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Canning

Make sure you have the right equipment for home canning. To safely can low-acid foods, such as vegetables and meats, you must have a pressure canner. Read the manufacturer's directions for the unit. Various makes differ in size, pressure control, material, and operating instructions.

All canners must be kept in good repair. If yours has a dial pressure gauge, check it at least once a year for accuracy. (Contact your local NDSU county extension office for times and places of gauge testing.) An accurate pressure gauge is necessary to prevent food spoilage and possible food poisoning.

Use water bath canners for canning acid foods such as fruits, pickles and tomatoes. If you buy a water bath canner, make sure it is deep enough to hold water one inch above quart jars if that's what you plan to use. It should come with a rack to hold jars off the bottom, and a tight-fitting lid.

In addition to a pressure canner and/or a boiling water bath canner, you need standard canning jars and new two-piece lids. Discard any jars with cracks or chipped rims.

A few small utensils help speed canning. Small vegetable brushes and large pans or colanders to hold and wash food will help. Other tools that will help are a jar funnel for packing, tongs for lifting foods and lids, and a slender plastic spatula or a non-metal knife to work out air bubbles in the packed jar. A jar lifter is a must for safely lifting hot jars in and out of the canner.

If you require further information, please contact your county office of the NDSU Extension Service.

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For More Information Contact your North Dakota County Extension Office of the NDSU Extension Service for additional information or see our main NDSU Web Page for publications and articles on Agriculture, Horticulture, Youth and Family, Business and Community and Food and Nutrition at  http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/