Locavore In Training

One of my lovely readers asked me about what's needed to get started with canning, preferably without spending tons of cash. I thought it was a great question, and one I should address here!

I'm not known for just dipping a toe into a project, but in this case, I actually did. I didn't buy every available option and gadget... and turns out, I've got enough!

I have two books, Homemade Living: Canning & Preserving with Ashley English (which I already discussed here) and Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Ashley's book is charming, and makes canning approachable... and the Ball book is chock full of recipes for ideas and inspiration.

As far as supplies, if you want to order online I'd suggest Amazon. (This is no surprise to those who know me, I love Amazon. ) There are, of course, other options if you'd prefer to price shop or buy from a traditional store.

I bought this water bath canner and I've been pleased with it:

Granite Ware 21-1/2-Quart Steel/Porcelain Water-Bath Canner with Rack

You'll also want to get one of the nice kits they have out, something like:

It's cheap, it looks cheap... get it anyway. You'll thank me later!

Back to Basics 5-Piece Home Canning Kit

I haven't ventured into the world of pressure canners, but if you know you definitely will be doing that, you can save some money and just buy the pressure canner. You can use it as a water bath canner as well, as long as you don't seal it! One word of caution, and PAY ATTENTION TO THIS!!! If you have one of the glass top cooktops, you'll probably want to stick to water bath canning. The weight of the pressure canners can damage your stove!

When/If I buy one, this is the one I plan to buy:

Presto 23-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker/Canner

Because I have the glasstop stove, I'll have to get something like this (or someone should build me my outdoor stove!)

Camp Chef Explorer Series EX-60LW 2-Burner Modular Cooking System, Black

If you wanted to buy locally, True Value and Ace Hardware are your best options. I bought my jars from True Value recently, and they had other supplies there as well. For some reason, those stores seem to stock more of the canning supplies than the larger big box hardware stores.

So, as you can see, between the books, the water bath canner and the kit, you can get started for about $60 with all new materials. There are cheaper ways to do it, but it's not a huge upfront cost either.

I haven't tried this, but I've heard yard sales and thrift stores can be a good source of used jars. Just check that there are no chips or cracks, particularly on the top rim. You'll need to get new lids (they are not reusable) but other than that, you're all set!

If others have things that they love and want to recommend, please do!