When choosing vegetables for canning or preserving, be very picky. The quality of the food you start with affects the quality of your final product. Whether harvesting your vegetables from the garden or shopping at a farmers' market or your local supermarket, follow these guidelines when selecting your vegetables:
- Select vegetables that are free of bruises and imperfections. These blemishes could encourage the growth of bacteria in your food.
The basic rule for evaluating damage on vegetables for canning is "If I won't eat that portion of the vegetable, I won't buy it and can it."
- Process the vegetables the day of harvesting or purchasing — the sooner the better. If you need to wait a day, store the items in your refrigerator to preserve the quality and prevent deterioration of your food. Don't make your vegetables wait longer than one day!
 | Gathering your supplies |
During the canning season (summer), canning supplies may be in short supply and challenging to find. Inventorying your products early and purchasing missing items keeps you ready to can on a moment's notice. Jars, lids, and screw bands don't have a shelf life or expiration date.
About one week before you begin pressure canning, assemble and check your equipment. Locate your recipe and review the ingredients you'll need to have on hand. Stopping at any stage of food preparation or processing adversely affects the quality of your final product.
Cleaning your vegetables
Properly cleaning your vegetables is important to your finished product. The method and amount of cleaning required is determined by where the vegetables were grown: above the ground (like beans or squash) or in the ground (like carrots or beets).
- Vegetables growing above the ground: These vegetables usually have a thinner, more tender skin than vegetables grown in the ground. Remove any stems and leaves. Run water over them, gently rub the skin with your fingers and remove any dirt. Shake off the excess water and place your food on clean kitchen or paper towels.
- Vegetables growing in the ground: Root vegetables, such as carrots and beets, may require soaking to loosen any clinging soil. After first rinsing the vegetables, immerse them in a basin of cool water. Using a stiff brush (a new toothbrush works well), scrub the surface of the vegetables, removing any clinging soil. Rinse thoroughly with running water, placing the vegetables on clean kitchen or paper towels to drain.
To cook or not to cook before jarring
You can prepare your clean vegetables for filling your jars in two ways: raw or hot. Not all vegetables are suited for both methods. Follow the method described in your recipe.
Raw (cold) packing
The raw packing method uses raw, unheated vegetables for filling your prepared jars. Filling the jars with raw vegetables keeps them firm without being crushed during processing. Refer to your recipe instructions to decide whether to remove the skin or cut the vegetables into pieces.
Disadvantages of using raw vegetables include the following:
- Floating food: During the pressure-canning process, air is removed from the vegetable fiber, causing the food to shrink. With more room in the jars, the vegetables have room to float toward the top of the jar (this is called floating food). Floating food doesn't affect the quality of your final product, but it may be unattractive.
- Discoloring: Discoloring occurs when the food comes in contact with air in the jar, causing a color change in your food after two or three months of storage. The flavor of your product is not affected, but the change in color in a portion of the food may appear odd.
To fill your jars using a raw packing method, follow these instructions:
1. Wash the vegetables.
2. Prepare the hot liquid (refer to your recipe) for filling your jars.
3. Fill the hot, prepared jars with the raw vegetables.
4. Add the hot liquid.
5. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive (nonmetallic) tool.
If the headspace in your jar drops, add additional food and liquid to maintain the headspace stated in your recipe.
6. Wipe the jar rims; add the two-piece caps, and process the filled jars by using either the water bath or pressure canning method.
Hot packing
Hot packing is precooking or heating your vegetables prior to placing them in your prepared canning jars. It's the preferred method for the majority of vegetables, particularly firm ones, such as carrots and beets. Using precooked vegetables improves the shelf life of the processed food by increasing the vacuum created in the jar during the pressure-canning period.
Precooking your vegetables in a boiling liquid, usually water, shrinks the food and makes it more pliable, which allows you to pack more food into your jars. This results in using fewer jars. The method is a simple one:
1. Wash your vegetables.
2. Heat your liquid to a boil in a large pot.
3. Add the vegetables; precook them as directed in your recipe.
4. Immediately fill your prepared jars with the hot vegetables, followed with the hot cooking liquid.
5. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive tool.
If the headspace in your jar drops, add additional food and liquid to maintain the headspace stated in your recipe.
6. Wipe the jar rims, add the two-piece caps, and process the filled jars.
Processing tips for successful results
Use the following tips for producing a product of high quality that's safe for eating.
- Add salt. Using or not using salt in your vegetables is a personal preference. Add 1/2 teaspoon to a 1-pint jar and 1 teaspoon to a 1-quart jar before adding the hot liquid.
 | Use salt without additives (check the label), such as pickling or canning salt. Doing so eliminates cloudiness in the liquid. |
- Cover the vegetables with liquid, allowing the proper headspace. This prevents discoloration and spoilage.
- Release air bubbles. Releasing all trapped air bubbles between the food pieces prevents a decrease in the liquid level of your final product, keeping the correct air space in the jar. After releasing air bubbles, you may need to add additional food or liquid to the jar .
- Be ready to process your jars immediately after filling them. This decreases the opportunity for microorganisms to re-enter the jars.
- Cool your jars. Let your jars cool naturally. This process may take as long as 24 hours.
Pressure canning your vegetables
Always check your recipe to ensure you're processing your food for the correct time, pressure, and jar size. When canning at altitudes over 1,000 feet above sea level, refer to an altitude chart for pressure adjustments.
Packing food raw or hot doesn't change your processing time. Reaching the required pressure in your canner, usually 10 pounds, takes the same amount of time, regardless of the temperature of your raw- or hot-packed jars.
If it's safe to use either quart jars or pints jars for your vegetables. Quarts take longer to process than pints because there's a larger amount of food to heat to properly destroy all microorganisms.
Use only one size jar (pints or quarts) for each batch of food. This allows you to complete the correct processing time required to evenly heat the jars and destroy microorganisms.
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