Search Results for: canning

Want to be able to stock up food for emergencies? Have a garden and want to know what to do when you have a surplus harvest?

Or maybe you just want to know how to stretch your food and reduce food waste. Either way, preserving food could be the solution you’re looking for. Check out this post for some great tips on home food preservation.

Preserving Food: What You Need to Know About Freezing, Canning, and Pickling Food

What Does it Mean to Preserve Food?

Preserving food is, to put it simply, a way to keep your food lasting longer – without spoiling.

You accomplish this by using a variety of methods to essentially stop, slow down, or otherwise control the rate at which the food spoils.

But that’s not all! You also have to follow measures to make sure the food is safe to eat according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation (i.e. you won’t get food poisoning or, in extreme cases, even botulism).

Lastly, you would ideally preserve it in a way that retains as much of the flavor and nutritional value as possible. 

In other words, food preservation is the act of making food last longer while still tasting good and being good for you!

What Are the Benefits of Preserving Food?

Stretch Your Food Longer

As I mentioned above, the primary goal of food preservation is making your food last longer. Which means you get more bang for your proverbial buck.

Whether you spent money on food at the grocery store or put in work growing it in your own garden, I think we would all prefer to get the most out of our food.

Preserving your food is a great way to do that! You may not always be able to eat your food in a short period of time, so preserving it makes it readily available for when you can eat it. 

Stretch Your Budget

It’s simple math: stretching your food means you’re also stretching your budget. That’s always a good thing, right?

We’ve been doing this for quite some time, so a lot of the time, we do our “grocery shopping” from our supply of preserved food.

Curious about how that works? Check out this article I wrote on how I shop for groceries without having to leave our home.

Obviously, you may not be able to do this (or even want to), but I believe that every dollar saved matters!

 

Avoid Artificial Preservatives

When you take the time to preserve your food at home, you’re actually doing your family a favor.

By preserving food yourself, you’re able to avoid the artificial preservatives that you usually find in commercially-processed foods. That, my friend, is a huge benefit!

Food for Emergencies

What do natural disasters, viral outbreaks, and economic upheavals all have in common? They often result in people not having access to the things we need to survive.

Food is the top thing on that list. 

Whenever we know that a natural disaster is about to strike, the main priority most of us have is getting to the grocery store to load up on food and water.

If you start preserving food at home, when things like this happen, you won’t have to worry as much as other people. 

In the words of the Boy Scouts of America: “Be Prepared” (By the way, you should check out my article on Winter Pantry Essentials).

 

Enjoy Your Favorite Foods Out-of-Season

It’s a fact of life that different fruits and veggies are in their prime at different times of year. So, sometimes, you really want your favorite, but it’s out of season.

Your options are to either wait until they’re in season or to pay extra because it’s more expensive when it has to be shipped from some other part of the world. 

What if you didn’t have to wait, though? What if , when you’re craving that food, you can simply head to your pantry and whip out a jar of it? That’s what preserving food can do for you!

 

Food Preservation is Good for the Environment

Another benefit of food preservation is that it can help you reduce the amount of food that you throw away.

Reusing jars and bottles that would have otherwise ended up in a landfill is also helpful for the environment. 

Unique Gifts

Ok, so this isn’t really a top priority benefit, but it’s still worth mentioning that people really appreciate thoughtful gifts. They also generally love food

Preserving food can be a great way to give your loved ones gifts that check both boxes. A cute and tasty jar of homemade jam could be the perfect gift for someone with a sweet tooth

And for the pickle lovers, you could give them a variety pack of pickled veggies for them to snack on. Plus, you save money on the gift. It’s a win all around!

 

What Are the Best Methods for Preserving Food?

When it comes to food preservation methods, there are definitely several viable options. Let’s talk about my three favorite methods.

Freezing Food

Freezing veggies is probably the easiest and most accessible method of the three simply because almost everyone already has a freezer in their home.

