Videos

It begins with the right equipment.

Having a safe canning experience begins with choosing the right equipment. If you've been given older equipment from a friend or relative, be sure to take it to your local Extension office for testing. It's essential that the gauge is functioning properly so that food is heated to the correct temperature.

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What's Cooking? with Mary Liz Wright

Discover science-based techniques for canning and preserving fruits and vegetables, along with safe and effective freezing methods to minimize food waste and extend the freshness of produce.
 

Canning Equipment

Here's an overview of what equipment and supplies you will need for canning at home.

Canning Strawberry Jam

Mary Liz Wright, University of Illinois Extension Nutrition & Wellness Educator, demonstrates how to can strawberry jam in a hot water bath.

Canning tomatoes

Mary Liz Wright, University of Illinois Extension Nutrition & Wellness Educator, demonstrates how to can tomatoes in a pressure canner.

Freezing equipment

Mary Liz Wright, University of Illinois Extension Nutrition & Wellness Educator, demonstrates the equipment needed to properly freeze fruits and vegetables.

Freezing Green Beans

Mary Liz Wright, University of Illinois Extension Nutrition & Wellness Educator, demonstrates how to freeze green beans so they can be enjoyed year-round.

Freezing Peaches

Mary Liz Wright, University of Illinois Extension Nutrition & Wellness Educator, demonstrates how to freeze peaches for year-round enjoyment.

Freezing Strawberries

Mary Liz Wright, University of Illinois Extension Nutrition & Wellness Educator, demonstrates how to freeze strawberries so they can be enjoyed year-round.

Pressure Canning Green Beans

Mary Liz Wright, University of Illinois Extension Nutrition & Wellness Educator, demonstrates how to can green beans in a pressure canner.

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Canning with Confidence

Canning is a home food preservation method that helps people extend garden harvests, save on food costs, participate in family traditions, and control the quality of food they eat. By following tested recipes and recommended food safety practices, home canners can create safe, shelf-stable products to enjoy throughout the year. Learn how to can with confidence and discover proper techniques for safely using a water bath canner, a steam canner, and a pressure canner.

How to Use Boiling Water Bath Canners: Canning with Confidence

Explore an easy way to preserve fruits and vegetables.

Water bath canning is a common method for preserving high-acid foods at home. In this webinar you will explore proper techniques to safely preserve high-acid foods such as pie filling, pickles, salsas, jams, and jellies with electric...

How to Use Pressure Canners: Canning with Confidence

Take the pressure out of pressure canning.

Pressure canners provide the only safe method for preserving low-acid foods, such as green beans, meats, squash and pumpkin, and stews, soups, and broths. Only pressure canners can reach the required temperature of 240 °F to kill the deadly...

How to Use Steam Canners: Canning with Confidence

Steam canning is a safe alternative to boiling water bath canning for preserving many high-acid foods, including most fruits, preserves, and pickled vegetables.

In this webinar you will learn how to use a steam canner, become familiar with recommended food processing times, and watch a...

How to Make Strawberry Jam in a Steam Canner

Learn how you can easily make low-sugar strawberry jam at home using a steam canner.

To learn more about food preservation, check out https://extension.illinois.edu/keywords/food-preservation.

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Fill Your Pantry

What is the difference between pressure canning and water bath canning? What equipment do I need? Which recipes are safe to use? Learn the science behind safe, practical food preservation.

Canning Foods at Home: Fill Your Pantry Webinar Series

What is the difference between pressure canning and water bath canning? What equipment do I need? What recipes are safe to use? This webinar answers these questions, along with up-to-date information on canning. Whether you are new to canning or have been doing it for years and want a refresher...

Freezing Foods at Home: Fill Your Pantry Webinar Series

Freezing food at home is simple and requires equipment you likely already have in your kitchen. For the best quality frozen fruits and vegetables, it is not enough to simply put food in your freezer. In this webinar, learn which foods freeze well, why blanching improves frozen food quality, the...

Fermenting Foods: Fill Your Pantry Webinar Series

Fermentation is growing in popularity as a way to create foods and drinks with probiotic properties for healthy gut microbes and as a method of home food preservation. In this webinar, learn the fundamentals and benefits of lacto-fermentation, how to safely ferment at home, and gain confidence...

Drying Foods at Home: Fill Your Pantry Webinar Series

Dried foods make tasty, compact snacks. From jerky to dried fruit, dehydrating at home is easy to do. In this webinar, learn about up-to-date drying methods and equipment, ways to test for sufficient drying, and ways to use dried foods in recipes.

Pickling Foods at Home: Fill Your Pantry Webinar Series

Pickling is an ancient form of food preservation that involves the process of preserving or extending the shelf life of food by either anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. Join us as we share information on basic pickling methods using the latest scientific methods to ensure...

Preserving Apples at Home: Fill Your Pantry Webinar Series

Learn about the varieties of apples along with preservation methods. Discover juicing, freezing, canning, and dehydrating apples. This information includes the most current science-based preservation methods and emphasizes food safety.  

Processing Tomatoes at Home: Fill Your Pantry Webinar Series

Do you expect an abundance of tomatoes in your garden, but you aren’t sure what to do with them? Whether canning, freezing, or drying, it’s important to follow up-to-date methods. Learn all about canning salsa, the variety of ways to water bath or pressure can tomatoes, dehydrating this luscious...