8 Time-Saving Canning Tips to Help You ‘Put Up the Harvest’
Puttin’ up the harvest (aka. canning and preserving food) is by far one of the most rewarding aspects of this homesteading lifestyle, in my humble opinion. I can honestly say there’s nothing better than the feeling I get come fall and winter when our pantry is overflowing with jars of home-canned food that I put up with my own two hands.
At that time of year, I’m always SUPER thankful that I did the hard work of preserving all that food over the summer months, but when I’m in the thick of it with baskets and bowls full of fresh food waiting to be preserved (and dying a slow death with every second that I’m NOT busy preserving them), I sometimes find myself asking myself why, oh WHY do I do this to myself every year, and wondering how on Earth I’m gonna get it all done with everything else I’ve got going on.
Because while homesteading (which consists of a lot of canning and preserving over the summer) is our lifestyle of choice, it’s not our entire life.
We’re busy just like everyone else.
Both my husband and I run our own businesses, we’ve got a 4-year-old daughter at home who also has preschool and dance classes and likes to be involved in everything we’re doing, and of course we have a never-ending to-do list of homestead projects, side jobs, social commitments (whether in person or online) and all the other things that keep us all busy day in and day out.
Even I sometimes wonder how we do it all.
Related: 6 Canning Safety Rules You Must Follow
I know I’m not alone in this. In fact, I published a poll on Instagram a couple weeks ago and asked people what their biggest barrier was to canning and preserving food at home, and every single person who responded said that time (or a lack thereof) was the number one roadblock to canning and preserving more food at home.
I found myself mulling over this the other day while I was on batch 4 or 5 ( or was it 6?) of pickling and canning up 50 lbs. worth of cucumbers I’d picked up from one of my local farmers. It took me 4 or 5 days in total to get them all canned as I multi-tasked and worked in batches between getting ready to launch a course, publish a magazine, tend to the garden and the animals and keep our daughter alive and healthy and happy and on time for school and extracurricular activities.
I started thinking about all of the ways we manage to fit homesteading in general (and canning and preserving in particular) into our lives even when it seems we haven’t got a minute to spare.
As I pondered all of this (while I waited for the water in my canner to come to a boil, because ya know, multitasking!) I came up with the following list of tips and hacks that help me fit canning and preserving food into our busy summer so that I can be sure that come winter I’ll have a pantry full off food to be thankful for.
I hope that at least one or more of the following tips help you too!
Time-saving canning tips to help you preserve the harvest when you’re short on time
1. Can what you actually EAT!
My number one tip is to can what you and your family actually like to eat! Because honestly, if you don’t want to eat what you can, then you’re probably wasting your time canning it in the first place.
Sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what everyone in your family likes to eat if you’ve never tried it before (like that time I made 40 pounds of sauerkraut before having my family actually try it and subsequently tossed most of it to the compost bin), so if you’re unsure, try canning a small batch of something first.
If you know your family REALLY likes or uses certain things like, say, pickles or salsa or tomato sauce or strawberry jam, then focus the limited amount of time you have on canning those items. You may miss some things, but you’ll be stocked up on the things you eat most!
2. Work in stages
Often times it’s not the canning itself that’s most time-consuming, it’s the prep work. It’s the washing and peeling and chopping and slicing that tends to take up the lion’s share of “hands-on” time when it comes to canning and preserving.
One way to fit it all in is to break it up and work in stages to prep and preserve your food. This is what I do most of the time, because very rarely do I have a long enough block of time free from other obligations when I can focus on prepping and processing a batch of anything from start to finish.
Try washing and prepping your food in the evening before bed on a night when you’ve got a little time in the morning to do the canning portion. Then store your prepped food overnight (in the fridge if possible) and can it up in the morning.
If preserving apples or pears, place them in a solution of water and lemon juice, adding one tablespoon of lemon juice for every cup of water. This will help prevent them from browning.
Preserve your food as quickly as possible after prepping it. But if you have to let it sit for a few hours or overnight, it’s not the end of the world! I almost always have to work in stages and have (almost) never had to toss any food out!