You don’t really need many materials other than some quality plastic freezer bags (for storage) and a marker or label maker (for keeping track of when they were initially placed in the freezer).

Every single year, I blanch and freeze garden peas – and so can you! Here is an article that can walk you through the process, step-by step. 

And here’s how I freeze leafy greens – spinach, chard, kale, beet greens – they can all be frozen and preserved this way.

This works great for preparing smoothie greens for the coming week.

Veggies aren’t the only things you can freeze, though! I also freeze fruit all the time (which makes it easy for me to whip up a batch of my no-cook strawberry jam).

Freeze drying herbs is a great way to keep them fresh. I love being able to make basil pesto, so I sometimes freeze basil to have on hand.

I juice up fresh lemons and grapefruits and then freeze citrus juice in jars.

And, of course, you can freeze meat like chicken, fish/seafood, beef, pork, lamb, goat, etc. Try freezing soups and stews to have throughout the year!

 

Hey, if you ever need to defrost a chicken quickly (like for dinner) here’s how!

Canning Food

When done properly (and with the proper tools, which typically involve cans and jars with a proper lid), canning is great at preventing decay for a long period of time.

In fact, a lot of canned foods will easily last for years. I’m writing this in early 2020 and last week we opened a home canned jar of Salsa from 2009!

Delicious! And when you’re like us and grow your own food, it’s really convenient.

After all, there’s only so much room you have in your freezer, but you can almost always find somewhere to stick a few (or several) cans of food. 

When it comes to canning, there are two different methods I recommend. 

 

Water Bath Canning

This method uses hot water and is reserved for high-acid foods. That means things like jams, jellies, fruit preserves, and pickles.

Water bath canning creates a vacuum seal that prevents the food from being exposed to air or other entities that can lead to spoiling or mold growth.

It’s NOT recommended for non-acidic foods (so, no meat/meat stock, non-acidic veggies/veggie stock, fish/seafood, or poultry).

Here are some water canning recipes I’d love for you to try out!

Water Bath Canning Asian Pears

Pears can make a great fruit sauce, pear cobbler, pear crumble, or just a sweet snack. You can also use this method for other fruits like peaches or apricots.

Homemade Canned Salsa

Here are so many things you can do with a nice batch of salsa! And the longer it marinates, the better it tastes!

Water Bath Canning Cherries

These cherries will be perfect for all kinds of baked goodies – including cherry pie, cherry turnovers, and cherry poptarts.

Homemade Tomato Sauce

From pasta to pizza and so many things in between, so many of my favorite recipes call for tomato sauce.

Having some on hand that I know tastes good is one of those small things that makes me happy.

Homemade Sauerkraut

I know it’s not for everyone, but Graham loves a heaping of sauerkraut every now and then. Plus, it’s a great source of probiotics (healthy bacteria).

Dandelion Jelly

Jelly is made in a water bath canner as well. Each Spring I make a few jars of Dandelion Jelly, which is wonderful on crackers with a bit of cream cheese.

Jalapeno Plum Jelly

Spicy and delicious as a spread, this jelly is made with Jalapeno peppers, red and green sweet peppers and lots of fresh plums.

 

Pressure Canning

When it comes to canning all those non-acidic or low-acid foods, you should always go with pressure canning.

That includes meats, poultry, fish/seafood, and most veggies. Root vegetables are typically good candidates. It’s essential that you use this method to properly and safely can these foods.

Below are some articles on pressure canning that you should check out. 

Using a Pressure Canner 

Start here! It will show you how to SAFELY can foods using a pressure canner. 

Canning Salmon

Perfect for salmon burgers, salmon patties, salmon fried rice, and even salmon caesar salad!

Canned Green Beans

Green beans are one of those veggies just you just can’t go wrong with! 

 

Drying and Dehydrating

We do a lot of drying every year here, mostly we dry herbs. Here’s where you can find everything you need to know about drying herbs to use all year.

How to Harvest and Dry Parsley – easy to do and it lasts for months.

