OK, all I need now is your home address so I know where to send all my harvest to be canned....

Great article and very usefully information, however the single most important point that you made was "to have fun".

To me canning is just another fun part of having a garden.

Thanks again

Your tips brought back a lot of good memories of canning when I was growing up. It was always a family affair and even though it was a lot of work, it was well worth the effort.

I don't can anything anymore, don't even have a real garden, but enjoyed reading all of your good tips

Love the photos!

Take care where you cool your jars. I once ruined a vanity by using it as a cool-down spot - even with layered towels as a cushion, the heat from the jars made rings in the wood. I also agree that removing the rings is a good idea (it can be a place for mold to grow) and to also wash-down your jars after they have cooled. In addition to removing any odd bits of produce or sticky juice, it will also alert you to any jars that don't have a full seal. Label your finished product with at least the year canned and what is inside - I can't remember how many times I've grabbed a jar of jam with absolutely no clue when it was put up...or if it's the pure raspberry or the raspberry-strawberry. Experiment with adding flavors to jams - vanilla for a sweet touch, chocolate for richness, jalapeno for a bite, ginger for a snap. A little goes a long way.

I've been canning all summer with much more to come! I only have one pressure canner and now that I'm more experienced canning and canning more I'm realizing that I need another to be much more efficient. It certainly does heat up even when it's cooler last year I had heat exhaustion twice from canning. Now I find its best to can early in the morning. Right now I'm canning corn in pint jars. I also have a bushel of peaches and a half bushel of zestar apples and half a bushel of pears that I got yesterday at the orchard. Im looking forward to canning sweet potatoes from my garden in the cool of fall after they have been picked and cured. I love being able to preserve fresh produce and produce I've picked or grown myself. Its much safer and healthier. This is what our previous generations had to do. We are spoiled and lazy now. That's why people are sick. I know it's hard work but it is very worth it to give my family the best food. Check your lids make sure you have the bpa free ones. I hade some old ones I had to toss. Besides canning I also have the dehydrator going alot.

I've been canning all summer with much more to come! I only have one pressure canner and now that I'm more experienced canning and canning more I'm realizing that I need another to be much more efficient. It certainly does heat up even when it's cooler last year I had heat exhaustion twice from canning. Now I find its best to can early in the morning. Right now I'm canning corn in pint jars. I also have a bushel of peaches and a half bushel of zestar apples and half a bushel of pears that I got yesterday at the orchard. Im looking forward to canning sweet potatoes from my garden in the cool of fall after they have been picked and cured. I love being able to preserve fresh produce and produce I've picked or grown myself. Its much safer and healthier. This is what our previous generations had to do. We are spoiled and lazy now. That's why people are sick. I know it's hard work but it is very worth it to give my family the best food. Check your lids make sure you have the bpa free ones. I hade some old ones I had to toss. Besides canning I also have the dehydrator going alot. Someone needs to post a canning recipes page.

You know, all the years we have canned at my house, I've never had a spoiled jar. I broke one in the canner for the first time this year when I was doing banana peppers, but that's the first time ever.

If you have enough tomatoes, make ketchup. I did that for the first time this year, and HOLY COW the flavor is SO MUCH BETTER than store-bought!
Working on pizza sauce now, I still have 2 more bushels of tomatoes in the garden waiting for me.............

I have a small garden, and last year canned 10 pints of diced tomatoes, about 6 pints pickled yellow peppers, and a bunch of pickles! I never thought to can pizza sauce! I always get great ideas from all you seasoned gardeners! Thanks!

Great tips, thanks op! The newspaper tips a good one, so simple and useful yet I never would have thought of it.
When your done with it don"t forget to tear it up and throw it in the compost or recycle it!

If you don't mind me asking how would you go about canning tomatoes for pizza sauce? I would very much like to try this soon.
Any canning recipes would be appreciated, especially ones with USDA or similar scientific data backing the results.
Also looking for any tips on canning cherry tomatoes.