Top 10 Canning and Food Preservation Tricks

Recently, I was chatting with some other moms when I mentioned that I'd been emptying the freezer of tomatoes so I could can them. When I mentioned some of the tricks I use, they seemed surprised. "Why have I never heard of that before?? That would be so much easier!" one mom said. So with that in mind, here, my friends, are my very canning and food preservation tricks all in one location.

* Frozen tomatoes. Sometimes I just don't have time to can tomatoes in one huge bunch. Or maybe I don't have enough ripe tomatoes to bother canning them at that moment. So I freeze them. To freeze tomatoes, just lay them on a rimmed baking sheet and place them in the freezer. When they are hard, transfer them to a freezer bag. And no, once I've canned these tomatoes, I cannot tell they've been frozen. But do note that because frozen tomatoes may have a different density from fresh ones, they should only be used for canning sauces or crushed tomatoes.

* Easy to peel tomatoes. If you freeze tomatoes, they are SO easy to peel! While they are still frozen, place them under warm, running tap water. The peels push right off!

Turn tomato skins into tomato paste. It's quick and easy!

* Love those greens. Got green tomatoes? You can use them as is, but if you prefer, you can ripen them indoors. 

* Easy peasy tomato paste. Keep those tomato peels - and dehydrate them. Then grind them up and store them in an air tight container. When you need tomato paste, just mix equal parts ground skins and water. So much easier than cooking down tomato paste on the stove!

* Get a rocker. For your pressure canner, that is. A rocker gauge not only means you don't need to have your pressure gauge checked every year (and yes, for safety, you really must do that if you don't have a rocker gauge), but I find it's easier to keep the pressure regulated on my canner if I use a rocker.

* Easier dried herbs.
When dehydrating herbs with small leaves, keep them on the stem. Once the herb is thoroughly dehydrated, just run your fingers down the stem (starting at the cut end); the leaves come right off and into a jar you've placed beneath your hand.

* Use fruit peels. Most fruits should be peeled before canning. (That's because the peel can harbor more bad stuff that may lead to food poisoning.) But that doesn't mean you have to compost them. Instead, make fruit peel syrup or jelly.

* Don't peel it. When making applesauce, don't peel the apples! It's not necessary at all, and applesauce made with the peels has more nutrition. Plus it's quicker and way easier!

* Note it! Keep a canning diary that lists what you can, what it cost, and how much you put up. It makes
planning for upcoming years much easier.

* Why have two when you can have one? You really don't need two different canners. That's because you can use your pressure canner as a water bath canner! That is, as long as the pressure canner is big enough that at least two inches of water goes over the jars.