| Summertime is a great time to start, or rekindle, | | | | jars, so you will want to be efficient. |
| your interest in home preserving. | | | | - The jar lifter is a large tongs, with a curved |
| Making homemade jam is not difficult, but like | | | | section in the middle to fit around the neck of the |
| many other things, it will work best with the right | | | | jar. It has heat-resistant handles and rubberized |
| tools and some understanding of why certain | | | | grip designed to give you a firm hold on a jar. |
| steps are necessary to the process. | | | | - The wide mouth funnel is very handy, too, |
| If you want to teach yourself home preserving | | | | because you want to be efficient in filling your |
| (generically called canning, though you most likely | | | | jars, and you want to keep food off the rim. The |
| will be using glass jars, not metal cans), making | | | | jars won't seal properly unless the edges of the |
| strawberry or pineapple jam is a great place to | | | | rims are clean when the lids are applied. |
| start. These are popular fruits. If you have | | | | - A supply of canning jars, bands and lids are |
| another favorite, of course, certainly that would | | | | needed to store your product. Canning jars are |
| be good for you. | | | | often sold in boxes of a dozen, and some of |
| Jam is basically fruit, sugar and pectin. Why use | | | | them come with one set of bands and lids, but be |
| processed products to make your jam, if your | | | | sure to check. There are jar sizes starting at a |
| mission is to leave out all the unnecessary | | | | half pint, all the way up to a gallon. Pints and |
| additives? | | | | quarts are very popular, but the small sizes are |
| Basic Tools to Start Home Preserving | | | | great for jam and jelly. |
| - The big enameled pot called a canner is large | | | | Use good quality fruit, proper tools and |
| enough to do quart jars as well. For the water | | | | techniques, and you can have a beautiful row of |
| bath method, you need room around the jars for | | | | jars, sparkling with homemade jam to eat at your |
| the boiling water to circulate. | | | | house, or to give as gifts. |
| - The rack that goes in the canner is designed to | | | | This can be your starting point to preserving |
| keep the jars from jostling each other in the | | | | many foods at home. The list of fruit-based |
| boiling water. Also, it is very efficient to lift the | | | | preserves alone includes jelly, marmalades and |
| jars in and out of the water. The handles move | | | | chutneys. Then there are tomatoes (plain, and all |
| further apart, and they have a hinge designed to | | | | the variety of sauces), pickles (a huge variety), |
| allow you rest the rack on the rim of the pot. | | | | vegetables and many others, for your exploration. |
| Remember that this will be a load of hot glass | | | | |