As a child, I vividly remember watching my mom and grandma can and preserve so much food every summer and fall. After I was old enough to help, I realized that it was a actually quite a bit of work… but everything tasted SO much better than the storebought alternatives.
Now, 10 years into canning on my own, I’m happy that I have continued the tradition and that my own kids can watch me preserve the food from our garden and from local orchards. However, I am also very thankful it’s no longer a necessity for American families to can and preserve all their own food in order to have enough to eat during the long winter months.
I like doing it as a hobby, but I don’t know if I could ever can enough food for our family to eat all winter!
Over the years, as I shared some of my canning journey here on my blog, I have been continuously asked for my “favorite” canning and preserving recipes. And while I have several recipes already posted on my blog, there are many other recipes I use from other websites and blogs.
In an effort to compile all my favorites in one convenient location (both for myself and for you) I thought it might be nice to link to them all in one post… just in time for peak canning season here in West Michigan!
NOTE: Several of the recipes I link to below are blog posts I wrote 5-6 years ago, so the photos are tiny and very poor quality. That said, the recipes are still the same ones I’ve been using for 10+ years and the same ones my mom and grandma have been using for much longer than that!
CANNED FRUIT:
- Peaches, Pears, and Apricots (I’ve eaten these weekly since I was a toddler!)
- Applesauce (I always say that applesauce is my favorite “condiment” because I eat it with almost every meal)
- Apple Pie Filling
- Peach Pie Filling
JAMS and JELLIES:
Jams and jellies are by-far the easiest way to start out canning — and there are plenty of freezer jam recipes if you have an extra freezer and don’t want to can. I usually can several varieties of jam every 2-3 years and then take the years inbetween “off”.
- Here’s a post detailing how I can all different fruit jams (strawberry, raspberry, triple berry, strawberry-rhubarb, blackberry, blueberry, etc.)
- Apple Butter (this is SO good on pork chops or a pork loin)
- Apple Jelly (from leftover apple peels after canning applesauce)
- Apple Jelly (from apple juice — it’s SO easy!)
NOTE: Here’s a link to several more posts I wrote about canning jam.
PEPPERS and PICKLES:
- Sweet Pepper Jelly (this stuff is addicting!)
- Candied Jalapeños (I just made these for the first time this year and they are delicious)
- Pickled Jalapeños (this is a very simple refrigerator method so there is no canning involved)
- Dill Pickles (I take the easy way out and use the recipe on the back of Mrs. Wages pickling spice for refrigerator dill pickles!)
TOMATOES and SALSA:
- Canned / stewed tomatoes
- Pasta Sauce (Everyone asks me about pasta sauce, but I have yet to find a home-canned recipe I actually like. Instead, I use this semi-homemade recipe to make pasta sauce as we eat it)
- Salsa (we don’t can salsa anymore because we like fresh salsa better. Here is the recipe I roughly follow for fresh salsa)
As you’ll notice, there are A LOT of things we do not can — mainly because we don’t like the texture of most frozen veggies and we prefer the taste of many store bought items over home canned alternatives (like salsa and pasta sauce). So if I don’t have a recipe listed above, it’s because I don’t can it 🙂
That said, I’d love it if you shared some of YOUR favorite canning and preserving recipes in the comments!
Eric says
You are absolutely correct. Sweet Pepper Jelly is ABSOLUTELY addicting! For anyone who has never given it a try. You need to do it now. There is nothing like it on cornbread.
Andrea says
it’s so yummy! I have to say, I haven’t tried it on cornbread, but I was thinking of making cornbread with dinner tomorrow. I might just have to open a jar of the jelly tomorrow too 🙂
Kimberly says
I have been wanting to can applesauce but it always looks and sounds like a daunting task until I saw your method a couple of years ago when I first started following your blog. Yesterday my sister and I finally were able to do it and we absolutely loved it! We used Gala apples, they were so sweet we didn’t need to use any sugar. The kids had a great time helping with the food mill and especially when we went to the local orchard to pick them! We also did an apple-pear sauce that is amazing! Thank you for the great tips and your method!
Andrea says
yay — glad to hear this Kimberly! It IS a bit of work upfront, but it will definitley be worth it this winter when you can enjoy your delicious home-canned applesauce 🙂
Heather says
I used your “freeze now and can it later” method this year. We picked blackberries in June but I knew I wouldn’t have time to make the Triple Berry & Blackberry jams (both your recipes) at that time. So, this week, I’ve canned 22 half pints of jam in only about 1.5 hours (including clean up)! Thank you for that wonderful tip!
Katie Crenshaw says
Thank you for including my Homemade Hot Pepper Jelly (Sweet Pepper Jelly) in your list of favorite canning recipes! That was so nice. I am going to check out all these other recipes. Everything looks so good! I will be sharing! Thanks again!
Becky says
What kind of apples do you like for your apple pie filling?
Andrea says
I usually use a mixture — but I don’t have a specific variety I “always” do. Usually whatever is left over from canning applesauce or something. I get them from our local orchard and often just ask what they would recommend for pie (or applesauce or whatever I’m making).
I will almost always cut up a handful of granny smith apples when I’m making a fresh pie or pie filling because I LOVE the tart flavor of those — but that’s just personal preference 🙂
Ann says
I’ve made Crockpot Apple Butter & it was delicious! Plus, it eliminates the constant stirring! Another plus…your house has a wonderful aroma!
Andrea says
yes, the house smells fabulous!
Jaime says
Hi, Andrea. Appreciate these ideas as many of your recipes are tested and true in our home. We recently bought a new stove and without thinking I got a smooth ceramic top. Now, I’m not able to can. Hot plates that reach proper temperatures cost as much as the electric canners. Have you ever used, or know anyone who has used, one of the electric ones? Any thoughts on quality or if there’s a more simple method I’m not thinking about? We mostly can green beans and pasta sauce. Thanks!
Becky says
Hi, Jaime. I also have a ceramic top and read that the best option for that situation is to buy a pressure canner – not a pressure cooker, but one specifically for canning. The key is to get a size that is not wider than the limit for your burner. I think it’s something like no more than 2 inches greater diameter than the burner. This is the one I use: https://www.amazon.com/Presto-16-Quart-pressure-Canner-Cooker/dp/B00A9S1MIM/ref=sr_1_17?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1472660072&sr=1-17&keywords=pressure+canner
It’s worked beautifully for me for years now. The process is different than water bath canning, but I think it still takes about the same amount of time. The nice thing about it is that you are able to pressure can things that need a higher temp than water bath canning allows (meats, meat sauces, broth).
Andrea says
Thanks Becky! very helpful 🙂
Andrea says
Hi Jaime,
I don’t want to tell you what to do (especially with a brand new stove) but I will tell you that my mom has been successfully caning on her ceramic top stove for about 15 years now (with no scratches on the stove either). Also, our first home had a ceramic top and I canned on that stove for 5 years with no issues.
I never did green beans or pasta sauce (mostly jam, jelly, applesauce, tomatoes, etc.) so I can’t say for sure, but it might be worth trying it your “normal way” on the new stove just to see what happens. You might not need to buy anything new 🙂
Bonnie says
Hi Jaime,
I have had a smooth top for 15 years and have always canned on it. I turn on both burners (front and back since the pot is bigger). I have done tomatoes, sauce, salsa, and some jellies. I have never had a problem.