Canning Dry foods

Im getting more into food storage and getting back to basics on simple living. One thing i am learning is to can food for long term storage. In this segment i will share with you how i canned some of my dry foods for storage. A lady at work has been guiding me on how to do this, there is no one way to can food. This is how im doing it.

Jars- I am using the ball brand jars, they come in pints, quarts and gallon jars. You can find them at kmart, walmart ect at a price range of about $9 or $10 for a dozen jars.



After you get your jars make sure to wash them to sanitize and let them dry completely. The jar tops have 2 pieces, the lid that creates the vacuum seal and the metal ring to keep the lid in place.



Now you will fill your jars with your dry foods such as beans, pasta, rice, grain ect. Label your jars with what is in it and the manufacture expiration date. Placing your dry food in jars keeps pantry bugs out and also keeps your food fresher longer. These bugs look like little nats or red flies, also larve or eggs can already be on some of these things you buy in the store, its a small percentage but with storing food its better to be safe than sorry. These jars help keep things out as well as in, some people store large amounts of food and all boxes can get infestation if you get bugs.


Next wipe the lid of your jars and make sure its clean to get a good seal, then place it on the mouth of the jar, screw on the metal ring tight. Now from there i was told that i do not have to do anything else with the dry foods, just put the jars back in the box it came in and store it. But if you want or need your food to keep longer read on.

To create a vaccum seal take a speckled pan or dutch oven and place the jars upside down in the pan and fill with enough water to cover the tops. If you put the tops on right, no water should get into the jars.

Let them boil for 30 minutes to an hour, keep a close eye on the jars to make sure they don't break. Doing this for the first time i was lucky but it can happen. After that take the jars out and set them upright on some towels to cool for a few hours. To know if you have a good seal press down on the top if it does not pop you have a seal, if it pops back up when you press on it, it is not sealed. If not sealed repeat the process. Check your jars every few weeks to make sure the seal keeps.

There are many different ways to can, you can google methods or have someone help you with it. My next challenge will be learning how to can wet food such as sauces, veggies ect. When you are done you can place your jars back in the box and place it on your pantry shelf. I hope this helps whoever reads this.