14 Canning Recipes: How to Can Fruits and Vegetables

Canning is a method to preserve food in jars at high temperatures for a long period of time, killing microorganisms and inactivating enzymes that could cause food to spoil. The heating process pushes air from the jar, creating a vacuum seal as the food cools.

Basically, when you heat up the filled, sealed jars, it causes the foods to expand and give up steam, pushing air out of the jars. When cooled, it forms a vacuum seal on the jar. Things that can affect canning and shelf life are the sugar content and acidity, it’s best to follow a canning recipe when first starting to help decide which method is suited towards the food you will be canning.

You can preserve a variety of foods in a can to use later in cooked foods, as well as toppers for appetizers and side dishes. Canned foods include jams, purees, chutneys, fermented items like sauerkraut and dill pickles, soups, and more.

Chicken soups or other meat-based foods are safe for canning when using a pressure canner, and those jarred soups can last for a whole year—just be sure to fully cook your meat before canning. Avoid canning any food containing dairy or pasta. Dairy has low acidity and can allow for the growth of microorganisms, and the starches in pasta can affect the way heat is distributed throughout the jar during canning. Add noodles to soups and sauces when you are ready to serve them.

There are two ways you can preserve food using canning:

1. 1. Water bath canning: This method involves placing food jars in boiling water. This is a lower-temperature canning process, ideal for high-acid foods and recipes that incorporate the correct measure of acid. It is recommended for fruits, jams, jellies, salsa, tomatoes, pickles, chutneys, sauces, pie fillings, and condiments.
2. 2. Pressure canning: This method requires a pressure canner, a specialized tool just for canning. This is a high-temperature method, of 240 degrees Fahrenheit, is needed to preserve low-acid foods safely. It’s recommended for meats, poultry, veggies, chili, and seafood because the high temperature will kill any bacteria in the food and prevent botulism from growing.

Learn how to can foods by following one of the home canning recipes below:

1. 1. Canned cherries: Preserving cherries makes for a fun DIY home canning activity, and the canned fruit becomes a versatile ingredient in cherry pie fillings, dessert toppings, cocktail garnishes, and more. Using this recipe for canning cherries, you can preserve cherries for use year-round.
2. 2. Canned cherry tomatoes: Can cherry tomatoes using the water bath method. Canned cherry tomatoes are great for making stews, spaghetti sauce, and bruschetta.
3. 3. Canned corn: Canning corn is a great way to preserve fresh corn to use in a wide array of recipes. Canning takes more effort than simply purchasing canned sweet corn from the store, but the end product is worth the extra work. You will need a pressure canner to can corn.
4. 4. Canned diced tomatoes: You can also preserve diced tomatoes using the water bath method. You can use the cut tomatoes later in soups, stews, casseroles, tomato sauces, homemade ketchup, and more.
5. 5. Canned peaches: Turn ripe peaches into canned peaches in a few simple steps, creating a long-lasting supply of preserves for dicing into a salsa, filling a peach pie, or topping off an ice cream sundae. You can use a water bath to can peaches.
6. 6. Canned pear jam: Pear jam is a fruit spread made from chopped pears cooked with sugar and an acid, such as lemon juice. Pears are naturally high in pectin, a soluble plant fiber that thickens the mixture during cooking. You can make this jam with most pear varieties, including Anjou, Bosc, or Bartlett pears. Use a water bath to can pear jam to preserve it for later use. (You can also preserve other jam recipes, such as apricot jam, cranberry sauce, blackberry jam, peach jam, raspberry jam, rhubarb jam, strawberry jam, and blueberry jam.)
7. 7. Canned pickled jalapeños: Canning pickled jalapeños involves processing the pickles in a hot water bath to give them a long shelf life at room temperature. You can use these hot peppers for pizza, taco, and sandwich toppings.
8. 8. Canned plums: If you’re looking to try out new plum recipes, home canning can be a great way to preserve your raw plums and keep them sweet for months, allowing you to make a plum jam, pie, or bread beyond the seasons when this stone fruit usually is ripe. You can use a water bath to can plums.
9. 9. Canned pumpkin: Can pieces of cut pumpkin using the pressure canning method. You should refrain from canning pumpkin purée because neither water bath canning or pressure canning will suffice to remove bacterial concerns. Instead, opt to place cubed pumpkins in your jars, and freeze pumpkin purée as a long-term storage alternative.
10. 10. Canned soup: Canning homemade soup is an excellent way to put seasonal produce to use and stock up your pantry with vegetable, chicken, or tomato soup for colder months. Many soup recipes are safe for canning, but not all. Produce-based soups, such as vegetable soup or dairy-free tomato soup, are perfect for canning. It is not safe to can milk- or cream-based soups.
11. 11. Canned squash: Whether you’re working with yellow summer squash, pattypan squash, or another variety, home canning is a great way to preserve your favorite types of squash. Follow this recipe to can squash with a pressure canner.
12. 12. Canned sweet potatoes: Learning how to can sweet potatoes will allow you to stock your pantry with ready-to-use supplies whenever you get the urge for a pie or casserole. You will need a pressure canner to can sweet potatoes.
13. 13. Canned whole tomatoes: To make canned tomatoes, manufacturers and home cooks blanch fresh tomatoes, remove the skins, and place the tomatoes in canning jars with liquid. Then, they process the jars in a hot water bath to seal them. Any ripe tomatoes will work well for canned tomatoes. Some tomatoes you can preserve in a can include Roma tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, green tomatoes, and tomatillos.
14. 14. Canned zucchini: Zucchini is a summer squash that grows prolifically and is suitable for canning or pickling for future use in relishes, soups, and more. Zucchinis are low-acid vegetables and are more suitable for pressure canning.

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