3. Ask for help!
Your family eats the food you make and can too, right? Well then they can pitch in and help preserve it too!
Back in the day, preserving food was a family affair. You’d sit with grandma and snap green beans with her as she prepped them for canning. There’s no reason why this should be any different today.
In fact, canning can even be more fun and enjoyable when it’s a group effort and you can get things done exponentially quicker than when you’re prepping and preserving an entire batch of something alone.
Plus, if you’ve got kids helping, it also doubles as a useful lesson in canning and home food preservation that they will (hopefully) take with them and use throughout their lives!
4. Can small batches
You might not have time to can up a 50 lb. batch of pickles. But surely you can find time for a five or 10-pound batch!
Sometimes when we think of canning and preserving food, we think of making up large batches of food that could fill a bomb shelter and sustain us through the winter and beyond. But there’s nothing wrong with just doing a small batch here and there of something you really enjoy eating or want to try!
So often, us human beings are all or nothing creatures. We figure if we can’t do it all (and do it to the Nth degree) then there’s no point in doing it at all.
If a few jars of jam are all you can find time for then so be it. Doing a little bit is better than doing nothing at all!
5. Double (or triple) your batch
Okay, I know this seems to completely contradict the last tip, but hear me out…
If you do happen to have the time and wherewithal to double or triple your batch of something that you eat a lot of, do it. By making more at once, at worst you’ll have a larger supply and at best you’ll maybe even have enough for the following year.
This was the case for me and my pickles this year: I got 50 lbs. of cucumbers (thinking I would share with my mom but apparently she’s not feeling pickles this year), so I ended up making enough pickles to last us a good two years.
It was a lot of work up front, but now I don’t have to make pickles again until 2022. And I just freed up a lot of time next year to devote to preserving other things!
6. Keep canning supplies and ingredients on hand
You’ll save yourself a lot of time and headache if you make sure you’re prepared ahead of time. Keep jars, bands, new lids and special ingredients on hand so you don’t have to waste time running to the store to buy what you need.
Consider keeping a supply of the following ingredients on hand for impromptu (or “promptu”) canning sessions. (And yes, I know that “promptu” isn’t a real word. No angry emails please).
- White vinegar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sugar
- Pectin
- Pickling salt
- Pickling spice
- Clear Jel (for thickening and canning pie filling)
7. Use the wait time to multi-task
A lot of the time involved in canning is spent waiting around for a pot to boil or for your processing time to run out. Use this wait time to knock off other things on your to-do list.
Tidy your kitchen. Throw on a load of laundry. Get some work done on the computer. Just don’t do anything where you need to completely walk away from your canning project as you never want to leave things completely unattended for too long. (In other words, maybe don’t go weed the garden or run errands at this time).
Stick close but use the wait time to multi-task and you’ll have a pantry full of home-canned food and a crossed-off to-do list in no time!
8. Accept that some other things might fall by the wayside
This last tip is more of a mental shift than anything, but it’s helped me more than once: you have to be prepared to let some things fall by the wayside.
What I mean by this is that, during canning season, when fruits and veggies are in season and need to be preserved ASAP, canning and preserving them needs to be a top priority because they won’t last otherwise.
This often means that something else gets bumped down the list of priorities, maybe even all the way to the bottom.
Case in point: my house is often an absolute disaster during canning season. Or it’s at least not as clean as I wish it were. There are laundry baskets full of unfolded clothes sitting on the living room floor. There are toys strewn littering every corner and nook and cranny of our house. Dirty dishes stacked beside the sink. Stacks of paperwork and a floor that desperately needs a good vacuuming…
Likewise, we don’t cook from scratch as much. I know this seems strange during the summer months when our garden is in full swing and we’ve got beautiful fresh produce at our disposal, but when the kitchen is in full preservation mode we’ve got canners taking up stove space, jars in the drying rack, ingredients and jars on our countertop, the dehydrator’s going… There’s no room to cook!
Typically we either use our BBQ or sometimes we just opt to order a pizza. (Every year I promise myself I’ll spend the spring making freezer meals that can go in the Instant Pot during canning season but the busy-ness of spring planting takes priority!)