How to Dehydrate Apple slices – a great way to preserve apples.

How to Dry Lovage Herb – tastes like celery!

How to Harvest, Dry and Use Stevia – a more natural sugar replacement.

A General Guide to Drying Herbs – more general information.

 

Pickling Food

Pickling is another fantastic food preservation method you can use to preserve food for up to 2 years. 

One of the benefits of pickled foods that the other methods don’t offer is that it offers a unique flavor profile.

That makes it easy for you to add a little bit of zing to meals and snacks. Plus, fermented foods (like kimchi, which is made from cabbage) can often be a fantastic source of nutrients and probiotics.

Most pickled foods are simple to make and require only a few ingredients like vinegar, pickling salt, spices and herbs.

Pickled Eggs

This is a favorite for so many! The health benefits of eggs combined with the big flavor of pickle juice is such a winner. And it makes for fantastic egg salad!

Pickled Garlic Scapes

My family has a garlic farm, so we always have lots of garlic scapes on hand in late June! Pickling them is our go-to.

Sauerkraut

In addition to canning sauerkraut, you can also pickle it. Makes a super fast dinner along with sausage and cole slaw.

Pickled Asparagus

Asparagus is a delicious early spring treat in the north. Have extra or find a great Asparagus sale on at the store?

Then pickle some Asparagus and enjoy in a Caesar or Bloody Mary. Add spears to your pickle tray; wrap some ham around Asparagus spears for an appetizer.

Pickled Fiddleheads

In early Spring, when the fern fronds are growing, you can pick them tightly coiled and make your own homemade Pickled Fiddleheads. This recipe makes two jars full, and you can store them in the fridge for months. Or water bath them so you can leave them on your pantry shelf safely.

Pickled Brussels Sprouts

Try something new and pickle some Brussels Sprouts. Take a look at the recipe; you can store a couple of jars in the fridge or water bath can them.

Easy Pickled Beets

Small beets are the best for pickling; slice larger beets before adding to the jars. Using whole small beets is a great way to thin out the beets in you garden.

And they always have to be thinned, because beets actually grow in a cluster from one seed.

 

What Else Can I Pickle?

There are a number of great foods that work for pickling, some you may not have thought of. Carrots, apples, potatoes, cauliflower, onions, and even pumpkin are all great options to preserve by pickling!

When it comes to storing your jars of food, there are certain things you do need to keep in mind. Find out more about storing home canned food here.

I hope that this helps you to stretch your food and your budget while providing your family with plenty of food to get you through the year. If you have any questions about preserving food, feel free to leave a comment for me below!

Preserving Food

 

This Pickled Brussels Sprouts recipe is a real twist on your typical pickle!

Ever tried Pickled Brussels Sprouts? If you’re looking for an interesting and delicious twist on traditional pickles, try this Pickled Brussels Sprouts recipe. I’ve included canning instructions too.

These pickles are great as a snack on a condiment tray. Or just use a chopstick and eat them right out of the jar; they are really that good. Adding some to a charcuterie board is a great option. Anyway you eat these, you are going to love them!

Maybe you grow Brussels Sprouts in your garden. Or, perhaps you found a fantastic sale at the grocery store. Maybe you picked up a large bag of Brussels Sprouts at the local farm market this year? Why not pickle some of them?

We have all heard that Brussels Sprouts (or any cabbage) are very good for our health. Brussels Sprouts have many health benefits including, possibly protection from cancer.

Want more articles about preserving food? Check out all of our Preserving Food posts here.

 

They are full of antioxidants and they help maintain healthy sugar levels in the body. They are high in Vitamin K, contain Omega 3’s, protein and Vitamin C and can help to reduce inflammation.

I found Brussels Sprouts on sale at the store and grabbed a couple of pounds so I could preserve them by pickling.

How to Make Pickled Brussels Sprouts

 

 

 

First thing was to gather my canning supplies. I grabbed my large stock pot and clean pint jars. This recipe makes about 5 pints.

