With more and more people growing home gardens and shopping at farmer's markets, home canning is enjoying a boom in popularity. Getting started in home canning can be a little costly up front, especially if you are going to purchase a pressure canner. But once you've invested in your jars and canner, it costs next to nothing to home can nutritious, all-natural foods for your friends and family.
Instructions
1. Buy canning supplies at your local Agway store. Agway, a cooperative of nearly 90,000 agricultural cooperatives, has stores in 12 northeast states and markets its products nationwide. You can buy everything from the "Ball to Preserving" to gallon-size and water bath canners at Agway.
2. Find home-canning supplies at your local grocery store. Most grocery stores stock canning jars, extra lids and bands for your jars, pectin for making jams and jellies, pickling spices and assorted other necessities for canning. Canning supplies may only be stocked seasonally in your grocery store, depending on where you are located.
3. Purchase canning supplies online. Ball, the company that manufactures Ball canning jars and publishes the home canning Bible known as the "Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving" sells everything you need to home can from its very slick site called Fresh Preserving. It's unlikely you'll find any broader array of home canning necessities available online.
4. Get your pressure cooker, which you'll need to pressure-can low acid fruits, vegetables and meats, from Pressure Cooker Outlet. Pressure Cooker Outlet is owned and operated by Red Hill General Store in Hillsville, Virginia. You can typically find brand name pressure cookers for steep discounts off traditional retail prices.
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