Last night I attended a fabulous class that taught us the traditional art of canning. This is a method of preserving any surplus of food when it is bountiful and thus having it available to you in the winter months when those foods are not in season!

We made 2 kinds of pickles (Curried honey pickles and Hilary’s Pickles) as well as a really hearty tomato sauce with lots of vegetables. The produce was mainly donated from my brother’s organic farm, Bluebird farm.long-boiling method. This method involves boiling the contents of the jar, keeping the jar hot in 3 inches of boiling water in a chaffing dish and keeping the disks boiling. Some of this language might not be familiar to you, so below I will include more info about the actual canning process.

Here are some really great pictures of the action.

Kalita shared a really great method of canning where you don’t need to use the water bath which is a hassle and make the house incredibly hot.

Here are some handy tools to have before you begin your own canning adventure. Don’t forget to forage for some of your own WILD PLUMS and other forage-able foods!

Canning Utensils

Helpful items for home canning and preserving:
• Jar lifter: essential for easy removal of hot jars.
• Jar funnel: helps in pouring and packing of liquid and small food items into canning jars.
• Lid wand: magnetized wand for removing treated jar lids from hot water.
• Clean cloths: handy to have for wiping jar rims, spills and general cleanup.
• Knives: for preparing food.
• Narrow, flat rubber spatula: for removing trapped air bubbles before sealing jars.
• Timer or clock: for accurate food processing time.
• Hot pads
• Cutting board

There are also many specialty utensils available like apple slicers, cutting spoons for coring and pit removal, corn cutters and fruit skinners.

I plan on offering a canning class through IN THE KITCHEN once we open!

Kalitia is teaching another class on preserving food in 2 weeks. Email me at wendyvanwagner@gmail.com if you would like the details!

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