Canning 101

Beginner Canning Equipment

If you’re new to canning, ease into it with the Ball Canning Discovery Kit ($12, freshpreservingstore.com), which includes three 1-pint jars, a polypropylene rack with a handle for lowering the jars into hot water, and a beginner’s guide to canning with recipes.

If you’re not starting out with a kit, for the boiling-water method you’ll need:

• Canning jars with two-part lids—a flat lid with a rubberized gasket and a ring to hold it in place.
• A stock pot at least 3 inches taller than your jars
• Canning tongs for lifting jars out of the boiling water (Find them at the grocery or hardware store; don’t substitute regular kitchen tongs)
• Canning rack to raise jars off the bottom of the pot (a cake cooling rack or a layer of extra canning jar rings will work in a pinch)
• Wide-mouth funnel to make filling jars easy
• Bubble tool to release trapped air in the jars (substitute a plastic knife, chopstick or skewer)
• Magnetic lid lifter, an optional tool for grabbing lids from the hot water