I got some water boiling in a large stock pot and sterilized the jars by leaving them in the boiling water for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot I mixed the pickling solution. I set this to boil on the stove and turned it down to a simmer once it was at a boil. I put the canning seals in hot water in a small saucepan and left them there until they were needed.

Preparing Brussels Sprouts for Pickles

 

 

To prepare the Brussels Sprouts, I cut the ends off and removed the outer leaves. Then I cut each Sprout in half lengthwise.

 

 

Cutting the Brussel Sprouts in half will allow the pickling flavour to go right through the sprout. Sprouts are very dense so this will help.

After cutting, I put them in a bowl of water with some salt sprinkled in and left them alone for about 15 minutes.

 

 

When the jars were sterilized, I filled each jar with the Sprouts and added the garlic and cayenne pepper. Truth is, I added more than the recipe called for.

Fresh dill would have been great, if I had any. Another option is to add coriander seeds, or even small pickled pearl onions, so there is a nice mixture!

And you CAN do this when you make pickles. As long as you never vary the amount of vinegar, you can add other veggies, spices and herbs to your pickles. Not a problem at all.

Just NEVER vary the amount of vinegar! Note: I used white vinegar for this recipe.

 

 

After the jars were filled, I poured the hot brine pickling liquid, leaving about 1/2 inch headspace in each jar. Run a knife around the inside of the jar, to get rid of any air bubbles.

Then, wipe rims with a wet paper towel to remove anything on the jar rim that can interfere with the sealing.

Add the seals, put on the ring and tighten.

Making Refrigerator Pickled Brussel Sprouts

If you have halved the recipe or adjusted the recipe to make only one or two jars of pickled brussels sprouts, you can now set them in the fridge.

Let the brine do its thing over the next two weeks, then open up a jar and try one of the sprout halves. If they are strong enough for you, then you can start eating them up!

Or you can decide to leave them alone in the fridge for another week, then try them again. It’s your choice.

Pickled brussels sprouts stored in the fridge will last for several months; they may get stronger in flavor but they will still be just as delicious!

Water Bath Canning Pickled Brussels Sprouts

Water bath canning is the easiest (and fastest) way to can food. Just follow the rules for safety and you will have no problems. 

Use a rack on the bottom of the canner to keep the jars from sitting directly on the bottom of the canner.

Using a canning jar lifter, I carefully set each jar in the large stockpot of boiling water. Put the lid back on and wait for the water to come back to boiling.

Set a timer for 10 minutes (depends on your altitude – we are at 2850 feet, so I give everything an extra 5 minutes in the canner).

 

 

Once the time is up, remove the jars again using the jar lifter. Place them on a towel on the counter – somewhere where they can sit undisturbed for 24 hours.

Once they are settled, do not move them. Leave them alone and wait. Soon you will hear a pinging sound as each of the jars seals .

After 24 hours, check each jar to be sure they did seal. If a jar didn’t, you have two options.

Either can it again in boiling water or just put the jar in the fridge. These pickles take several days for that zingy flavour to set in.

You can store your canned Pickled Brussels Sprouts in a cool dark place. They will last for years but you will likely enjoy them before then. You can read more about how to safely store home canned food here.

Spices and Herbs to use in Pickled Brussel Sprouts

You can use a variety of herbs and spices in your jars of Brussel sprouts – for example, consider adding any or all of these:

• black peppercorns
• bay leaf
• yellow mustard seeds
• red pepper flakes
• dill seeds
• coriander seed

How to use Pickled Brussels Sprouts

Serve Pickled Brussels Sprouts on a condiment tray, along with other pickles. Skewer them to make an awesome addition to a Caesar or Bloody Mary.

Serve them alongside meat dishes, like roasted pork.

Easy Pickled Brussels Sprouts Recipe

Yield: 5 jars

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 1 day

Total Time: 1 day 30 minutes

If you like pickles, you will love Pickled Brussels Sprouts. Great to serve on a pickle tray or on a skewer alongside a Caesar or Bloody Mary.

