lids.
Process in boiling water bath.
Half pints, 5 minutes
Pints, 10 minutes
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Orange Lemon Marmalade
(Makes about 4 half pints)
4 oranges
4 lemons
sugar
water
1/4 tsp canning salt
Use smooth, thick skinned, well colored fruit that is free of blemishes. Peel oranges and lemons and remove white membrane beneath peeling. Set fruit pulp aside. Slice peeling into very thin strips. Parboil strips of peeling three times by adding 1 quart of cold water to strips in a large, thick bottom saucepan, bringing to a boil, boiling five minutes. Then, drain and discard water after each cooking. Cut pulp of fruit into thin slices and remove membranes. Combine pul and drained, parboiled peel. Measure fuit (pulp, juice, and parboiled peel) into large saucepan. Add 3 cups water for each cup of fruit mixture. Boil mixture rapidly for 40 minutes. Measure fruit mixture again adn add 1 cup sugar for each cup of fruit. Add salt. boil mixture on high heat for fifteen minutes. If a thicker marmalade is desired, boil longer but stir and watch carefully to avoid scorching. Remove from heat and let stand until slightly cool. Then, stir to distribute fruit equally. Fill hot jars immediately with marmalde, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe jar rims and apply lids.
Process in boiling water bath
Half pints, 5 minutes
Pints, 15 minutes
Yum 
What a great tutorial! And I loved the video – very fun to rock out to the music while learning how to can without special equipment.
One tip – my mom made her own canning funnel by cutting the end off of a regular plastic funnel. So if anyone can’t find a canning funnel, they can easily make their own!
Fantastic info and video. Wish I had known about the towel in the bottom of the pot BEFORE I put out the money for a canner. Aw well.
Do you or your mama have a “recipe” for putting up vegetable soup? A gave me a quart of vegetable soup here mother put up. I was in love. Unfortunately her mother lives in Tennessee and we live in Ohio. I asked for the recipe and if they had been processed in water bath or pressure canner. Didn’t get the recipe, but she sent message it was with water bath — she never had/ used pressure canner. So I’m turning to my guru (you) for help. Thanks and keep up the wonderful work!
Your funnel tip is BRILLIANT!!!! I can’t believe we never thought of that!!! What a great idea!
THANK YOU!!!!
I’m at my mother’s house now and we are all thumping ourselves over this one!
Christy
Great Job Christy I love Harry. Your video was perfect it really made canning look pretty easy. Its not to hard you just got to give it a try. Girl you definitly sound like a southern girl!!!! I love it!!! I just bought some 1/2 pint jars today to make more peach preserves and some pumpkin apple butter. I am so syked you video really got me in the mood.
This is awesome and very easy to follow. Thank you. I will have to try this. My dh will be leaving for Iraq soon as a civilian and I will have some extra time to fill.:) Thank you. Hope you are having a great day.:)
As one Alabama girl to another, I love your blog! I grew up canning and still love it, but I know a lot of people are intimidated by it. I’m so glad you’re encouraging others to try it.
I hope you don’t mind, but I added a link to this tutorial on my new blog. Thanks!
Girl you have been working hard!
You are so creative with your musical. I love it. You make it canning look so easy, I cant wait to try it.
Hey Tina! LOL! I am making peach preserves this week, too! Maybe tomorrow! I got company coming this weekend so I GET TO COOK MORE! YAYAY!!! I love feeding people! Pumpkin butter? OMG I want to try that!!!!!!!
SJS Hey! Thank you for sitting through it all!! Give our best to your hubby and if you have any questions at all, you just give me a holler!
Willow Dee MIND if you put a link on your blog??????? GAL I LOVE YOU FOR THAT!! Thank you so much!! I just love doing Southern Plate and it would be nothing without readers so having folks spread the word TICKLES ME PINK!!! Thank you so much!!! Its great to have an Alabama gal around here, too! Crank up the Lynard!!!
Hey Joan! you know, you have a reputation among us bloggers as being such a super sweet commenter! I appreciate y’all sitting through my little video! I know it was kind of pointless because I did the whole written tutorial but hey, I had fun!!! LOL
Y’all take care and have a great evening!!!!
~Christy
Wow! Thanks for this Christy.. it’s awesome. I looked around the net and couldn’t find any that were as simple and thorough as this.
