What are you canning now?

If you were going to start canning again but having to buy everything from scratch, knowing what you do now, how would you go about it? Automatic canner machine? Big boilers? How would you most economically buy your bottles? And what time saving tips have you learnt?

Is there anything you wouldn't spend your money on?

It's kind of hard to answer that in any way that translates to where you live because I'm pretty sure you don't have access to the same brands/goods we have, nor for the same prices. I've never even heard of an automatic canner machine and I can only guess that a big boiler would be like the large canning kettle we use for hot water bath canning?

Here in the states I can get a basic, simple and easy to use, low maintenance pressure canner for around $34 and free shipping, new on Amazon. It's made by Mirro and it's perfectly good for anything anyone would want or need to can. You can also use it for boiling water bath canning is so desired, just by not fastening the lid down or applying the pressure gauge/weight.

I don't do the boiling water bath canning in a large kettle any longer but use a steam canner(not a pressure canner), that uses minimal water but accomplishes the same thing the boiling water bath canning method does~just easier and with less potential jar breakage. Those are cheap to buy also..usually around $30 or so.

If I were starting over, those are the two canners I would buy. Cheap, safe, effective and the easiest to use.

Canning jars are bought the most cheaply here through local ads, yard sales, etc. There are many, many, many people out there who inherit canning supplies and just want to get rid of that stuff and don't even know what it's worth, they just want it gone. I once got a whole pick up truck full~and I do mean full~of canning jars of all kinds and all the canning equipment for free due to a man who cleaned out the basement of a house where an old couple had lived and their children said he could keep all of that stuff...he brought it home to his wife and she wanted nothing to do with it. That's how it got to my house. From the same source I also got 13 red 40# tins of red turkey wheat that had been sealed up in the 70s for the year 2000 and an electric grain mill. I'm STILL using that wheat for bread 9 yrs after and it's still as fresh and good to eat as if it were sealed up yesterday.

There are also just as many out there who think they are going to start "being more self sufficient" and buy all kinds of equipment towards that and, either don't ever get around to it out of fear or lack of initiative, or they tried it a couple of times and saw how much work it was and decided they could have just bought food from the grocery store to save the time, work, anxiety over it all, and the initial expense of the equipment ...and so they just want to get rid of it all so they won't feel like a failure. They will usually charge more for their stuff than those who just inherited the canning supplies.

I'd just put the word out that I was looking to find canning stuff cheap and see what came to me...the examples above are not isolated incidents. I moved from that house and didn't want to drag a truck load of canning jars along with me, so I gifted those canning jars to others who were interested in canning. I sold the rest, along with the canning equipment, in a yard sale for a mere pittance. I was moving in with my Mom who already had canning implements and that's often how it goes.

I like to stick with Ball brand canning lids and rings as they are the best on one can get here in the states and they rarely ever have defects or fail to seal. The jar brand doesn't matter as much, most of our canning in bygone years was done in glass mayonnaise jars and we've never had one of those break in the canner...but we've had plenty of Ball, Atlas, Mason and Kerr jars break.

I wouldn't spend my money on big, expensive pressure canners with all the pressure gauges, knobs that lock the lid down, and cost the price of your first born. Those canners don't cause you to have any better results than a basic, Mirro cheapy and can even cause some major disasters when used by a beginner.

I also wouldn't buy a boiling water bath kettle...it's just a big pot and your pressure canner already is a big pot.

I also wouldn't waste money nor time taking a "master canning class"...the Ball Canning booklet can tell you all you need to know to get you started and keep you successful in canning foods. The booklet is cheap, informative and doesn't turn people into "masters of canning" when they've never canned up a garden crop in their lives~who then feel free to coach others in the fine art of canning and spout dire words of warning to people who actually HAVE canned food in their lives on how they are going to kill their loved ones if they don't follow the USDA instructions to the letter.
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You might have heard the old adage "Those who cannot do, teach." ? That doubly applies to the novice canner who takes a "master canning class" from another novice who took a "master canning class" and so on and so forth.

That pretty much sums it up. Add a funnel and a jar lifter to those supplies I mentioned and that's all a person really needs.
 
