Home canning vegetables is actually easy once you have learned to use a pressure canner.
Really…vegetables must be pressure canned. There is no way around it.
Read about using a pressure canner here…
This page is a Table of Contents for all Canning Vegetables directions on Simply Canning.
Click on the veggie you want below to learn how to can and get step by step instruction.
Learn How to Can Vegetables
Canning Tomatoes
I put this here because most people think of tomatoes as being a veggie. Technically, tomatoes are a fruit. There are so many different products made out of tomatoes, so I’ve linked to a separate page on canning tomatoes and tomato-based recipes.
Canning Green Beans
My husband’s favorite vegetable.
This is a staple in our house. We planted double the crop one year because we ran out early. Canning green beans is an easy way to get started if you are just learning how to use a pressure canner.
Canning Beets
I enjoy canning beets. Really, I do. Beets are one of MY favorite vegetables. I remember when I was a kid thinking that beets tasted like dirt. What was I thinking?
How to cook and peel beets for canning.
Learn how to cook beets and peel them using this simple, fast method that’s perfect for cooking, freezing, dehydrating/freeze-drying, or canning beets.
Canning Corn
A real treat, especially if you are using corn right out of the garden or using fresh sweet corn from the farmer’s market. It is not the easiest thing to preserve…but, oh, so worth it!
Preserving Corn
Preserving corn by canning is safe and easy if you use proper methods! But if you don’t have a pressure canner you have options! Here is a list of other ways to preserve the corn harvest.
Dried Beans (Like Pinto)
The most common question is why? Dried beans store so nicely. True… but canning dried beans is a great way to make home-canned convenience food for fast chili dinners.
Canning Peppers (Hot or Mild)
While we’re on the topic of canning vegetables, do you use spicy chilies or mild peppers as an ingredient in many meals? Start canning them in pints or 1/2 pints and have a ready supply on hand.
Canning Carrots
Having carrots ready to add to a stew or soup is a great idea. Or just heat, add some butter, and sprinkle on a bit of cinnamon.
Canning Greens
When canning vegetables, don’t forget the greens! Canning greens like spinach, swiss chard, or beet greens is super easy. The hardest part is probably the washing step.
Canning Potatoes
Canned potatoes are handy for making soups or stews. Or simply boil the potatoes for 10 minutes and add sour cream and chives.
Canning Pumpkin
Canning pumpkin first in the pressure canner makes it safe to store and quick to use later in pumpkin butter, pies, muffins, or other pumpkin recipes. (Puree it after you can it in chunks.)
Preserving Asparagus
Preserving asparagus by pickling, freezing, drying, and even lacto-fermenting are all great options.
Canning Vegetables In a Water Bath Canner?
No, vegetables are a low-acid food, so they must be pressure canned to prevent the risk of botulism. However, if you want to pickle them the water bath is appropriate. Some vegetables make great pickled foods. Dilly Beans, for instance. Since you add an acid (usually vinegar), this makes it safe to process in a water bath. Be sure the pickle recipe you use is a tested recipe, so you know there is enough acidity in your mixture.
Are Canned Vegetables Less Nutritious than Fresh Vegetables? Or Does Canning Preserve Nutrients?
Fresh vegetables will always be the most nutritious. I get that. However, the benefits of canning or other preserving are that you can save the food for later, so that it won’t go to waste if you can’t eat it all now.
Do You Grow a Garden?
If you are a gardener, I’m sure you will agree that a vegetable garden is a lot of work. But growing and canning vegetables for your own family is amazingly satisfying at the same time.
I enjoy getting out in mine. I love planting the seeds or plants from the nursery. I like tending to them, watering them, and watching them grow and produce. My kids grew up eating raw veggies right out of the garden.
I don’t particularly enjoy dealing with garden pests. Who does, right?! And come to think of it, watering is a problem in the dry climate we live in.
But the work is well worth it. Especially when harvest comes! That is when all the work pays off. Actually, the work pays off on the dinner table, doesn’t it?
My sons all helped me in the garden, but son #3 enjoyed it the most. Here he was washing some of the bounty he brought in from our garden.