4.5 Stars (358 Reviews)

Print

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Brussel Sprouts
• 5 cloves garlic (1 per jar)
• 5 hot Cayenne peppers (I used dried, but you can certainly use fresh)
• 5 cups vinegar
• 5 cups water
• 7 tablespoons pickling salt
• Spices (optional)

Instructions

1. Set a stock pot of water on stove to boil with 5 canning jars set inside. Let boil for 15 minutes to sterilize them.
2. Set canning jar seals in hot water and leave until you are ready for them.
3. Trim ends of Brussels Sprouts and remove outer leaves.
4. Cut each Sprout in half lengthwise.
5. Let Brussels Sprouts sit in a bowl of cool salted water for 15 minutes.
6. In a large pot, mix the vinegar, water and pickling salt. Bring to a boil, then turn down and let simmer for 10 minutes.
7. After jars are sterilized, fill them with Brussels Sprouts. Add garlic cloves and hot peppers. Add the pickling brine, leaving 1/2 inch of headroom in each jar.
8. Clean rim of each jar using a moistened paper towel.
9. Put the seals on and then add the rings. Tighten rings.
10. Use a canning jar lifter to carefully set the jars in the boiling water.
11. Set timer for 15 minutes and let the water boil.
12. After the time, carefully remove the jars and let them sit on the counter.
13. Do not move them for 24 hours.
14. Listen for each jar to ping, meaning it has properly sealed.
15. If a jar remains unsealed, either can it again or place in refrigerator to use first.

Notes

Let pickled Brussels Sprouts sit for several days or a week before using. This will enhance the pickle flavour.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 20 Serving Size: 2
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 31Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 43mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 1g

Did you make this recipe?

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More tasty Recipe Ideas:

Ever tried Pickled Garlic Scapes? Here’s how to make them

See how easy it is to make Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns.

Here’s a yummy recipe for Easy Pickled Okra that you can store in the fridge!

15+ of the Best Soup Recipes you are ever going to find

This Fireball Pumpkin Pie is going to make you drool!

Our favourite cold weather Slow Cooker Soup

 

Our entire Country Living in a Cariboo Valley Recipe Collection can be found here

 

 

 

 

Learn how to can cherries at home and start preserving fruit this year. This method works for all stone fruits.

When there is a great deal on fresh cherries at the local grocery store, I buy a flat. For canning cherries, water bath preserving is used. It makes for a pretty easy job. Want to learn about canning cherries at home? Read on!

We like to use sweet cherries for our canning. Some people prefer Morello cherries, which are sour cherries. I have not seen Morello cherries available here.

We will never bother with planting cherry trees here. We have planted apple trees and enjoy harvesting those every year. But cherry trees?

No! We have so many birds here, not only all the birds that come to the Valley to lay their eggs and teach their babes to fly, but also ravens.

 

 

I don’t have time nor the inclination to spend putting nets over fruit trees here. And that includes cherry trees. So I am a buyer of grocery store cherries.

How to Can Cherries at Home

To get started canning cherries, fill a water bath canner with water and set on the stove on high heat, bringing the water to a boil.

 

Meanwhile, place cherries in cool water in the sink – I like to soak them for a little while. Then I let the water drain out,  fill the sink again and give them a final rinse.

When I’m happy with how clean they are, I start pulling off the stems.

Do you pit cherries before canning?

You can pit cherries before canning, if you like. Using a pitting tool like this one makes that job a lot easier. If you are canning cherries for cherry pie filling, you will need to pit the cherries first.

Many people prefer pitting cherries so they don’t have to eat around the pit and then discard it. It’s up to individual preference, so you make the decision.

Can cherries be canned with pits?

Yes! Cherries can be canned with pits; I do NOT pit the cherries before water bath canning them. We don’t find it bothersome to have to remove the pit when eating.