In either case, we all only have so many hours in the day (and so much kitchen space!), so be prepared that something will probably need to give in order for you to get everything canned and preserved. But at the end of the day, canning season is just that: a season.
When you’re up to your elbows in pickling cucumbers or tomatoes or apples or *insert fruit or vegetable here*, just remember that this is only for a season. Soon enough this season will be over and the next season will arrive, and then the next. And when it does, you’ll open your pantry up and stare at your gleaming jars of home-canned food as you plan your winter meals.
And I’ll bet you’ll be thankful that you made canning a priority during the summer.
Wanna learn how to can your own food?
Whether you’ve never canned anything before or you’ve done a little canning and you’re ready to take the next step, my Yes, You CAN! complete home canning course will walk you through everything you need to know to get started canning food SAFELY at home.
Over the course of 12 easy-to-follow lessons, we cover both water bath canning and pressure canning, and I show you step-by-step how to can your own jams, jellies, pickles, pie fillings, fruits, vegetables, tomato sauce and chicken stock at home. And of course we’ll go over canning safety, equipment and over all best practices in more depth so that you always feel confident both during the canning process and while enjoying your home-canned food afterwards.
You’ll also get a collection of bonuses including:
- Printable checklists and cheatsheets to help you stay safe and never miss a step while canning food at home
- My bonus Jam and Jelly Making Mini-Course to help you make and can your own jams and jellies with store-bought pectin, no pectin and even low-sugar
- A copy of my Home Canning Handbook, complete with 30 of my favourite home canning recipes for canning everything from fruits and vegetables to jams and jellies to sauces and salsa to stocks, soups, meats, combination meals and more!
If you’re ready to get started canning (or canning more food than ever before this year!) enroll now and get started stocking your pantry!
*** Use code PREPARED2023 until the end of September 2023 to take 20% off the regular price and get lifetime access to the course and all bonuses! ***
I hope to see you in class:)
Wishing you homemade, homegrown, homestead happiness:)
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It’s easy to romanticize homesteading, but the truth is that those homegrown vegetables, those freshly laid eggs, that loaf of bread rising on the counter, and that pantry full of home-canned food takes time, effort and dedication. It doesn’t “just happen” overnight!
But if you work on learning one new skill at a time and gain confidence in it before moving onto the next, one day you’ll be looking back and marvelling at how far you’ve come.
That’s where I’m at now. Life today looks a lot different than it did 10 years ago, when our homesteading and self-reliance journey was just beginning.
Back then we still lived in our city condo and were just beginning to dabble in all of this stuff. But my husband Ryan and I felt a sense urgency to start pursuing a more self-reliant lifestyle, and we committed to taking small steps, one day at a time to make that vision a reality.
Over the years we’ve continued to put one foot in front of the other, adding new skills and tackling new projects along the way that have helped us get to where we are today.
While there’s always more we want to learn and do, as I look around me right now, I’m so grateful that we took those first steps, especially considering what’s happened in the world over the past few years!
If you’re also feeling the urgency to take the first (or next) steps toward a more self-reliant life, this is your final reminder that today is the last day to join The Society of Self-Reliance and start levelling up your homesteading and self-sufficiency skills so that you’ve got what it takes to:
• Grow your own groceries
• Stock your pantry
• Create a natural home
• Get prepared
• Learn other important life skills like time management for homesteaders, goal setting and how to become your own handyman
And more!
If you’ve been feeling called to level up your self-reliance skills (because let’s be honest, we’re in for a wild ride these next few years with everything going on in the world), now is the time to heed that call.
Link in profile to enroll before midnight tonight, or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/society
#homesteading #selfreliance #selfsufficiency #homesteadingskills #preparedness
There are so many reasons to grow your own food at home:
💰 Saves you money at the grocery store
🍴 Healthier than conventionally grown food
🔑 increases your overall food security
🫙 Gives you an abundance to preserve and share
But perhaps the number one reason is because it just tastes better!
Not only does food taste better when it’s freshly picked or allowed to ripen on the vine, there’s something about putting in the work to grow something from a tiny seed and then getting to see it on your dinner plate that just makes it so much more satisfying than anything you’ll ever buy from the store.
