Getting Started…
Updated: Feb 24, 2022
Growing up in the country provided me with a wonderfully, charmed life. My family had a small farm next to my grandparents and aunt and uncle. We all grew large gardens, kept horses and other livestock for food, function or pets as well as hunted and fished. I was surrounded by all this wonderful back to basics living and thought this was how everyone lived until I got old enough to see different lifestyles on TV.
What did we do with all the food we accumulated? My family and those in the community surrounding me preserved it by: canning, freezing or dehydrating it all, or we “put it up” for the winter. I didn’t realize how great our food was until I went to college and had to buy meat and veggies in the grocery store. My first meals alone were very disappointing.
So that brings me to why I can/preserve food: I know where it came from because I grew it or bought from a local farm, doesn’t have any preservatives or chemicals and storing in glass jars doesn’t leave a metallic flavor in the food. I love canning and I love sharing this art/craft with others. We literally are what we eat, when you eat healthful food, you have a healthful body so I want to share this with others.
What is needed to can? Well, here’s a list of basic tools and equipment to get started:
Funnel
Spatula
Ladle
Jar Lifter
Lid Lifter
Headspace tool
Water Bath Canner
These items may be purchased as a kit together or separately at your local grocery, farm or hardware stores and online. Here are some links below as to where to find them:
List of stores to purchase canning equipment:
Walmart https://www.walmart.com/
Fred Meyer https://www.fredmeyer.com/
Bi-Mart https://www.bimart.com/
Coastal Farm and Ranch https://www.coastalcountry.com/
Local/Regional Farm Stores
Feel free to check out my YouTube page to view how to use the equipment. Here’s the link.