If you can cherries with the pits, you may want to prick skins on opposite sides of the cherries as it may prevent splitting. You can use a clean needle for this.

We have not done this and have not had problems with any cherries splitting through the canning process.

 

I put empty pint jars into the now boiling water in the canner. They get sterilized for at least 10 minutes. Meanwhile, I have a sugar syrup warming up in a large saucepan and I will add this liquid to the jars before canning.

I prefer using a hot pack method for cherries, as opposed to a raw pack method. Because of this, I will warm the cherries on the stove in this medium syrup before loading the jars.

Juices for Canning Cherries

Cherries can be canned in apple juice, white grape juice or in a light syrup or a medium syrup, depending on the sweetness of the cherries and your preference.

We prefer simply using a simple syrup and here are the ingredients and measurements that we use.

Simple Syrup Recipe

For the simple syrup, here are the measurements to make seven quart size jars:

• 8 1/4 cups water
• 3 3/4 cups sugar

Heat this on the stove on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Once dissolved, you can heat the cherries in this mixture before placing in jars for canning.

Add enough syrup to each jar to completely cover the cherries, and leave 1/2 inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles using one of these bubble poppers, then wipe the rim of each jar. Add the seal and ring.

Boil in a water bath for 20 minutes; remove jars from the boiling water canner and let sit on a towel in a draft free place for 24 hours.

Do not touch the jars, just leave alone to seal and cool. After 24 hours you can check that your jars have all sealed then place in your food pantry.

If you have any jars that have not sealed you can can them again OR place the jar in the fridge and eat within a few days.

 

Using Tattler Lids and Seals

You can of course, use the more common canning seals and rings, but here is some information about Tattler Canning lids and seals if you want to use them.

While my jars are being sterilized and the berries are warming, I get my Tattler lids and seals ready by immersing them in hot water for 10 minutes. 

If you’ve never used Tattler products, you should! These completely reusable lids and seals will last for years.

You will not be disappointed with your canning if you use their lids and seals; they are wonderful.

 

 

Once the jars are sterilized, remove them from the canner and fill them with your warm cherries, leaving 1/2 an inch headroom.

Ladle the syrup over top and then wipe the rims of the jars.

 

Put the ring on the seal and place it on the jar. Read here for detailed instructions on how to use the Tattler lids, as the instructions are different than when using metal seals and rings.

Process the jars in your water bath canner for 15 minutes.

 

 

After the water bath canning:

If I have used the Tattler lids and seals, I immediately tighten them. Do this as soon as you remove the jars from your canner!

Read about the differences between regular lids and seals and Tattler lids and seals.

I leave the rings in place until at least 24 hours after canning. Since I can reuse the rings, I put my jars away sealed but without the rings.

 

 

 

Here is the finished result. Don’t they look beautiful? I did some pints but also some half pints. 

 They are great for Graham to take to work and snack on. They make a wonderful dessert and the juice is delicious over ice cream. We’ll be enjoying these cherries this winter.

 

 

The Ball Blue Book of Canning is a fantastic resource – whether you are a beginner or an expert with canning.

Grab a copy, read it through, find some great canning recipes and know you are canning safely.

Want to make your own Salsa? Read here – there’s a great Salsa recipe and the whole process for canning them. Then, try your hand at this delicious Jalapeno Plum Jelly!

 

 

originally published 2012; updated May 2022

Once you learn how to can salmon, you can pressure can many kinds of fish!

We have always loved to go fishing and years ago, we had to learn how to can salmon because there was only so much room in our freezer. And once we learned how to can fish, we started doing it every year!

This weekend, we canned most of the Salmon we had in the freezer, leaving only 4 bags with filleted fish to eat with meals.

Canning Salmon is not hard, but you definitely need to use a Pressure Canner. Here’s how we can Salmon and enjoy eating it all year around.

You can use this same canned salmon recipe for any type of fish such as tuna or trout. If you haven’t used a pressure canner before, read this, as it will explain exactly how to use a pressure canner.

