Home Canning Tips: How to Can & Dry Your Harvested Produce

Creating jams and jellies is a fantastic way to preserve your harvested produce. Not only are jams and jellies super delicious, but they have long shelf lives as well—making them ideal for long-term storage.

More and more people are actually getting into home canning these days for these amazing benefits! To get you started with canning, you need to wash and cut your fresh fruits into pieces. Then slowly boil them for a while and add certain amount of sugar. Afterwards, put a small amount of jam on a cold saucer and let it cool for a while. If you can push it, then your jam is ready enough to store in jars. Always remember to sterilize the jars and lids first before using them.

Now it’s not fair to leave out the vegetables. Pickled vegetables and chutneys are commonly used by home canning enthusiasts. Cucumbers are the most popular choice for pickled vegetables, but you can use beets, onions, and peppers as well. It’s best to cut them into thick pieces rather than thin ones to make them crispier.

If you’re making chutney, you can check if it’s ready by making a channel of your spoon in the mixture. If it doesn’t backfill with the mixture, then it’s ready. Add acetic acid or vinegar so they can be preserved much longer.

Storage for both pickled veggies and chutneys may take long—probably a couple of weeks or months.

Drying is also best for long-term storage. Thinly slice your desired fruits and vegetables and place them in a tray. Set your oven at lowest temperature and leave them for a few hours until they’re totally dried out. Store them in an airtight container for weeks for the best results.

For more tips on canning and drying produce, simply check out this video from GrowVeg. Like and share the video online by clicking the social buttons below!

Video Source: GrowVeg YouTube Channel