Preserving the Harvest: The Equipment You'll Need

I'm gearing up to do some preserving over the next few weeks so I'm getting ready, figuring out just what I need to do to make jams and chutneys. In an earlier post I outlined the four methods of preserving foods. Today I'm going to look at the equipment that is required to preserve your foods safely.

1. Boiling Water Canner
   There are special pots you can buy that have racks that fit into the bottom where you place the jars of food you are preserving. The rack keeps the jars from touching one another and keeps them elevated so that the water moves all around the jars. I'm not going to go out and invest in canning equipment. I already have large pots with tight fitting lids for soup making, so I'm going to use those and see what racks I have that will fit into the bottom. If I have to buy a rack specially, that's okay, but where would I put another huge pot? If you are using a rack without handles, you will need a jar lifter to remove the jars from the water. The important thing is that the pot must be deep enough to allow 1 inch of briskly boiling water to cover the jars and the diameter of the pot must be no more than 4 inches larger than the burner you are using.


2. Canning Jars and Lids.
   Before you start making your recipe, make sure you have enough jars and lids of the correct size for your food. Check the jars carefully for cracks or chips. If there is a chip in the mouth of the jar you won't be able to get a good seal. Use canning or mason jars with the proper lids, rather than reusing any jars from commercial jams or pickles that you have purchased. I'm concentrating on small batches, so I will be getting pint and half-pint size jars.If you are making large pickles you may want to get large mouth jars.

The lids come in two parts; the actual lid and the sealing ring. When preserving, you must use a new lid each time, but the sealing ring can be used over and over. You will need a magnetic wand to remove the lids from the boiling water, of you can improvise by attaching a magnet to the end of a piece of dowling.


3. Pots
   You will need a heavy bottomed pot made of stainless steel or enamel which holds 4 quarts in order to cook the food you are preserving. You will also need a ladle or a pitcher to fill the jars. It might be wise to invest in a wide mouth funnel to prevent spills of hot jam.

Now that I have the equipment organized, I can move on to the actual mechanics of preserving food, and start looking at some recipes.

From Small Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard.

Difficulty Level: Easy

For the first post in this series, please read Preserving the Harvest: Four Ways to Make Homemade Preserves.

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