@Beekissed

That's great thank you! I don't think we quite have the hand me down options you do, while people definatly canned (or bottled over here) i don't know a single person who does it or whose parents did. I think my grandmother did but that was only while they lived on the farm. We do however have the Ball brand here as I've seen those at my local supermarket but they weren't cheap. I'll try looking on gumtree which is sort of our Craig's list, didn't think of that!

Off to google a miro pressure canner so I can see what I am looking for.

Btw I am hoping not to be one of those "hoping to be more self sufficient ones" with a cupboard full of stuff I don't use :). Your post will hopefully get me started in the right direction :)

Edited to add, well second hand doesn't seem likely, in the whole state there was only four listings, nothing even close to me. Might just have to watch out for sales
 
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That reminds me of the elderly couple I used to live by... She had Alzheimer's :( He was just trying to get rid of stuff... He took me down in their basement, and I am totally serious, they had a 12x12 room with shelves from floor to ceiling FULL of NEW cases if jars! He was just giving them to me! I took 4 cases but couldn't bring myself to take more without buying them, but he wouldn't hear of it....

I had just started canning, so I thought 4 cases would last me forever! ;) ah, I learned how silly THAT was! :D

I have kicked myself numerous times for not just loading up all those jars and forcing at least SOME money into his hands, I'd probably just be finishing the last of them up, all 24000 jars lol ;)


Edit* there's really nothing to add, beekissed does a good job of teaching :D
Just reiterating no need for classes, the Ball book is pretty handy and easy to learn from.

A tip on NOT making stuff you won't eat... DON'T make stuff you won't eat lol ;) if you can't stand green beans, don't waste your time canning them, but if you like peaches, by all means buy 2 bushels and can 8 cases of them! Make single batches of new recipes and try it first before going gung ho and making multiple batches... And always know that if you don't like green beans, someone else might, and canned food makes great gifts :)
 
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@Beekissed

That's great thank you! I don't think we quite have the hand me down options you do, while people definatly canned (or bottled over here) i don't know a single person who does it or whose parents did. I think my grandmother did but that was only while they lived on the farm. We do however have the Ball brand here as I've seen those at my local supermarket but they weren't cheap. I'll try looking on gumtree which is sort of our Craig's list, didn't think of that!

Off to google a miro pressure canner so I can see what I am looking for.

Btw I am hoping not to be one of those "hoping to be more self sufficient ones" with a cupboard full of stuff I don't use :). Your post will hopefully get me started in the right direction :)

Edited to add, well second hand doesn't seem likely, in the whole state there was only four listings, nothing even close to me. Might just have to watch out for sales

My sister lives in Brisbane. She comes to visit and takes canning things home in her luggage. Perhaps not an option, but one solution. It would probably be cheaper to buy from China
 
I second what Beekissed said.

I have a big boiling water bath canner, and inherited 2 more with this house. I would really like to get a steam canner and use that instead but cannot justify the cost of a new canner when I already have 3! I love my pressure canner - it was given to me by a neighbor back in Wyoming. She decided to downsize and gave me her canner when I mentioned that I was looking to buy one. She never regretted it! She always got samples of what I canned. Only now she is in Oregon and I am in Wisconsin so no more sharing.
 
apps--try putting a "want" ad on your free listing site. I've done that on our CL and gotten responses I'd never dreamed of, some very good deals. Folks aren't always motivated to advertise what they have, but if they feel they're helping someone out, they may be more inclined to let things go.
 
It's kind of hard to answer that in any way that translates to where you live because I'm pretty sure you don't have access to the same brands/goods we have, nor for the same prices.  I've never even heard of an automatic canner machine and I can only guess that a big boiler would be like the large canning kettle we use for hot water bath canning? 

Here in the states I can get a basic, simple and easy to use, low maintenance pressure canner for around $34 and free shipping, new on Amazon.  It's made by Mirro and it's perfectly good for anything anyone would want or need to can.  You can also use it for boiling water bath canning is so desired, just by not fastening the lid down or applying the pressure gauge/weight. 

