Canning Equipment | 4 Must Have Tools | A Farm Girl in the Making

Canning equipment, especially efficient ones, are necessary for preserving foods. The following 4 home canning supplies will quickly become your favorite canning tools.

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Food ownership begins with the ability to preserve the harvest. Growing food and consuming it in season is an excellent stepping stone to food ownership. Though for many, there’s more.

The ability to preserve foods year round is the true meaning of food ownership. These preserved items grown, raised, or purchased from local farms allow families to consume a clean food source throughout the year.

Welcome to the most important aspect of homesteading.

Canning Equipment for a Modern Homestead

This article provides why these 4 canning tools are necessary. However, a detailed YouTube video is available for those would like to learn more.

To learn more about preserving foods (tips, tricks, how to) subscribe to my YouTube channel and hit the notification bell. In addition to preserving foods learn more about:

cooking from scratch
animal husbandry
raising livestock
simple homestead living

Home Canning Supplies

In addition to the 4 canning tools mentioned here, there are other modern tools and appliances preserve foods. Learn how to simplify the process in order to receive a rewarding outcome without being strapped to the kitchen.

Many homesteads have one, or both, of the adult members working from home. The goal of preserving foods should not be denied to these families.

Utilizing tools such as a slow cooker prevents hours of stove-top slow cooking. Take for example, apple sauce.

The use of a slow cooker cooks the apples the apples overnight. Eliminating the need to stand over the stove in order to prevent the apples from scorching due to neglect.

First thing in the morning prepare jars and the apple sauce for canning.

Another great appliance is a roaster oven. This canning tool is great for preparing large batches of food. Items such as salsa, sauces, and bone broth can be prepared in a roaster oven.

Canning Equipment | 4 Necessary Canning Tools

The benefit of living in the 21st century is the unlimited access to knowledge and modern appliances. Homesteading in a modern world is already a challenge. There’s no reason to make it more challenging when it comes to preserving food.

Simplifying the process to get to the end goal, while maintaining safe standards, is often necessary. Utilizing modern canning equipment is not being lazy. In fact, these tools free you to complete other tasks throughout the day.

Home canning supplies, especially ones which simplify the process are necessary for all home food preservers.

Hot Water Bath Canner

The hot water bath canner is an excellent canning tool for those who are new to preserving food. A hot water bath canner is used to preserve high acidic food items.

Canned goods such as:

jams and jellies
pickled vegetables and fruit
juice concentrate
marmalade
sauces
many tomato items and much more

The process for preserving foods using a hot water bath canner is submerging jars in boiling water for the correct allocated time.

Steam Canner

A steam canner has revolutionized the world of canning.

The steam canner is a great canning tool for those who have a glass stovetop due it how light-weight it is. Unlike a hot water bath canner this piece of canning equipment processes foods using 2-inches of water and steam. Make sure to learn more on how a steam canner works.

Because of its ability to preserve high acidic foods as a hot water bath canner would, the same food options are processed using a steam canner. In addition to this, the processing time is the same for both canning tools.

Steam Juicer

As a modern homesteader my workload is full. I am the primary caretaker for my property, and the individual who preserves the food we consume throughout the year. Because of this I am very frugal when it comes to my time.

A steam juicer minimizes the amount of time it takes to extract the juice from fruits and vegetables. The traditional method is no longer necessary for those who own a steam juicer.

Place washed fruit, stem, peels, seeds and all, into the colander of the steam juicer. From there the steam works to extract the natural juices of the fruit.

The liquid extracted from the steam juicer is sediment free, making it a juice concentrate. Hence, making it an item which is able to be canned.

In addition to making juice concentrate the leftover remnants can be used. For example, the remains from making Honey Crisp juice are made into applesauce.

More importantly, do not mistaken a fruit and vegetable juicer to be the same equipment as a steam juicer. Learn more about how a steam juicer works and the benefits of this incredible modern tool!

Pressure Canner

The pressure canner is the most feared home preserving tool. This piece of canning equipment received its bad reputation due to two reasons:

faulty pressure canners of the past
the risks of botulism occurring in home canned goods.

Preserving low acidic food items is with the use of a pressure canner. The following food items are examples of what needs to be preserved using a pressure canner:

vegetables packed in water
meat and fish
soups and stews
some tomato products

On the contrary to what is online, dairy, grains, and pasta should not be canned.

The fear of botulism is true for those who preserve foods at home. However, what causes it to rear its ugly head is human carelessness. Learn more about how a pressure canner works prior to your first canning project.

My Book

The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest is a comprehensive book covering multiple methods for preserving foods in the comfort of your home. Learn how to safely can, dry, ferment, cure, freeze, and store foods fresh as a sustainable homesteader would. The tips, tricks, and recipes within this book will provide you the confidence and knowledge needed to own your food source.