Home Canning & Preserving Starter Checklist

1. Gather your supplies

• A water-bath canner or a deep stockpot with a rack
• Mason jars with new two-piece lids and bands
• A jar lifter, a canning funnel, and a bubble remover
• A tested recipe from a trusted source like the USDA or Ball

2. Your first project

3. Your first month, step by step

• Week 1: Gather a simple kit: a water-bath canner or deep pot with a rack, a few mason jars with new lids and bands, a jar lifter, and a canning funnel. Read through one tested recipe from the USDA or the Ball Blue Book so you know each step before you start.
• Week 2: Make your first water-bath batch of jam, such as strawberry or peach, following a tested recipe exactly. High-acid foods like jam are the safest place to begin. Wash and heat your jars, fill to the correct headspace, process for the full time, and listen for the lids to pop.
• Week 3: Try a second high-acid project like pickles or applesauce. Practice checking your seals the next day by pressing the center of each lid, and label every jar with the contents and the date. Never re-process or eat a jar that did not seal; refrigerate and use it instead.
• Week 4: Review what you have learned and plan ahead. Decide whether you want to invest in a pressure canner for low-acid foods like beans, meats, and soups, which must never be water-bath canned. Pick one video from the lists above to explore your next project safely.

4. Mistakes to avoid

• Using untested or made-up recipes from old family notes or random websites. Always follow a current, tested recipe from the USDA, your local extension office, or the Ball Blue Book, because improper canning can cause botulism, a deadly illness you cannot see, smell, or taste.
• Using the wrong method for low-acid foods. Vegetables, beans, meats, and soups must be pressure canned, never water-bath canned, because only a pressure canner reaches the temperature needed to kill botulism spores.
• Not checking your seals before storing. The day after canning, press the center of each lid; it should be firm and not flex. Store any jar that did not seal in the refrigerator and use it soon instead of putting it on the shelf.
• Reusing lids. The flat metal lids are single-use; their sealing compound only works once. Always use brand-new lids, though the screw bands can be reused if they are clean and not rusted.
• Ignoring processing times and altitude. Cutting a processing time short, or failing to add time or pressure for your altitude, can leave food unsafe even if the jar seals.
• Skipping the headspace and bubble-removing steps, which can cause seals to fail or jars to siphon and spoil on the shelf.