We Asked 3 Gardening Experts Which Canning Jars They Love, And They All Said This One

If you’re a vegetable gardener, chances are there’s no way you can finish everything you grow in just one season, no matter how much you give away. Enter vegetable canning, the process by which you can preserve all of your home-grown produce and eat it year-round, even when it's no longer in season.

Whether you’re an amateur or an expert, you have to admit that when it comes to vegetable canning, things can get intimidating. After all, even if you're not that familiar with the word "botulism," there’s no doubt it contains a negative connotation. But canning doesn’t have to be scary if you do it correctly. That’s why we asked Danielle Sherwood, managing editor at Epic Gardening; Allison Michael, author of Home Food Storage; and Dr. Julia Skinner, author of Essential Food Preserving, about the best ways to get started with vegetable canning along with all the best tools you need.

What exactly is vegetable canning?

“Vegetable canning is a preservation process that lets you save your summer garden harvest so you can enjoy it year-round,” says Sherwood. “Essentially, you clean and cut your produce, put it into clean jars, heat it to kill the microorganisms that cause spoilage and seal it tight.”

There are two types of vegetable canning: water bath canning and pressure canning. The simpler of the two, water bath canning, involves using a large pot of boiling water to both sterilize and seal (a step known as "processing") your jars. "Pressure canning is a heat treatment preservation method that uses high temperatures created by pressurized steam,” says Michael. “The high temperatures created by pressure and the processing time kill bacteria in low acid foods that can cause botulism.”

What vegetables are you supposed to can?

According to Skinner, “Soft vegetables (like over-ripe tomatoes) tend to break down in the heat of the canning environment. Ripe, firm vegetables hold up best.” If tomatoes are absolutely your thing, they’re a versatile ingredient in making salsas, sauces or soups. Otherwise, opt for a veggie that holds its shape and texture over time — think carrots, green beans, corn, potatoes, peppers, peas and sweet potatoes.

What are some tips and best practices for vegetable canning?

“As in any food prep, make sure to thoroughly clean your veggies, all surfaces, and your jars before getting started,” Sherwood says. “Don’t try to wing it! Using a tried-and-true recipe is very important for your own safety when preserving food.” The National Center for Home Food Preservation is considered the gold standard for safe canning, so be sure to check their site if you want to double-check anything or aren’t sure about a recipe.

You may also be tempted to reuse all your canning supplies each year, but our experts warn not to reuse any of your flat lids. Also, don’t make the mistake of canning far more vegetables than you can consume. “Plan to stock enough of an item to last until that food is in season again,” Michael says. “This allows me to preserve a food at its peak harvest and freshness.”

While a wide mouth on a jar doesn’t impact the canning process, it impacts ease of use getting food in or out of the jar. However, according to Skinner, a larger jar size means a longer processing time, so make sure that you go for the size that makes sense for how much you can consume. “Once the jar is open, the food is exposed to oxygen and must be consumed,” says Michael.

Ready to start canning? Here are the jars that the experts recommended.

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