There is still time to go picking for this season’s bounty. If you missed strawberry season, raspberry and blueberries are now coming ready for the picking. What tastes better than homemade jam?
Canning is a great way to preserve our harvest and it is also a fun activity to do together as a family. In our family we get together washing, peeling and preparing for canning. It is not just for grown ups; children can be great little helpers. As an added bonus, canned goods look great as a display in your kitchen or are a great hostess or Christmas gift.
Find your favorite recipe online or in your grandma’s old cookbook.
A few tips about canning
There are a lot of ways to can foods and it can feel overwhelming at first. As always, start small in the beginning. When you get the hang of it you can expand into larger batches or change up the recipes.
The most important thing when it comes to preserving is that everything is very clean; good hygiene is critical.
Prepare jars for canning 
Use standard Mason Jars making sure they don’t have any cracks
Lids (You should use new lids every time.)
Rings
Optimal to have
Jar tongs for lifting jars out of boiling water
1 large pot (at least 8-quart size or larger)
Large spoons and ladles
Racks
Canning process
Start with thoroughly washing your jars, either in the dishwasher or by hand. Sterilize jars in boiling water for 10 minutes let them sit in the hot water until you fill them with the hot item you are preserving. Let the lids be warm as well, but not in boiling water. They need to be in hot water for 10 min before they are used.
After filling the jar wipe off the rim and affix lid and ring.
Placed filled mason jars on a rack in a large pot of boiling water for about 20 minutes
Remove jars and let cool
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