Here’s how it works: When the filled and closed jars are lowered into a bath of boiling water, the temperatures inside and outside the jars will equalize, bringing the contents of the jar to 212 degrees Fahrenheit and making them safe for shelf storage. The gasket on the underside of each lid forms a seal as the contents come to temperature, and will ping as the suction draws the lid tight.

It is such a satisfying and alluring sound, telling you that you have successfully protected the contents. If you don’t hear it, or if the seal otherwise fails, you can simply repeat the process. But you can avoid seal failure by not overfilling the jars and by completely cleaning the rim before placing the lid on top.

Some of the trepidation surrounding canning is about all that boiling water. Does the phrase “sterilize the jars” strike fear in your heart? Not to worry. Just run them through the dishwasher. If you have no dishwasher or do not trust yours to do the job properly, use that same big stockpot to boil the jars for 10 minutes. You can leave them in the water until it is time to fill them; by then, the water will have cooled a bit and you are less likely to burn yourself.

I use a small saucepan to boil the rings — mostly, just to be sure they are clean. Then I add the lids after turning off the heat. (Canners who boil their jars sometimes put the rings into the same pot, then add the lids for just a minute to soften their rubber gaskets.)