Plus, having to wait all year for fresh tomatoes or strawberries or zucchinis to be in season makes that short period when they’re available just that much more exciting!
With the world spinning out of control and food prices continuing to rise, it’s no wonder more people are taking an interest in learning to grow their own food at home. But that also means changing our relationship with food and learning to appreciate the work that goes into producing it and the natural seasonality of organically grown fruits and vegetables.
(It also means learning to preserve it so you can make the most of it and enjoy homegrown food all year long).
In my online membership program, The Society of Self-Reliance, you’ll learn how to grow your own food, from seed to harvest, as well as how to preserve it so you can enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor all year long!
You’ll also learn how to grow and craft your own herbal medicine, detox your home, become your own handyman, and so much more (because self-reliance is about more than just the food that we eat… But that’s a pretty good place to start!)
The doors to the Society are now open for a limited time only. Click the link in my profile or go to thehouseandhomestead.com/society to learn more.
#foodsecurity #homegrownfood #homesteading #selfreliance #selfsufficiency #homegrownfoodjusttastesbetter
If you’ve been watching events unfold over the past few years and you’re feeling called to start “cutting ties” with the system and begin reclaiming your independence, The Society of Self-Reliance was made for you!
When I first launched this online membership program last year, my goal was to create a one-stop resource where members could go to learn and practice every aspect of self-reliance, as well as a space to connect with other like-minded people pursuing the same goal. And that’s exactly what you’ll get when you join!
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn inside the Society:
🌱 Food Security and Self-Sufficiency: Learn the art of growing and preserving your own food, ensuring you and your loved ones have access to nutritious meals year-round.
🌿 Natural Living and Herbal Medicine Mastery: Discover the secrets to creating a low-tox home and and to growing, making and using herbal remedies to support your family’s health, naturally.
🔨 Essential Life Skills: Learn essential life skills like time management, effective goal setting and practical DIY skills to become more self-sufficient.
As a member, you’ll enjoy:
📚 Monthly Video Lessons: Gain access to our ever-growing library of video lessons, with fresh content added each month.
📞 Live Group Coaching Calls: Participate in our monthly live group coaching calls, where we deep dive into a different self-reliance topic every month, and do live demonstrations and Q&A’s.
🏡 Private Community: Join our private community forum where you can ask questions, share your progress, and connect with like-minded individuals.
I only open the doors to The Society once or twice each year, but right now, for one week only, you can become a member for just $20/month (or $200/year).
In today’s world, self-reliance is no longer a luxury, a “cute hobby,” it’s a necessity. Join us inside The Society of Self-Reliance and empower yourself with the skills you need to thrive in the new world!
Link in profile or visit thehouseandhomestead.com/society to learn more.
#selfreliance #selfreliant #selfsufficiency #selfsufficientliving #sustainableliving #modernhomesteading #homesteadingskills #preparedness
Got out for an early morning harvest today. Been up since 3am, contemplating life, the future and the past, the order of things…
There is a rumbling right now, not just in North America, but around the world. Many of us can feel it, and know we are on the precipice of something big.
I’d been hearing about this new song that’s become an overnight viral sensation, written by an (until now) unknown singer named Oliver Anthony. His new song Rich Men North of Richmond has had 14 million views on YouTube in the past week alone, so I decided to check it out.
I also saw a clip of him playing a Farmers Market last week, and anything that has to do with Farmers Markets always has my attention;)
I can’t tell you how many tears I’ve already cried listening to that song. If you’ve heard it already, you probably know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t, I highly recommend giving it a listen. All I can say is it’s been a while since a song resonated so deeply with me, and in this strange new world, I know I’m not the only one.
One of the lines in Anthony’s song is “Livin’ in the new world, with an old soul,” and that’s something I think so many of us in the homesteading community can relate to.
Trying to cling to better days; To a simpler time; To the old ways, all while doing our best to get by in the new world.
The world has changed drastically in the last few years especially, and it’s set to change in immense ways over the next few years. Today I’m feeling thankful for people like @oliver_anthony_music_ who give a voice to what so many are feeling right now.
