Canning Recipes

The Ball Blue Book Of Canning Recipes is the way to go if you are wanting to learn how to can your garden fruits and vegetables. It is what we bought when we lived in Colorado back in the 1990s and we started canning by using it. This book is still for sale today and it has now been updated.

My maternal grandparents, Mildred and Floyd Pitcher, in front of Gran's snapdragons. She loved growing flowers. He loved to grow vegetables.My maternal grandparents, Mildred and Floyd Pitcher, in front of Gran's snapdragons. She loved growing flowers. He loved to grow vegetables.

Canning Recipes

This section has canning recipes and teaches you how to can if you have never done this before.

When I was a child, my grandfather, Floyd Pitcher, always had a huge backyard garden. He grew tons of beautiful vegetables and fruits each summer in Hyde Park, NY. He and my grandmother, Mildred, gave a lot of their home-grown produce away and they would can the rest. They had a root cellar where they would keep it all after it was canned. My grandparents, pictured above by their flower garden, were amazing when it came to food! 

David and I learned how to can when we moved to Colorado Springs. I was pregnant and had two children under five so I did not try to find a job. David worked full time and went to school full time as well but did not have school during the summer. Gardening is David's hobby so he planted a huge garden and designed his first of many greenhouses in Colorado Springs. There, the climate is mild and the warm, summer temperatures are cool compared to South Central Texas. Vegetable plants grow like crazy there, especially in a greenhouse.

When summer came, vegetables grew and ripened quicker than we could eat them. At first, we blanched and froze a lot of vegetables and put them in our new freezer that we bought once we moved up to Colorado Springs. David suggested we learn how to can. So we got some books and canning jars and went to town! We canned everything and made several varieties of pickles. I even went so far as to learn how to make jams and jellies and it was fun! It is a lot of work and takes a lot of time, but it is not difficult.

David's garden vegetables helped us eat very well and very healthy for the time we lived in Colorado Springs. Everything grew so easily there. I don't believe we have ever since lived in such a beautiful climate that was so conducive to growing a garden.

Canning Recipes Equipment

We ordered a lot of canning jars in the fall of 2019 while they were still plentiful.We ordered a lot of canning jars in the fall of 2019 while they were still plentiful.

In order to can, you will need:

  • The Ball Blue Book Of Canning Recipes
  • A Very Large Pot With Lid (It needs to be big enough for canning jars to be surrounded by boiling water as well as tall enough to hold two inches of water above the jars, plus some additional space above the water. You will be processing seven to 10 jars at a time.)
  • A Large Pressure Cooker (An Instant Pot will not work.)
  • Long-handled ladles and long-handled spoons and spatulas
  • A Large Colander
  • Funnel
  • Sharp Knives
  • Kitchen Scissors
  • Vegetable Peeler
  • Saucepans
  • Jar Lifter
  • Non-metal Spatulas (for packing jars)
  • Cheesecloth
  • Timer
  • Mason Jars (For most vegetables, you will want to use quart-sized jars. Pint jars and smaller jars are usually for jams and jellies. We kept plenty of all sizes on hand. Once a jar is empty, wash and save to use in canning again.
  • Two-piece Vacuum Caps and Lids (This is a great system to ensure that your food stays fresh and does not spoil when processed correctly. Mason jars and the caps and lids can be found in grocery stores and Big Box stores like Wal-Mart. They can be found on Amazon as well. The lid that goes on the top of the jars can be used only once and then thrown away. The screw-on lids can be saved and washed and put away for next time.
  • Canning Spices and Salt
  • Sugar
  • Vinegar
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring Spoons
  • A bubble removing stick for jars of food
  • Pectin
  • Dish Towels to place hot jars on until they cool. Putting them on a cool countertop can cause the jars to break.
  • Cutting board a vegetable peeler, and good, sharp knives to cut up the vegetables.

***IMPORTANT NOTE:  Always use mason jars made for canning. Do not use jars (such as store bought pickle jars, spaghetti sauce jars, gravy jars, or jelly jars that held food you bought from the supermarket. They may not hold up to the hot bath or may be scratched and will not keep your food fresh and safe to eat for up to a year. Do not chance getting botulism by using inferior jars or lids.***

Return from Canning Recipes to Preserving Food

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