Good Job!
I have a couple of jars at home with these types of lids. I never knew the purpose of them until I read this!
First time I used one of the jars I remember thinking “what the hell kinda lid is this?!?!?!”
I don’t think I’ll ever can, but thanks for enlightening me on my special jar lids! 😉
Christy,
I LOVED your video! That was the PERFECT song! You did such a wonderful job! I have recently started canning stuff myself and look forward to trying some of your recipes!
Take Care!
Treva
Hey Bill! Thank YOU! You were one of the ones who asked for it so you’re one of the main reasons I did it!! I am so glad to have you here!
Su Hey! I love those jars. They often make their way into my cabinets with my drinking and measuring glasses! Most of them have handy markings on the side for four and eight ounces so its great to grab one when you need a liquid measuring cup! Glad I could help! LOL!
Treva OMG I am making the most amazing marmalade right now. I’m going to put the tutorial up soon! I can’t wait!!! Let me know how your canning turns out!
Thanks for sitting through my video! hehe
Yes we can can, yes we can can!
The orange lemon marmalade looks delicious!
Hey Deanna! I just made a variation of that today and it is AMAZING!!!!
It was a bit different recipe, I found it in an ancient Southern Living cookbook when I was thinking about making the Orange Lemon that I posted. This one has Oranges, lemon, Pineapple, and maraschino cherries!!!
IT IS FABULOUS and you know I’m gonna be posting it soon coz I gotta show everyone!! It looks SO PRETTY in the jars, too!!!
Christy
Great information. I was an Extension Agent for many years and you have done a great job in telling the story of canning.
Susan: Coming from you, that means so very much! My degree is in Family and Consumer Sciences and I’d been canning for years, but when it came time to do this tutorial, I called the extension service first thing!
I picked up a copy of their book (its just amazing) and read over every page to make sure I showed my readers the safest method and included all of the pertinent details for them. I just wanted so very much to be accurate!
If I had of known an extension agent was reading this, I would have been so nervous! LOL! I’m so very pleased that you commented!
Thank you for taking the time to read Southern Plate! Please come back often!
Gratefully,
Christy
Hey Christy! Have you got a recipe for strawberry preserves? Love the tutorial!!
Laura-Athens
Thank you SO much for this! I’ve always wanted to learn to do this and kick myself for not having my nanny teach me when I was younger. They had a gigantic garden each year and she always canned so much. I am going to try the apple butter and give it to family for Christmas!
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Christy thank you for this tutorial. I don’t use a canning rack and never thought of putting a towel to protect the jars. I just prayed a lot they wouldn’t crack or break. LOL.
Now I am going to make your apple butter and give it as gifts for Christmas!!
Loved the video……now for you to do live videos too!!
What this country needs is a good five-cent nickel.
Thanks so much- we just used your tutorial to can for the first time- the laptop was literally on the counter next to the jars. Your details really helped. You weren’t kidding about the flat-bottomed pan for example. Thanks, you made it sound simple, and it turned out to be pretty easy, thanks to you.
Your canning tutorial and making (and canning) the apple butter inspired me to make my own jelly! I bought a canner and everything 😀 I just finished making it a few minutes ago, the jars are going pop! as they seal. I took the easy way out and just made the jelly from frozen white grape-raspberry juice concentrate. I hope it turns out well! I also made some pickles last night, but they’re refrigerator pickles so no canning required 🙂
Thank you so much for this tutorial! I’ve been wanting to try my hand at canning for such a long time, but have a glass top stove, and they say not to use a water bath canner on them (it may crack the stove top). Now, I can just use my big gumbo pot w/ a dish rag! Awesome!! 🙂
I never would have thought to use frozen corn! This only shows that we never stop learning and can learn from the younger generation something we thought we knew all about………..I must say that your tip about processing even the fruit preserves etc is a must and I must mend my ways or risk killing off all my friends and they are getting scarce don’tcha know :o)
I had a couple of jars that did not seal when I canned pickled okra. I put the 2 jars in fridge and I wanted to know if they’ll turn out alright after staying in there a couple of months or should I just throw them out?
They’ll be fine in the fridge, just like if you’d gotten pickled at the store:)
Smart of you!!