Beginner’s Guide to Canning and Preserving
How do you get started with canning and preserving when you’re a complete beginner? How do you ensure that you’re following proper safety techniques when canning so you don’t create make your family sick?
What about food preservation recipes? I’m sharing a few amazing recipes to help get you inspired to preserve your garden bounty.
Plus, I’m sharing a couple of really great tools and resources that are perfect for beginners and anyone experienced with food preservation.
This post has been updated from its original publish date of August 25, 2019. It has been updated to provide better photos and additional helpful information.
Canning and Preserving Food for Beginners
Over the years, as I’ve experimented more with preserving our garden harvest, I’ve narrowed down my favorite methods and tools.
In this post, I’m sharing some of my most favorite, tried + true resources for getting the job done. So, let’s dive in with my favorite food preservation books. And at the end of this post, I have many recipes to help you get started.
01
The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables
Every beginner needs this book! There’s so many really yummy recipes included. Some of our favorites are the jalapeño cucumber jam and maple onions.
My friend Angi guides you through every food preservation method. You’ll learn how to get started with preserving your home garden harvest. Each vegetable section has Angi’s growing tips. This is perfect for homesteaders! And many of the canning recipes that I have already tried are really delicious!
02
Freeze Fresh
Using a variety of methods of food preservation has been so beneficial to our homestead. And I love how simple Chrystal’s recipes are for freezing produce. We’ve tested many of these recipes with great success and it’s a definite go-to guide on our homestead.
03
Pressure Canning for Beginners
Another favorite from Angi, this book is so helpful for beginner canners! Learn the basics of pressure canning and how to feel confident in doing so.
04
Complete Book of Home Preserving
Considered a quintessential guide to canning and home preservation. This book has been so helpful on my journey to canning at home. I like to use a variety of these recipes each year in preserving the garden bounty.
05
Fermenting Made Simple
If you’re new to home fermentation, I definitely recommend this book to help get you started. Emillie has a lot of really good helpful information and tips for the beginner. There’s a lot of really good-for-you gut healthy and nutrious recipes in this book.
Favorite Tools for Food Preservation
I put together a one-stop quick shop on Amazon for some of our favorite food preservation tools, books, dehydrator that we use and love, and more.
Quick Start Guide to Water Bath Canning
Do you want to learn more about canning fruits, vegetables, jams, jellies, salsas, and more foods like these?
My friend Victoria at A Modern Homestead, has a wonderful guide all about getting started with water bath canning. What I love most about this guide is the ease of use and the details in the step-by-step guide.
Also included in this guide are 28 recipes and a checklist so you’ll never miss a step. This is perfect for getting started or an awesome refresher guide.
Quick Start Guide to Pressure Canning
Does the thought of pressure canning scare you? It has been intimidating for me! But I have wanted to store more than just fruits and veggies.
I like to can things like chilis, pasta sauce, soups, and meats. And I love this guide that Victoria at A Modern Homestead has put together. It makes pressure canning attainable for anyone!
Just like her water bath guide, this pressure canning guide is very detailed and easy to use. She really knows how to break the steps down so they are easy to follow and understand.
Food Preservation Planner
This planner has everything you’ll need to help stay organized with your food preservation processes. Do you struggle or feel overwhelmed during harvest season?
I totally feel you. I love organization and planning tools. And this one is essential when planning out inventories for pantry, freezer, and fridge.
It helps to keep track of your family’s food needs and what you preserve each year.
Plus the planner includes helpful cheatsheets, checklists, and more tracking sheets.
Delicious Food Preservation Recipes
Are you looking for some fresh inspiration to jumpstart preserving your garden harvest? Here are several satisfying and delectable recipes to add to your collection!
This small collection of food preservation recipes is sure to inspire anyone to get started with storing food over the growing off season. I’m sharing a little bit of fermenting, canning, dehydrating, and freezing.
These are just a few of the ways that you can preserve your own food at home. There really are so many more recipes available!
