Boiling Water Bath
lynnescountrykitchen.net

Boiling water bath canning can be easy, if you have the right home canning equipment. Here's the basic supplies that you will need.

CANNING JARS - There are specially made jars and lids designed for canning. The jars can be used for many years. Canning jars come in various sizes. Pint and quart sizes are usually used for fruit, applesauce, tomatoes, pickles, etc. Smaller 8-ounce jars are perfect for jams, jellies, and relishes. Both pint size and quart size jars are available in regular or wide mouth styles. The wide mouth style is best for pickles and large pieces of fruit such as peach or pear halves. Canning jars are usually sold in boxes of 12... Each jar includes a two-piece lid.

Do not use just any jars. Though canning lids may fit some commercial brand mayonnaise or similar type jars, the glass is not tempered as it is in Mason jars and the surface of the rim is narrower. These jars may crack in the canning process and the lids may not seal tightly.

TWO-PIECE LIDS - Today's jar lids consist of a small cap that seals to the jar rim and a band or screw cap that holds the cap in place. Replacement lids are sold in most grocery stores, department or hardware stores, kitchen shops, farm centers, etc. Lids can be purchased in packages that include both rims and sealing caps, or you can buy boxes of just caps. Sealing caps should never be re-used .... You'll need fresh new ones each time you do canning. Make sure you get the right size caps for your used canning jars, either regular or wide-mouth.

A LARGE COVERED WATER BATH CANNER - A canner must be deep enough to completely immerse the jars with 1 to 2 inches of water covering the top of the lids. Canners have a rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot. You can improvise by using any large stockpot with a wire cooling rack and placed in the bottom.

OTHER CANNING SUPPLIES -

JAR LIFTER - A very handy tool for removing freshly processed jars from the boiling water. It looks like a wide tong.

WIDE-MOUTH CANNING FUNNEL Used to fill the jars .. especially useful for jars with regular size tops.

A NON-METALLIC SPATULA - Or, a long plastic knife to run through the filled jars to release trapped air bubbles.

You'll also need a clean dish cloth to wipe the rims before placing the caps on the jars and a heavy dish towel or absorbent mat to sit the hot jars on after they're removed from the canner.