Now that harvest is in full swing, I’ve started to think about canning. I did not can last year because I spent so much time away from home due to my mom’s final illness and working on her estate. This year, I’m really looking forward to preserving some fresh fruits and vegetables both to give as gifts and to eat during the winter. This week, we’ll take a closer look at home canning.

The first step in canning is deciding what you want to can. I make my decisions based on the following four factors:

• What produce is plentiful and looking good this year? (Two years ago, I canned a huge batch of peaches because I got a great deal on the most delicious peaches at the farmers’ market.)
• What do I like to eat and/or give as gifts?
• How much time do I have available?
• What canning recipes do I want to try?

As a note, be very careful about pulling recipes off random internet sites. Canning is very safe when done carefully and with reliable recipes. Use an established author (Ball Home Preserving is especially good) or a county extension site.

I’ve identified a lot of things I want to can, so I’ve decided to can in two sessions — one in the summer and one in the fall. Since some of my chosen recipes involve cranberries, I’ll save them until the fall since they don’t start to become available until late September. At the same time, I’ll can pickles in the first session since the Kirby cucumbers look amazing right now. Of course, final canning plans will depend on what looks good the days I go to the market. Flexibility is key.

In my first canning session, I’m looking to can the following:

• Bread and butter pickles.
• Dill spears and chips.
• Blueberry butter.
• Ginger bourbon peaches.
• Giardiniera.
• Zucchini (maybe).

I had considered doing some pickled onions, but they are so quick and easy to quick pickle that it didn’t seem worth the effort.

In the next installment, we’ll look at home preparatons for canning.