Canning is one of those home kitchen skills that seemed to be lost in the last few generational shifts. That's a shame, because it's an economical, menu-boosting skill, and pretty easy to pick up.


Photo by thebittenword.com.

In a supplement to a New York Times piece on the glories of canning—a phrase that includes putting food in jars, making preserves, pickling, and other preservation methods—you'll find a whole bunch of resources for indulging your inner Italian grandmother. The Times supplement itself provides an overview of what to know before getting started, but a step-by-step slideshow and a sidebar video on "Checking the seal" provide visual help. If that's not enough, there are links (included below) to U.S. Department of Agriculture guides, free online courses in canning (seriously), and instructional videos from Jarden, the maker of the gold standard Ball/Kerry jars.


So, wait, why would you want to get down with canning, exactly? Besides the glory of making your own homebrew pickles, you can get ahead on better-than-Prego tomato sauces, salsas, and other pantry staples. You also waste less food by turning that whole bushel of apricots your friends brought over into delicious cereal toppings for this winter, when your fruit options are going to be far more limited.

Hit the links below for some preservation primers, and drop your own canning/preserving tips and tales in the comments.

Some Canning Dos and Don'ts [New York Times]

Preserving Guides [Ball Company]

National Center for Home Food Preservation [University of Georgia]