How to Can Salmon

The only ingredients needed are the fish, 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice per jar. We like to use these half pint wide mouth mason canning jars. It is much easier to get the fish out of a wide mouth jar as opposed to a regular jar!

Also, because there are two of us here, we can use the whole jar up in one use. If you have a family of four, you may want to use pint jars instead.

We thawed the frozen fish overnight and then made sure to rinse each piece well, under cold water. You can prepare the fish at room temperature or cold right out of the fridge.

Graham then used his fillet knife to cut the salmon flesh off the skin. He cuts as close to the skin as possible, essentially skinning each piece of fish. It’s sometimes easiest to do this with the fish skin side down. Then, the fish pieces get laid onto a plate lined with paper towel.

You may also need to remove bones, depending on what cut of salmon you’re working with. The backbone is particularly common to find and will need to be cut out.

Getting Jars Ready for Pressure Canning Fish

Meanwhile, I got all the canning equipment organized that we would need. I washed 24 half pint jars.

If you are pressure canning, you don’t need to sterilize the jars, like you do when you water bath can.

The canning jars however do need to be clean and I always wash them out in soapy water before reusing them. I set the canning lids to soak in hot water and set all the lid rings aside.

Here are the jars all cleaned and ready for fish. Graham cut each piece of fish into smaller ones that will fit in the small jars. 

We like to place the first pieces of fish in the jar so that they are along the sides, then start to pack layers of fish in the middle of the jar. Make sure the pieces are not so long that they can interfere with the seals. You’ll want about a 1-inch headspace to prevent issues.

Once filled, I added 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to each canning jar.

Clean rims of each jar after they are filled. Then I put on the seals, which have been soaking in hot water and finally, adding screw on a ring over each seal and make sure the canner lids are on tight.

 

Instructions for Pressure Canning Salmon

1. When we have enough jars filled, we add four quarts of water to the pressure canner and then we put a layer of jars inside. Room temperature water works just fine.
2. Since we have a pressure canner rack to separate levels of jars, we put that in and have two levels of jars. This way, we were able to process 14 jars at a time.
3. If you want to process a lot of jars at once, you need to use a second rack to keep the tops of the jars from hitting the bottom of the others.

   

4. Close the canner and turn up the heat on the stove. Once it starts steaming, we time it to vent for 10 minutes.
5. After the venting time is over, we add the weight (15 lbs of pressure, because of our elevation) and then wait for the canner to again start steaming.
6. Be aware that the higher the altitude, the more weight you’ll need to add. Times and weights may also vary a bit depending on the type of pressure canner you own.
7. Once the ball weight starts to jiggle and let out steam, we can slowly start to turn down the heat under the pressure canner.
8. Set the timer for 90 minutes and let the canner do its thing. It will continue to jiggle and build up pressure and then release it. That’s normal! Here is everything you need to know about using a pressure canner.

 

What to do after your Pressure Canner is Finished

After 90 minutes, I turned off the stove and let the pressure canner sit there to start cooling down. This takes awhile, but it’s really important to not open the canner too soon.

Once it cooled down, I removed all the jars and set them off to the side where they can sit undisturbed for 24 hours. By then, I can give the jars a good wipe with a clean wet cloth and store the jars in the pantry.

In the end, we ended up with 22 half pints of salmon. We’ll enjoy this all Winter long!

 

How to Use This Canned Salmon Recipe

• We’ll use this fish on sandwiches, on cooked pasta with a cream sauce or on top of a fresh garden salad.
• Make a salmon salad and take advantage of all of the healthy proteins of this fatty fish.
• Smoking salmon is also a great way to enjoy it and add some flavor before canning. The smoke process doesn’t need to get the salmon to a certain temperature when canning; it’s mostly to get the texture and smoky flavor. This guide has more information on smoking and canning salmon.