Know that if you’re feeling it too, you’re far from alone. And while the future may feel uncertain and even a little scary, remember that if we stand united, we the people are a force to be reckoned with.
(Continued in comments…)
Another garlic harvest in the books!
Garlic is easily one of my favourite crops to grow. It’s pretty much a “set if and forget it” crop. We plant in the fall and leave it to overwinter, fertilize a couple times in the spring, start watering only once the ground starts to dry out, and then harvest in the summer. We can even plant a fall succession crop after our garlic if we want so it really makes great use of garden space all year round.
Over the years we’ve managed to become completely self-sufficient with garlic. We now grow enough to eat all year (and then some!), plus we save our own seed garlic and usually have extra to sell or give away. And around here fresh, organic garlic ain’t cheap, so it’s a good cash crop for anyone who’s serious about selling it.
It took me a few years to really get the hang of garlic, but it’s one crop I’m now very confident with (knock on wood, because it’s always when we make statements like this that next year’s crop fails! Lol.)
A while back I compiled a comprehensive guide to growing, harvesting and using garlic both as an edible and medicinal crop. This is usually only available as part of a paid bundle (or in the fall 2022 issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine if you’re a subscriber;), but for a limited time I’m offering it for free, no strings attached!
Plus you’ll also get access to my step-by-step video lesson on planting garlic so you can set yourself up for success with your garlic crop this year.
Comment “Garlic” below or head to thehouseandhomestead.com/garlic-guide to get your free copy!
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#garlic #garlicharvest #homesteading #selfsufficient #selfsufficiency #selfsufficientliving #selfreliance #homegrown #groworganic #growfoodnotlawns #gardenersofinstagram #homesteadersofinstagram
Going through photos and videos from our trip to the @modernhomesteadingconference and the vast majority are of our daughter having the time of her life!
Even if I personally got nothing else out of this gathering (which I most certainly did), watching her discover her own love of this lifestyle outside of what we do at home made my heart grow three sizes!
Homesteading is about so much more than homegrown food and self-reliance. It’s about passing on invaluable skills and an understanding of and respect for our connection to the land that provides for us to the next generation.
Being around so many other kids and families who are also pursuing a homesteading lifestyle helped show our little one that this is a movement that is so much bigger and greater than what our own family does on our little plot of land. This is a lifestyle worth pursuing, with a community unlike any other.
Glad to be back home and more excited than ever to involve my kids in everything we’re doing. But also, I think I speak for my whole family when I say we can’t wait to go back someday!
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#homesteading #modernhomesteading #raisinglittles
If you’re simply looking for ways to save a little extra cash this summer and live well for less, here are 12 tried and tested frugal living tips for summer that you can use to save money this season without sacrificing a thing.
Head over using the link in my bio!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/12-frugal-living-tips-summer/
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A brand new issue of Modern Homesteading Magazine just dropped!
In this issue:
🌱 How to forage and use five common edible and medicinal weeds
🏠 A sustainable, affordable alternative to traditional homes, greenhouses and more
👨👩👧👦 Tips for managing a homestead while raising a family (big or small!)
🫙 What to focus on when preserving food for true food security
🌹 How to grow and arrange your own cut flowers at home
🍓 The many ways to preserve summer berries (including 5 delicious recipes!)
💇How to make your own all-natural herbal hair care products at home
🧑🌾 Why “community sufficiency” is the new self-sufficiency
And more!
Visit modernhomesteadingmagazine.com (or click the link in my bio) to subscribe or login to the library and read the latest issue.
Plus, be sure to check out all of our past issues as well! There’s a wealth of information in our library on everything from farming and gardening to cooking and canning to herbal medicine, natural living and so much more!
*** This will be the last quarterly issue! ***
This little magazine has grown so much over the past 4 years and 32 issues, and now it’s time for another exciting evolution.
I’m excited to announce that we will be moving to an even more robust annual publication with the intention of offering the first ever print edition this fall if there is enough demand.
I’m also excited to announce the brand new Modern Homesteading Magazine blog, which is currently under construction and will be launching soon. While we will still be maintaining digital subscriptions, the blog will be accessible to all, free of charge, so that more people might benefit from the empowering and increasingly important information that we cover in each issue.
