Savor Summer All Season Long: Canning Recipes & Resources to Get Started
It's summertime in Skagit Valley, and local produce is at its peak. From sweet and crisp green beans to juicy, drip-down-your-chin peaches, July and August are ripe with some of the best fruits and vegetables of the year!
And oftentimes, it feels like it goes by in a flash, with winter squash quickly replacing the display of local berries and greens come fall. But that summer flavor doesn't have to end with the start of a new season!
Canning is an excellent way to capture all your favorite produce items at their peak deliciousness and enjoy that flavor long into the winter months. Whether you're brand new to food preservation or have been relying on the same trusty water bath canner since the '80s, we put together a list of recipes and helpful resources to guide you on your way.
Canned Fruits & Vegetables
Whether you grew fruit and vegetables in the garden or simply stocked up on a particular produce item while they were on a featured sale on our Fresh Deals flyers, canning your food is a great way to preserve it for the winter to come.
Photo Courtesy of Practical Self Reliance
Canned Peaches
Peaches come from a can... they were put there... by YOU! Homemade canned peaches are so much better than storebought and are one of the first recipes that beginning canners try.
This particular recipe includes lots of tips for how to do it safely, while still optimizing all that sweet, juicy flavor that fresh peaches are known for.
It also includes a chart detailing how much sugar you need to add depending on the amount of syrup you want.
Photo Courtesy of Thrifty Frugal Mom
Canned Diced Tomatoes
Canned diced tomatoes are a pantry staple that are always good to have on hand.
Whether you're tossing together spaghetti, chili, stuffed peppers, or soup, these canned diced tomatoes will definitely come in handy in a pinch.
This recipe doesn't call for you to remove the skin from the tomato, but if you're not a big fan of the texture you could certainly peel them off before canning.
Photo Courtesy of Once Upon a Chef
Quick Refrigerator Pickles
If you want pickles, and you want them now, without any complicated equipment, we highly suggest you give these fridge pickles a whirl!
All you'll need are some pickling cucumbers, fresh dill, white vinegar, kosher salt, garlic, and some pickling spices.
While this isn't a canning recipe per see, it will likely get you inspired to try some classic canning down the road!
Photo Courtesy of Grow a Good Life
Canned Corn
Really, nothing compares to fresh corn on the cob. But, in the winter, when you still want to enjoy sweet, crunchy, perfectly ripe corn, this canned corn recipe will by far be better than any other canned option you'll find.
When it comes to canning, you'll want to choose a corn variety that isn't too sweet, as the super-sweet varieties tend to brown quickly when canned.
Along with a pressure canner and other canning equipment, you'll need water and optional canning salt for this recipe.
Find the full recipe at Grow a Good Life
Pickled Asparagus
Here's another quick-pickled recipe with asparagus this time!
With a total prep and cook time of just 16 minutes, all you'll need for this quick pickle recipe is asparagus, salt, vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seed, dill, onion, and garlic.
Use your pickled asparagus as a garnish for bloody marys, as a pickley substitute for asparagus in recipes, or as a simple snack.
Photo Courtesy of Fresh Preserving
Dilly Beans
A classic canning recipe for a reason, dilly beans are delicious as a quick snack, a sandwich topping, or a pickley addition to your next charcuterie board.
Made via the water bath canning method, dilly beans call for just a handful of ingredients and can be kicked up a notch with the addition of red chili flakes or chili powder.
If you're new to canning and want to make something your grandma likely did, dilly beans are a great place to start.
Find the full recipe at Fresh Preserving
More Fruit & Vegetable Canning Recipes to Consider
Watermelon Rind Pickles from Alton Brown
Quick Pickled Red Onions from Gimme Some Oven
Canned Pears from The Prairie Homestead
Canned Carrots from A Modern Homestead
Pickled Beets from Simply Recipes
Preserves & Sauces
Canned preserves and sauces not only transform your fruits and vegetables into something spectacular, but they also serve as wonderful gifts during the holidays.
Photo Courtesy of LA Times Cooking
Stone Fruit Jam
Whether you have peaches, plums, nectarines, or apricots on hand, this mixed stone fruit jam gives you the creative freedom to create whatever unique flavor combination you want.
All you'll need is 3 1/2 pounds of roughly chopped stone fruit, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and any additional flavors such as vanilla beans or cinnamon sticks.
Though this recipe doesn't include directions for making your jam fruit stable, LA Times cooking does offer this guide if you'd prefer to can them the traditional way.
Photo Courtesy of Tastes of Lizzy T
Apple Butter
Whipped up in the slow cooker with just a couple of simple ingredients, this apple butter would make for a wonderful gift around Thanksgiving time!
This is another canning recipe you don't need a full-blown canner for but is a good way to utilize a whole bunch of apples.
Spread your apple butter on some morning toast or use it as a topping for Co-op-made vanilla ice cream!
Photo Courtesy of Fresh Preserving
Chili Sauce
If you like your food with an extra kick of spice every now and then (or always), you need this homemade canned chili sauce in your life.
The addition of brown sugar to the mix mellows out the flavor a bit, allowing for this sauce to be a wonderful addition to stir-fries.
If you prefer a smooth sauce, you'll want to make sure to blend up your ingredients really well. But, if you prefer a chunky sauce, you'll only need to blitz them for a couple of seconds.
Find the full recipe at Fresh Preserving
More Sauce & Jam Recipes to Consider
Canned Salsa from Wholefully
Plum Conserve from Taste of Home
Blueberry Sauce from Where Is My Spoon
Jalapeno Relish from Little House Living
Chocolate Raspberry Sundae Sauce from The Grateful Girl Cooks
Canning Supplies
In order to get started with canning, you'll need a couple of essentials, some of which you can find at the Co-op throughout the summer canning months!
Canner
Unless you plan on simply quick-pickling your veggies, you'll need either a pressure canner or a water bath canner, depending on what types of foods you're canning. Simply put, if the foods you're canning are non-acidic, you'll want to invest in a pressure canner. If your food has higher acidity, you'll want to opt for a water bath-style canning setup.
Jars, Lids & Bands
Of course, you'll need something to put all your garden-fresh foods in to preserve them for the rainy/snowy/stormy days ahead! In our Bulk Department, you'll find Ball mason jars.
Pectin (Optional)
If you've dreamed of all the jams and jellies you'll make with your homegrown berries and peaches, pectin is a must. Essentially, pectin is a natural ingredient that causes the jam to gel together. Without it, your preserves won't have the consistency that you want.
You can find Pomona's Universal Pectin in our Baking Aisle.
Additional Accessories (Optional)
As with any hobby, there's a never-ending list of canning accessories that you could splurge on but aren't a necessity. Some of these products can make the process easier, though, including funnels and jar lifters.
Helpful Canning Resources
Got questions? We've gathered some of our favorite canning resources that will make the whole process much more approachable. Do you have a go-to resource for canning that we missed? We'd love to hear it.
WSU Extension
Washington State University offers some super useful information for food preservation, including safety tips, virtual canning classes, and recipes. The WSU extension is a great resource because they have an office located in Skagit County and can offer a wealth of information that's specific to our area.
Along with canning, they also offer helpful information for gardening, agriculture, livestock, and healthy living. Needless to say, you'll want to bookmark them!
Fresh Preserving - Ball Canning
Fresh preserving, the official resource website for Ball Canning is another go-to for all things food preservation.
From recipes to FAQs, Fresh Preserving can answer basically any canning question you might have.
National Center for Home Food Preservation
Centered more around how to can safely, this resource page is a good place to start if you're brand new to canning. It also contains information for how to freeze, dry, cure, ferment, and pickle all sorts of fruits and vegetables.