At this point in my family life we’ve gone from a family of 6 to a family of 2 plus random visitors.

You moms with older kids know what I’m talking about – You may not see your offspring for more than 10 minutes before then they are off again – school, work, friends. Back in the “good old days” a bushel basket of peaches could be eaten rather quickly but not so much any more.

In order to keep this much food from going to waste I knew some good old fashioned home canning would be happening…or “putting up” as my grandmother might say.

Luckily, I already had plenty of equipment on hand because my peaches were delivered a full week before they were supposed to be. YIKES!

Here are some things you’ll need for home canning:

This Home Canning Basics Kit is featured in this weeks’ Henry Bierce Company sales flyer.

“Bierce” is our local small town hardware store and yes, I know it’s cheaper at the big box store down the road but I’d rather spend a bit more and keep the smaller company in business.

But that’s just me. You can go to the big box store. I won’t think any less of you for it. 😉

Keep in mind that this kind of equipment is a one time purchase. As long as you take care to make sure everything is dry before you put it away it should last many years.

You’ll also need jars. Again, I already had plenty of larger jars on hand. I did, however, purchase a case of 1/2 pint jars because I like to give those away as gifts.

You can re-use any canning jar rings you have on hand but you can’t re-use the flat center part. So if you have rings you’ll just have to buy the centers.

You’ll also want to go through the recipes of the foods you want to make and create a list of other items needed.

• Pectin for jellies
• fruit fresh to keep some fruits from turning brown
• sugar
• juice
• items to make a simple syrup
• Food processor or food mill
• Ball Blue Book – read the whole beginning of the book and the information at the beginning of each chapter BEFORE you begin

You want to make sure you have all of the supplies on hand that you’ll need before you get started. Once you get started you aren’t going to want to run out for something you forgot.

Here is another small list of things to keep in mind before you begin:

• The kitchen will be HOT, there will be hot water and hot food –  PLEASE make sure that the “littles” are tended by someone else
• You’ll want to make sure pets who like to be underfoot when you are in the kitchen are kept safely away while you are working.
• You’ll need plenty of hot water
• Dish towels – flour sack towels are my favorite for this kind of work
• Wash all jars, lids and rings thoroughly in hot soapy water
• You will need lots of space
• A resting place for hot jars
• A meal. It doesn’t matter when you start, at some point you will have people to feed. Plan ahead and you’ll save yourself some grief
• Comfy shoes and clothes

And last, but not least,  here is a video from Lowe’s that you might find helpful!