Thanks to everyone who helped make this issue happen! @homesteadingfamily @oatsandhoneyhomestead @omnivore.culture @thetaylor.leigh @doeraydesign (and more who don’t have IG pages;)
And a HUGE thank you to everyone who has subscribed over the years. Modern Homesteading Magazine would never have become what it is today without each and every one of you.
#homesteading #modernhomesteading #selfsufficiency
If you’ve ever grown your own garlic, you might have noticed the spiral-shaped shoots that suddenly pop up in the centre of the stem, usually about a month or so before the garlic bulbs themselves are ready to be harvested.
These are garlic scapes, and believe it or not- they make delicious pesto! Get the recipe through the link in my bio- https://thehouseandhomestead.com/garlic-scape-pesto/
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#houseandhomestead
#homesteadmom
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#lovemyfarm
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This honey and chive blossom vinaigrette is a frugal, easy and healthy homemade salad dressing that pairs beautifully with fresh garden salads all season long.
Get the recipe through the link in my bio.
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/chive-blossom-vinaigrette/
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#seasonalrecipes
#eatinseason
#liveseasonally
#eattheseasons
#seasonaleats
#summersbounty
#eatseasonal
Whether you live in the city and grow a few herbs on your balcony, have a few backyard chickens in the suburbs or live in the country and have a larder full of enough home-canned food to survive the apocalypse, if living a more homemade, homegrown, self-sufficient lifestyle is important to you, Modern Homesteading Magazine was made for you!
Read it today through the link in my bio!
https://modernhomesteadingmagazine.com/
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#houseandhomestead
#homesteadmom
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This radish top pesto recipe makes good use of the edible radish greens that often get discarded once they’re separated from the root. The end result is a peppery, slightly spicy twist on a classic pesto recipe.
A perfect condiment for all your summer snacking!
https://thehouseandhomestead.com/radish-top-pesto-recipe/
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#radishes
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#suburbanhomesteading
#lovemyfarm
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#countrygal
#country_living
#urbanhomesteading
#selfsustainableliving
#homesteaderslife
I’ve been making jams, jellies, marmalade for years, but this year I wanted to do tomatoes. I did my best to grow what I needed, but I overshot the mark and have double or triple the tomatoes I need.
Unfortunately this translated into canning pressure… erh… no pun intended. I felt OBLIGATED to do more canning than I planned, to prevent spoilage and waste. Next year, I will plan better, but I will also come up with an alternative for where I can donate my extra tomatoes! As it was, I was giving them to my friends, but even they can’t keep up with eating as many as I’m growing… I guess I need more friends, haha. So, I have learned this year (by my mistake), to plant only what I need, to can only what I need for the year, and to know where the extra tomatoes will go. Extra = more work.
Another thing I learned this year, is to put all of my processing in a straight line, like a Ford assembly line, instead of needing to crisscross around the kitchen. So for example, marinara sauce… first I wash… I get this all done first while I’m boiling water for blanching. Then I’m ready for my assembly line…. pop the first group of six in the boiling water. I have a bowl of cold water in the sink (but you could put it on the counter), then there is the paring knife and a container for the peels and a container for the stems, then the chopping board and chopping knife, and then the big pot which I will later put on the stove to boil the tomatoes. So then I boil, dunk, core, peel, chop, and put in the pot in a straight line. It makes SUCH a difference! When I’m chopping, I put the next batch of six in the pot to blanch. It goes much faster, and I do a similar assembly line when I’m doing the actual canning part. I have to say, for me anyway, it’s also less confusing!
Thanks so much for this news letter! It gave me a boost to read your timesaving tips because that seems to follow my canning season life very closely. You have given me reaffirmation.
I’m so glad! I know that time is such a roadblock for so many people. Not just for canning, but for so many of the things we really want to do! And I know I love hearing other people’s organization and time-saving tips. Glad I could offer some reassurance:)
Every year I pray that I don’t die during canning season – because my house looks like a bomb went off in it.
Right?! I knew I couldn’t be the only one! Lol