 

Guides for Canning at Home

• How to Home Can Cherries
• Here’s how to Make your own Salsa – and Can it too!
• How to Make and Can Sauerkraut
• Does the thought of pressure canning scare you? Here’s everything you need to know about How to Use a Pressure Canner to home can.

 

 

Originally published June 2019; Updated September 2024

Check out my Prepper’s Canning Guide review – then order your copy!

Daisy Luther has written four books and her latest is The Prepper’s Canning Guide. I just finished reading it and was happy to find some delicious recipes for all kinds of canned items.

 

Prepper’s Canning Guide – Book Review

However, it isn’t just a compilation of recipes – Daisy covers the procedures of canning (both water bath canning and pressure canning) as well as food safety guidelines. She explains how to use a canner as well as modern pressure canning methods.

She takes us through the process of canning vegetables and fruits, plus there is a section devoted to canning entire meals in one jar.

 

Meals in Jars

That photo above is some pressure canned Lamb stew we made a couple of years ago. So very easy to just pull a jar from the pantry, heat it up and serve with salad and a dinner bun!

We find meals in jar super helpful because we are always so busy these days! Instead of having to come up with new ideas for dinners on busy weeknights, we can just grab a jar or two, heat it and serve it up.

How easy is that? If we are really hungry at lunch, we can each grab a jar of stew. If we’re not, we’ll grab a jar of soup instead. Such a quick meal when we are in a hurry.

 

 

The Prepper’s Canning Guide isn’t just for preppers, so don’t turn away from it because you think it is for survivalists or extreme thinkers. It’s an approachable guide to up the level of your emergency food supply!

So, give it a read and glean a LOT of information about how to can foods safely, what to do with all those garden harvests and how to fill your pantry with delicious healthy meals.

This book includes canning different types of meat. So,  if you find a great sale on beef at the store, grab it and start canning.

You can save a LOT of money buying things only on sale. Then preserve them and put them away. Buy in large quantities (bulk shopping), start preserving and be able to store nutrition-packed foods in your food storage.

Grab a jar at dinner time and you’ll be enjoying your money savings all year round.

 

 

Recipes in the Canning Guide:

(just a few of them, actually)

 

Cranberry Sauce

Sugar Baked Ham

Stock for Making Soups

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Chili Con Carne

Cajun Jambalaya

Boston Baked Beans

Spicy Apple Rings

Protein-rich meat dishes

all kinds of Pickles and Relishes

Lots of recipes for jams, jellies, stews, chicken and other poultry dishes and more.

 

Home Canning

If you are new to home canning, it’s important to know that you need to follow the specific process for what you are doing. Canning shelf-stable foods is not difficult, but it must be done properly.

So, up your level of preparedness and become more self-sufficient! Be prepared for power outages, runs of the food in grocery stores and medical emergencies. People’s desperation for food can result in bare shelves. 

Take care of your own food storage. By doing so, your family will be well-fed even in times of food scarcity.

Having a lifesaving supply of food is an important part of self sufficiency, and even at times, survival.

This book covers the information you need to know – you can also read articles here on this site for water bath canning and also pressure canning.

 

 

If you are using Tattler Reusable Lids and Seals, you can read my article here about water bath canning using Tattler lids. These lids have their own special instructions that need to be followed.

Why You Need this Book

The Prepper’s Canning Guide is available on Amazon. I promise you will find new recipes, tips and tricks for preserving, and everything you need to bring your preserving to the next level.

This book is like a cookbook from your grandmother – full of healthy safe food. It even includes grid failure canning tips and use time-tested water-bath methods. Check out the customer reviews!

You can find every one of the preserving recipes on Country Living right here!

Canning guidelines presented by governmental publications are here.

Also, if you want to read my review, check out this post on a great book full of Dehydrating Recipes!

 

 

(NOTE:  There is a typo in the recipe for the Mexican – Texan Chili found on pg. 130. It should read “8 Tablespoons ground cumin” – I have verified this with the publisher.)

 

originally published Sept 2017; latest update December, 2022