Check out these easy-to-follow and delicious home canning and preserving recipes perfect for beginners.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Total Time: 50 minutes | Preparation Time: 30 minutes | Cooking Time: 20 minutes | Yields: 3 quarts

Ingredients

• 15 cups of sliced pickling cucumbers, about 5 pounds; three cups for every pound
• 3 onions sliced thinly
• ¼ cup of salt
• 2 ½ cups of cider vinegar
• 2 ½ cups of sugar
• ¾ teaspoon of turmeric
• ½ teaspoon of celery seed
• 1 tablespoon of mustard seeds
• 6 cups of water

Directions

1. Mix the onions, ice, salt, and cucumbers together in a bowl.
2. Place a plate on top of the bowl with a gallon of water or something heavy on the plate.  This serves as a weight.  Let it stand for about three hours.
3. After three hours, rinse, and then drain.
4. Mix the sugar, vinegar, celery seed, mustard seed, and turmeric together in a large pot.
5. Add the drained cucumbers.
6. Bring the 6 cups of water almost to a boil in a pot on medium heat.
7. Right at boiling, remove from heat, and seal in the sterilized jars,
8. Place in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.
9. Dry them off, and place on a cookie sheet right side up for around 15 minutes in the oven at 225°F. This is done in order to ensure that there are no air pockets, that everything has been cooked right, and that it is sterilized and sealed properly before being stored. Let cool completely before storing.

 

 

Apricot Jam

Total Time: 60 minutes | Preparation Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 45 minutes | Yields: 10 cups

Ingredients

• 8 cups of diced apricots, peeled and cored
• ¼ cup of lemon juice
• 6 cups of sugar

Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a large stock pot, and stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Once at a rolling boil, let it boil for about 30 minutes, then remove from heat and put into jars.
3. Let the jars sit in a water bath for about 10 minutes.
4. Let cool completely before storing.

 

 

Raspberry Jam

Total Time: 20 minutes | Preparation Time: 5 minutes | Cooking Time: 15 minutes | Yields: 5 half-pint jars

Ingredients

• 4 cups of raspberries
• 1 package of pectin
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 3 ½ cups of sugar

Directions

1. Crush the raspberries in a large saucepan, and put on high heat. Add the lemon juice and the pectin. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly.
2. Add the sugar and mix until dissolved. Let it cook for one more minute, and then remove from heat.
3. Pour the jams into the jars equally, cover, and let the jars sit in a water bath for about 10 minutes.
4. Let cool completely before storing.

 

 

Bean and Bacon Soup

Total Time: 3 hours | Preparation Time: 1 hour | Cooking/pressurizing Time: 2 hours | Yields: 8 quarts (32 cups)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of dried navy beans that have been soaked in water overnight
• 8 cups of tomato juice
• 8 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 cups of carrots
• 4 cups of white potatoes, about 6 medium
• 3 cups of chopped celery, about 6 stalks
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 2 teaspoons of black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups of diced onion, about 6 medium
• 2 pounds of bacon
• Water

Directions

1. Slice carrots and celery. Dice onions, potatoes, and bacon.
2. Mix all ingredients except for the bacon and onions in a large stockpot, bring to a boil, and reduce heat to medium. Let simmer.
3. Fry bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until golden browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onions. Sauté for an additional 10 minutes.
4. Add bacon and onions to the bean mixture. If the soup seems too thick, add some water until you get the preferred consistency. Heat until it simmers, about 30-35 more minutes.
5. Remove bay leaves with tongs, and pour equal amounts of the soup into jars.
6. Pressure cook for 1 hour at 10 pounds for the weighted gauge of the pressure canner or 11 pounds if the pressure canner has a dial gauge.
7. Remove jars, and let them cool completely at room temperature before storing. This can take about a day.

 

 

Green Beans

Total Time: 35 minutes | Preparation Time: 10 minutes | Cooking/pressurizing Time: 25 minutes | Yields: 4 quarts jars (16 cups)

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds of tender green beans
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 4 cups of boiling water

Directions

1. Wash and trim the beans by removing the ends. Cut them into about two-inch pieces. Blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and let cool.
2. Pack the beans in equal amount into jars. Add some salt to each. Then ladle the boiling water over the beans.
3. Process jars for 25 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure for the weighted gauge of the pressure canner or 11 pounds if the pressure canner has a dial gauge.
4. Remove jars and let them cool completely at room temperature before storing. This can take about a day.

 

 

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Total Time: 8 to 12 hours and 30 minutes | Preparation Time: 30 minutes | Cooking Time: 8 to 12 hours minutes | Yields: 4 half-pint jars

Ingredients

• 4 pounds of fresh plum tomatoes (Italian Roma tomatoes), cut in two lengthwise
• 4 tablespoons dried basil
• 4 tablespoons of kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon of dried rosemary or 2 fresh spring cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Olive oil to cover each jar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 170ºF.
2. Add basil, salt, sugar, olive oil, and garlic to a small mixing bowl. Combine well.
3. Place the tomatoes on a grill with a baking sheet underneath, cut side facing upward.
4. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the tomatoes.
5. Bake for 8 to 12 hours until the tomatoes are dried and shriveled up.
6. Remove from oven and let cool.
7. Distribute the tomatoes equally into each jar. Add minced garlic and rosemary to each jar. Cover with olive oil.
8. Let the jars sit in a water bath for about 20 minutes.
9. Let cool completely before storing.

 

 

 

**These recipes and more are found in Louise Davidson’s Home Canning and Preserving Recipes for Beginners. To get your own copy, click on the cover below and click here.

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