I don't do the boiling water bath canning in a large kettle any longer but use a steam canner(not a pressure canner), that uses minimal water but accomplishes the same thing the boiling water bath canning method does~just easier and with less potential jar breakage.   Those are cheap to buy also..usually around $30 or so. 

If I were starting over, those are the two canners I would buy.  Cheap, safe, effective and the easiest to use. 

Canning jars are bought the most cheaply here through local ads, yard sales, etc.  There are many, many, many people out there who inherit canning supplies and just want to get rid of that stuff and don't even know what it's worth, they just want it gone.  I once got a whole pick up truck full~and I do mean full~of canning jars of all kinds and all the canning equipment for free due to a man who cleaned out the basement of a house where an old couple had lived and their children said he could keep all of that stuff...he brought it home to his wife and she wanted nothing to do with it.  That's how it got to my house.  From the same source I also got 13  red 40# tins of red turkey wheat that had been sealed up in the 70s for the year 2000 and an electric grain mill.  I'm STILL using that wheat for bread 9 yrs after and it's still as fresh and good to eat as if it were sealed up yesterday. 

There are also just as many out there who think they are going to start "being more self sufficient" and buy all kinds of equipment towards that and, either don't ever get around to it out of fear or lack of initiative, or they tried it a couple of times and saw how much work it was and decided they could have just bought food from the grocery store to save the time, work, anxiety over it all, and the initial expense of the equipment ...and so they just want to get rid of it all so they won't feel like a failure.  They will usually charge more for their stuff than those who just inherited the canning supplies.

I'd just put the word out that I was looking to find canning stuff cheap and see what came to me...the examples above are not isolated incidents.  I moved from that house and didn't want to drag a truck load of canning jars along with me, so I gifted those canning jars to others who were interested in canning.  I sold the rest, along with the canning equipment, in a yard sale for a mere pittance.  I was moving in with my Mom who already had canning implements and that's often how it goes.  

I like to stick with Ball brand canning lids and rings as they are the best on one can get here in the states and they rarely ever have defects or fail to seal.  The jar brand doesn't matter as much, most of our canning in bygone years was done in glass mayonnaise jars and we've never had one of those break in the canner...but we've had plenty of Ball, Atlas, Mason and Kerr jars break.  

I wouldn't spend my money on big, expensive pressure canners with all the pressure gauges, knobs that lock the lid down, and cost the price of your first born.  Those canners don't cause you to have any better results than a basic, Mirro cheapy and can even cause some major disasters when used by a beginner. 

I also wouldn't buy a boiling water bath kettle...it's just a big pot and your pressure canner already is a big pot. 

I also wouldn't waste money nor time taking a "master canning class"...the Ball Canning booklet can tell you all you need to know to get you started and keep you successful in canning foods.  The booklet is cheap, informative and doesn't turn people into "masters of canning" when they've never canned up a garden crop in their lives~who then feel free to coach others in the fine art of canning and spout dire words of warning to people who actually HAVE canned food in their lives on how they are going to kill their loved ones if they don't follow the USDA instructions to the letter.  :rolleyes:   You might have heard the old adage "Those who cannot do, teach." ?   That doubly applies to the novice canner who takes a "master canning class" from another novice who took a "master canning class" and so on and so forth.  

That pretty much sums it up.  Add a funnel and a jar lifter to those supplies I mentioned and that's all a person really needs.  


WAIT people BUY water bath canners? ;)

All joking aside I second all of this. We prefer the French bail jars, I have a bunch from my Mother In Law that only needed the gasket replaced, but in the States Ball is the way to go. I live in Europe and my local feed store has all the cute little confit and large half-liter soup jars.
 
Well it is sort of canning, eventually anyways. Just froze more diced bell peppers for salsa next year as well as for cooking. Diced and froze: 2 1 gallon bags of carrots from the garden, 1 gallon bag of celery and I believe it is a 2 gallon bag on onions with more to do. Remaining tomatoes that I was planning on usimg for salsa are in the freezer waiting on my produce, or possibly to add to soup when I make it. I "believe" I am done canning for the year, as far as my garden goes anyways.
 

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