Home Canning Safety: Keep Your Family Healthy & Spoil Rate Low

Canning safety is simply a matter of avoiding risks. Use safe home canning methods. Any risk you can name regarding home canning is very easily avoidable. Learn how here.

Be clean. Use commonsense. Did you know life is full of risk? Sure you did. We all take risks all the time. Simple, everyday things are risky. What about driving to town? Crossing the street?

Various jars of home canned vegetables and fruits sitting on the countertop.

I am not trying to cause home canning “fear”…. I have been preserving at home with no problems for many years. I just want to emphasize safety procedures. Check out the articles below. I’ve included links to articles that answer many questions people ask.

Table of Contents

Risk taking or avoiding?

We also take steps to lessen the risks. We drive safely. We wear seat belts. We teach our children to look both ways when crossing the street. The same is true of canning safety. Look both ways, lessen the risks. Take the steps to be safe, and you will enjoy feeding your family just like you enjoy being able to jump in the car and go to the grocery store.

Are you a seat belt wearer? I am.

Covers of both Canning Guide and Dehydrating food book. — Canning and Dehydrating Guides- Learn more here.

From my inbox

“Just want to tell you how amazing you are. I’m a newly certified Master Food Preserver in Montana, and all your info is spot on. Plus your approach to explaining why safety matters and how to ‘deal’ with people whose beliefs are adverse is so helpful in presenting workshops! Thanks, ma’am! You rock!“

Canning Safety Articles

Basic Canning Information

What is siphoning in home canning? Why does liquid loss happen?

Number one Canning Question ever asked… so I will list it first. Find the answer here.

Jars of home canned food that have lost liquid during processing.

3 Canning Methods, Which Do I Choose?

Do I choose a water bath canner or a pressure canner? And why? That is a common question ~ and a good one. Learn how to choose the right method for your project.

Sharon pressure canner and water bath canner in the background.

Canning Food for Beginners: How to Can Safely and Confidently

Before you fill your first jar, or use your home canning recipes from your great grandmother, it is important to understand what you are doing. Decisions are much easier when you know why.

Canning Terms and Definitions

Index of canning terms and meanings for home canners. From basic terms like “jar” and “lid” to more advanced concepts like “headspace” and “venting time,” we’ve got you covered.

Jars of colorful home canned food sitting on a gingham cloth in front of a log background.

Canning at High Altitude. Adjustments must be made.

Home Canning at high altitude above 1,000 feet requires careful adjustments to your recipe. Changes need to be made for high-altitude water bath canning, steam canning, and pressure canning.

Pressure canner sitting on the countertop with various jars of food surrounding it.

How to Use a Pressure Canner

Pressure canning is for canning vegetables and meats. Don't let it intimidate you! You can do this.

All American and Presto pressure canners side by side.

Water Bath Canning : Beginners Guide

Water bath canning is the perfect place for a beginning canner to start. By the end of this article you’ll have the confidence to pull our your canner and start with some simple projects.

Black graniteware water bath canner sitting on the stove.

Steam Canning

Steam canning is safe, fast, and beginner friendly for high-acid foods. Remember: hot pack only, and 45 minutes or less. These are instructions on how to use a steam canner. You'll still need a canning recipe for your specific food.

Lifting the lid of a steam canner with jars of peaches in the pot.

Special Canning Methods

Can you Can in an Instant Pot

I totally understand that pressure canners can be intimidating. And I also understand why people would want to use an instant pot for canning. Pressure Canning with an Instant Pot. Can you?? Or can’t you?? Why?

Closed and running InstantPot on the counterotp.

Presto Electric Pressure Canner Review: Safe, Approved, and Worth It?

So many many questions about using an electric pressure canner. Is it safe? What about the one from Presto? Learn about the safety aspects and what I see coming from extension services and the NCFHFP. You might be pleased to hear what I found.

Image of the Presto Electric Canner sitting on a kitchen counter.

Canning on a Glass Top Stove: Will your stove work?

I realized that I really needed to address the issue of canning on a glass top stove because I’m asked about it a LOT! So is it safe? Yes…and no. It’s complicated.

Speckled graniteware canner sitting on a white glass top stove.

Small Batch Canning: Scale down recipes & maintain safety.

Discover small batch canning. Perfect for solo canners, cooking for two, or thoughtful gifts. Scale down recipes & maintain safety.

3 finished jars of strawberries sitting on a red checked dish towel.

Safety Concerns

Botulism in Canning? Why I’m not afraid.

This page may be scary to some people. I truly don’t want to scare you! This is actually a canning risk that is easily avoided by following safe home canning tested procedures and the proper canning methods.

What is Flat Sour in Home Canning? Causes and Prevention.

Ever heard of flat sour? It's that unappealing off-flavor – think a disagreeably sour or bitter taste of your canned goods.

Nine half pints of tomato sauce cooling on a brown towel.

Canning Safety Overkill?

I want to emphasize that there is a lot of wisdom in SOME of the old ways…I’m not saying your grandmother or aunt or whoever was crazy. Absolutely not! Many old-fashioned skills are fading away, and that is so very sad. Some of the old ways can be improved upon. Not discarded, but made better.

Jars of colorful home canned food sitting in front of a rustic wooden background.

Canning Mistakes: Can You Reprocess Green Beans?

If your green bean jars didn't seal or something felt off during processing, you're dealing with one of two different situations, and each comes with its own safety rule. Here's the 24-hour rule and the 2-hour rule.

Row of home canned green beans in pint jars.

Misunderstandings in Canning: A Microbiologist’s Advice

This is a guest post about misunderstandings in canning by reader Freda Bradely. She brings up some good points, including some of the potential dangers associated with canning using the old methods. I thought I’d share it with you…and Freda agreed.

Removing bubbles from a jar of pumpkin cubes.

Is water bath canning green beans safe?

In this article, we’ll discuss why water bath canning plain green beans is not recommended. But… don’t click away just yet. We’ll also discuss how your green beans CAN be preserved when you don’t have a pressure canner. So all is good!

A bowl of freshly picked green beans in the garden.

How to Can Tomatoes: Adding Lemon Juice and Other Adaptations.

How to Can Tomatoes the way want to. Information on adding lemon juice or other acidification, safe adaptations, seasonings, canning methods and more.

Hot jars of tomatoes packed inside the canner.

Re-canning food from #10 Cans

I often get questions from people who are asking about re-canning store-purchased foods. Especially when it is purchased in those large, #10-size cans. But is it a good idea? Is it safe? Is it really economical?

Jars filled with home canned food sitting next to a shiny canner.

General Home Canning Information

Home Canning and boiling your food before serving. Is it needed?

This article is not about how to process your foods during the home canning process. It is rather about the choice of boiling the food before you serve it. Some say yes, you need to boil your meats and veggies prior to serving them…some say you don’t.

Jars of colorful home canned food lined up on a wooden ledge.

How to Sterilize Canning Jars

Did you know that sterilizing jars for home canning is not always needed? You DO need to start with clean jars, so yes…do wash them, either in a dishwasher or by hand with hot, soapy water and a clear water rinse. If you need to sterilize your jars, heres how.