It’s canning season, and there’s no better time to stock up your pantry with late-summer produce! From fresh tomatoes to juicy peaches and crunchy cucumbers, these easy home canning recipes are the perfect way to preserve the season’s bounty. Try your hand at chutneys, pickles, jams, and even hearty chili con carne, delicious jars of comfort that will carry you through winter.

Stewed Tomatoes

Makes 6 pints

You Will Need

• 4 quarts washed, cored and chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup chopped onions
• ½ cup chopped green peppers
• 4 teaspoons celery salt
• 4 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Let this mixture simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Pack sterilized jars with the hot tomato mixture, leaving a ½ inch head space. Remove any air bubbles, clean the rims and adjust lids.
3. Process the jars for 15 minutes in a pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for a pressure canner with a weighted gauge or 11 pounds if the pressure canner has a dial gauge.

 

 

Plum Tomato Chutney

Makes 6 half-pints

You Will Need

• 4 tomatoes, chopped
• 6 plums, seeded and chopped
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• 4 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 bay leaves
• Pinch of salt
• ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vinegar
• Pinch black pepper
• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan. Add the bay leaves, ginger and green chilies, and stir.  Add the tomatoes, plums. Add the salt, zest, lemon juice and vinegar. Stir in the sugar and pepper, cover, and cook for 3 minutes.
2. Spoon the chutney into sterilized jars, leaving a ½ inch headspace. Wipe the edge of the jar rim clean and add the lid. Process these in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

 

 

Crunchy Dill Pickles

Makes 7 pints

You Will Need

• 8 pounds of 3-4 inch pickling cucumbers
• 2 gallons water
• 1 ¼ cups pickling salt
• 1 ½ quarts white vinegar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 quarts water and more for soaking
• 2 tablespoons whole mixed pickling spice
• 2 teaspoons whole mustard seed per pint jar
• 1 ½ teaspoons dill seed per pint jar

Directions

1. In a large bowl or stock pot, add ¾ cup of the salt to the water and soak the cucumbers in this mixture for 12 hours, and then drain. The water should cover the cucumbers.
2. Combine the vinegar, ½ cup of the salt, sugar, and 2 quarts of water in a large pot. Tie the pickling spices in a cheesecloth and add it to the brine. Bring this mixture to a boil.
3. Fill sterilized jars with the drained cucumbers. Add 1 teaspoon of the mustard seed and 1 teaspoon of the dill seed to each jar.
4. Pour the hot liquid into the jars, leaving a ½ inch head space. Clean the jar rims and add the lids to the jars. Process these in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

 

 

Pepper-Onion Relish

Makes 5 half-pints

You Will Need

• 1 quart onions
• 1 pint sweet red peppers, diced
• 1 pint green peppers, diced
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 quart white vinegar, 5% acidity
• 4 teaspoons salt

Directions

1. Combine all of the ingredients together in a large pot and bring to a boil. Cook 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Pack the relish into sterile jars, leaving a ½ inch of head space and adjust the lids.
3. Process these in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.

 

 

Chili Con Carne

Makes 9 pints

You Will Need

• 3 cups dried red kidney beans
• 5 ½ cups water
• 5 teaspoons salt, divided
• 3 pounds ground beef
• 1 ½ cups onions, chopped
• 1 cup red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 teaspoons black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 quarts crushed tomatoes

Directions

1. In a large pot, combine the beans with the water and salt. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook for 30 minutes and then drain.
2. In a large skillet, lightly brown the ground beef, along with the onions and peppers and drain. Pour into a large pot and add some salt, pepper, chili powder, tomatoes, and beans. Let this mixture simmer for at least 5 minutes.
3. Pour the chili into sterile jars, leaving a 1 inch head space. Wipe the jar rims clean and adjust the lids. Process the jars in a pressure canner for 75 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure for a pressure canner with a weighted gauge or 11 pounds if the pressure canner has a dial gauge.

 

 

Peach Jam

Makes 8 half-pints

You Will Need

• 4 ¼ cups crushed peaches
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 7 cups sugar
• ½ bottle liquid pectin (1.5 oz.)

Directions

1. Place the crushed peaches in a large pot. Add the sugar and the lemon juice and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove the pot from heat and stir in the pectin.
2. Pour the mixture into sterile jars and adjust the lids. Process for 5 minutes in boiling water bath.

 

 

Tomato Ketchup

Makes 2 pints

You Will Need

• 2 ½ quarts ripe tomatoes
• 3-inch piece stick cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon whole cloves
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 3 teaspoons celery seed
• ¾ cup onion, diced
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. In a large pot, simmer the tomatoes for 20 minutes and press through a fine sieve to remove seeds. Bring the pulp to a boil and continue boiling until it is reduced by about half.
2. Place the cinnamon stick, mustard seed, celery seed, onion, garlic, and the whole cloves on a thin, clean white cloth and tie to make a spice bag. Add the spice bag to the boiling pulp and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the spice bag.
3. Add the vinegar, sugar, salt, paprika, and cayenne pepper to the tomato mixture. Boil rapidly, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
4. Pour into sterile jars, leaving a 1 inch head space. Adjust the lids and process in pressure canner for 10 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure for a pressure canner with a weighted gauge or 11 pounds if the pressure canner has a dial gauge.

 

 

Spicy Green Beans

Makes 2 half-pints

You Will Need

• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon allspice
• ¾ teaspoon cloves
• ¼ stick cinnamon
• ¼ piece mace
• 1 ½ teaspoons celery seed
• 2 cups cider vinegar, 5% acidity
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 pints green beans

Directions

1. Tie the salt and the spices in thin cloth bag. Boil the vinegar, sugar, and spices for 15 minutes. Sterilize a quart jar for 15 minutes. Remove the jar from the water and pour in the vinegar mixture. Adjust the lid and set aside for 2 weeks.
2. Remove the spice bag. Cook fresh beans until tender but firm, and let cool. Heat the vinegar and add ½ cup of the bean liquid. Add the beans and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Pack into sterile jars, being sure the vinegar covers the beans. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the jar lids. Process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

 

 

***These recipes and more are found in Louise Davidson’s More Home Canning and Preserving Recipes for Beginners: More Easy Recipes for Canning Fruits and Vegetables. To get your copy, click on the cover below or click here.

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