Canning with water baths

I have been afraid of doing anything other than freezer canning.  Seriously.  I thought that I would kill everyone with some horrible strain of botulism.  Even though rationally, that isn't very likely.

So, in order to put aside my fears I took a canning class yesterday afternoon.  It was fabulous!

I had NO IDEA that canning with a water bath was so easy!  I thought it involved all of this equipment

But, really, it doesn't.  So yeah, the jar lifter is nice, and a jar is good to have, but that is it.

We did a jam by simply following a recipe (be sure not to change them as they are made specifically for the right acidity).  We boiled the jars in a big pot with an old towel to keep them separated.  Then we boiled up some peaches and liquor, sugar, lemon and sure-jell which is the common pectin add-in.  We used a kosher pectin from fruit products, not anything scary.

I would recommend at least breaking out the old Better Homes and Gardens book to take a look at what some of the recipes are.

And then, you really only need a pot and some jars, seriously.  A jar lifter is nice by you can use whatever else you have around to get a decent enough grip.

Also, thanks to my friend Sarah for showing me this great food preservation website!

-Meghan