08/28/2026
***** GETTING STARTED WITH CANNING *****
After you read the below come on over and join The Preservatory - Canning, Dehydrating, Fermenting, and Freeze Drying for tips, tricks, and recipes.
Getting started with canning can be intimidating, but it does not have to be. Follow the rules, take your time, start slow, and you will be ok.
PLEASE do not try to wing it or guess ratios or ingredients. That can lead to disaster and non-safe canned goods.
Start by following trusted, tested recipes. A very easy way to do this is to pick up a Ball book (or 3). I now have 3 full of different recipes.
Download the FREE USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2015 revision: https://nchfp.uga.edu/resources/entry/printed-copy-of-the-usda-guide-to-home-canning
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving - https://amzn.to/3dPCeGE
Ball Blue Book - https://amzn.to/3pCraPH
The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving - https://amzn.to/3QL2i4a
Ball Website - https://www.ballmasonjars.com/recipes?fdid=recipes
Bernadin (Ball in Canada) - https://www.bernardin.ca/
Simply Canning (trusted site) - https://www.simplycanning.com/
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Canning Pots and Supplies
While fancy electric canning pots are great and useful, you can start simple and cheap, especially if you plan to do mostly water
bath canning for high acid foods to make salsas, sauces, pickles, relishes, jams, jellies, etc.
At only 24.97 this canning pot at Walmart is a great start. It is also available on Amazon, but the price is ridiculous! - https://walmrt.us/3vhi6GC
If you want fancy, this Ball Electric Water bath canner is nice because it can sit right next to your sink and drain through a spigot so you do not have to haul a heavy pot of water to the stove. - https://amzn.to/4fvCbuK
Consider a steam canner! These are safe and tested! They use the same process and times as water bath canners, and work on the stovetop. The huge plus is that they use not even a third of the water! I now have 2. - https://amzn.to/4fvTOKW
If you plan to can low acid foods like carrots, potatoes, meat, soups, greens, or stews, then YOU MUST USE A PRESSURE CANNER. There are a few options.
IMPORTANT: BE SURE YOU ARE BUYING A PRESSURE CANNER, NOT A PRESSURE COOKER.
Presto 23-quart stove top. This is what I started with. I still use it and and love it! https://amzn.to/3Qc8lOc
All American is the big wig of stove top canners. They are expensive. I have not tried one, but they look fantastic! You can read about them at https://www.allamericancanner.com/All-American-Pressure...
Purchase them at Walmart - https://walmrt.us/4fwb4zO
Purchase them at Amazon - https://amzn.to/3WrDT7X
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Consider an Electric Canner!
An electric canner is not as scary as a stove top. And it can save you time because you do not have to stare at it. The venting, pressurizing, and cooling down is mostly automatic.
Presto Digital Canner - You will hear some strict old school canners say that this is not approved by the USDA. The truth is that the USDA does not *approve* any canners (Google it). Presto has been in the game a long, long time. They can be trusted. This one has been tested by many and IS safe for canning. I use it for water bath canning too. It makes canning easy. I now have 2, the 12 qt and 17 qt.
Blain's often has them on sale - https://girlte.ch/PrestoDigitalBlains
Amazon - https://amzn.to/3Sz192y
Walmart - https://walmrt.us/3Ys3d02
Nesco Digital Smart Canner - Like the Presto, this one has been tested and folks seem to love it. I have been using one of these for over a year and I love it! It is a much more reasonable alternative to the Presto and is perfect for small batches.
At Amazon - https://amzn.to/4ablSQT
At Walmart - https://walmrt.us/4ctSNle
At Kohls - https://howl.link/97mpzx08of85y
The 2 brands above are the only ones *trusted* right now. There are some pressure cookers that have canning functions, but I would not trust them just yet.
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Canning Jars & Lids
Whether you are doing water bath or pressure canning you will need approved canning jars and lids. The most popular trusted brands in the US are Ball, Kerr, and Golden Harvest.
Superb are now my favorite lids - https://superbcanning.com/?ref=LTG. Use code LittleTechGirl25 to save 25% off!
ForJars also has great lids! I use these too - https://forjars.co/littletechgirl. Code LTG10 takes 10% off.
You can often find jars at Walmart (https://walmrt.us/3Sz217k), Menards, Target, Meijer, and even thrift stores.
Stay away from off brands that you have never heard of like those in Dollar Stores. They can lead to seal failures.
This kit is great to get you started handling and filling jars - https://amzn.to/3wSOvkj
But there are tons of kits in different colors, or that come with more - https://amzn.to/3KKU6yV
I will keep updating this post as I think of more!
