Canning for the First Time

Wow. Canning fresh produce from the garden has been quite a chore around here. Since I had never canned before, many days I spent the day with Aunt T learning, watching, and then trying it myself. I am so thankful for the knowledge of Aunt T so that this experience was easier to learn and do.

First to harvest: Beets

The first item from the garden we canned were the beets. Uncle D took the time to pull all the beets and we ended up with way more than I expected. I think Uncle D estimated around 200 pounds of beets after he had pulled everything. You might be thinking, why would you need that much? Well, believe it or not, we all love beets around here. I don’t know what it is about fresh beets, but my girls have always loved eating them. I know I never had beets a lot growing up, but I do like having them in our diet.

Canning Beets

To help the process go a little faster, Aunt T had already had all the jars washed and ready to go before the girls and I got over to her house. Plus, she already had a batch of beets cooking in a huge pot on the stove. The girls and I jumped right in and began to peel the beets and slice them when the time was ready. After the cooked beets we sliced, Aunt T began filling the jars. Canning salt, beets, and boiling water filled the jars. The rims were wiped clean, and the seal and metal ring were put on each jar. Then off to the towel on the counter to sit and wait for the “ping” to know that the jars were sealed.

We repeated this process several more times. The longest part was waiting for the beets to cook. We pulled out an Instant Pot (similar to this one) and started cooking beets in that to help get speed things up. We could cook 2 batches of beets in the Instant Pot compared to one pot boiling on the stove.

It took a full afternoon to can the beets. We ran out of clean jars, so some of the beets we just vacuum sealed and put them in the freezers. I can say, we were tired by the time we finished. We definitely we able to store up some fresh produce for the winter months.

Lessons Learned from Canning

Learning a new skills allows us to gain new knowledge. Here are just a few things that I learning from canning for the first time.

1. Have your jars cleaned and ready to go.
2. Have your jars in a hot water bath.
3. Place rings and seals in a pot with simmering water. I know this is the old fashion way, but at least I know it works!
4. Canning salt is essential.
5. Always remember to wipe of the rims of each jar before adding the seal and ring.
6. Check for air bubbles and get them to the top of the jar.
7. Listen for the “pings.”
8. Wear gloves, canning can become quite messy!

I’m sure there will be many more things that I will learn as I get better with canning things on my own, but for now I at least have the basic I need to get going.

Beneficial Life Skill

Canning is a life skill to learn. Whether is it is water bath canning, pressure cooker canning or even using your Instant Pot to can certain things, it is well worth the knowledge to know how to can. We never know when something unexpected will happen in our lives. For us, since we can get terrible winter storms, it good for us to be prepared ahead of time. In all reality, it could be anything you need to be prepared for, so the more you know, the better off you will be.