Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
A pressure canner is on the left, and a water-bath canning pot is on the right.
(Photo courtesy of Daniel Gasteiger)
These are the items you'll want to have for canning:
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Glass mason jars in various sizes
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Metal screw bands or “rings” to hold the lids in place
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Metal lids with sealing compound
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Deep pot for water-bath canning
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Pressure canner (see the next section for more about the different types)
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Jar rack to suspend cans in boiling water, and lift them out
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Jar lifter to lift individual jars
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Canning funnel for filling jars (a nice-to-have item)
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Lid-lifter magnetic stick to lift dropped lids and rings out of the water (a nice-to-have item)
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Lid wrench, also called a band tightener, if your grip is too weak to tighten manually
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Rubber spatula or other bubble releaser to get rid of trapped air in the prepared food (many
of these will have marks to measure headspace)
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Miscellaneous hot pads, dish rags, and towels for cleaning and moving the jars
Other equipment and kitchen utensils might be used when canning specific items. A saucepan
for heating lids and rings, for example. Also a strain cloth for jelly might be needed. I'll discuss
specialty items as I discuss what they would be used for.
