Preserving food in jars with friends, neighbours, and family is not only part of a long tradition; it’s also the best and most joyful way to get the job done.
During World Wars and the Depression, government-funded canning centres ran out of schools, churches, and community halls. Women’s Institutes hosted canning collectives where women gathered to preserve food as part of the war effort.
These centres cultivated canning knowledge. They also cultivated community during particularly isolating times.
Ontario’s produce season is at its peak. Here’s how to gather a group in a kitchen (or garage or backyard) for a fun-filled food experience that preserves traditions and the magic of Ontario produce.
1. Start simple:
Pick an easy recipe:
- Your recipe should take three hours at most so as not to exhaust your team. Choose a recipe with a straightforward process using simple ingredients. Preserving cookbooks like Batch, Put ‘Em Up, and We Sure Can all feature great starter recipes.
- Food safety is a serious concern: Follow the recipe! Canning is different than regular cooking, with a tweak here and there. Canning recipes stop dangerous bacteria from growing in the jar and make the results shelf-stable. Bernardin has a handy guide.
Go Waterbath:
- Waterbath canning is straightforward and requires little equipment, making it ideal for a group of newbies. You’ll use boiling water to vacuum seal the lids on jars, preserving the food inside.
- Waterbath canning is best for high-acid foods like pickled beans, peaches in syrup and tomatoes (with added acid like lemon juice or citric acid) – all the good stuff that’s ripe and ready in Ontario.
Keep the group size manageable:
- You know what they say about too many cooks in the kitchen. Two to ten people is ideal to get the work done without creating (too much) chaos.
2. Get Prepared
Gather your equipment:
- Calculate the number of jars and the right amount of produce based on the recipe and the number of people (the recipe will indicate the number of jars and volume of ingredients).
- Gather a water bath canner or stock pot, a canning rack, and fun tools like jar and lid lifters (yes, they’re necessary–back to safety!). If you don’t have the specialty items, consider borrowing from a friend (thanks, Janice!)
- Pull out standard kitchen tools like cutting boards, paring knives, and dish towels.
Prep Before Arrival:
- Before guests arrive, sterilize the jars, caps, and lids (but keep jars warm until ready to use to minimize the risk of breakage when filling with hot food). Did you know you can safely sterilize jars in the dishwasher, oven or microwave?
- Prepare the brine or syrup and measure ingredients like spices into small containers like ramekins.
- Set up workstations with the appropriate equipment (don’t worry, there’s more about this below).
- The large pot you’ll use for water bath canning can take a long time to boil on the stove. Before starting, fill your pot with water and get it ready to boil.
Share the Recipe:
- Print out the recipe and give everyone a copy to read. Even though each person will have a specific role in the process, the recipe gives everyone a sense of the big picture and helps emphasize food safety guidelines. It’s also a fun take-home.
3. Set Roles:
Like any team sport, you have to get the players in position. Here’s an example of how we organized roles for a recent peach canning session with ten people:
- Team lead: (1 person) An experienced canner should oversee the process. This person ensures everyone follows safety protocols, keeps track of time, and helps answer any questions. The team lead should walk everyone through the entire process before getting started.
- Prep team: (3 people) One person blanched the peaches in boiling water, and two worked to remove the peach skins in a sterilized sink.
- Runner: (1 person) A person delivered the freshly skinned peaches to the slicing station. This is a job that the team lead can do.
- Slicing team: (2 people) A team of two quartered and pitted the peaches.
- Jar Filler: (2 people) A team of two filled the sterilized jars with peaches and covered them in syrup. These folks ensured each jar had the appropriate headspace, removed air bubbles, wiped the jar rim and placed the cap on (not too tight).
- Processing (1 person): This team member carefully placed jars in the boiling water bath and set the timer according to the recipe. Once removed, the jars were allowed to cool and checked for proper seals. We put on cute stickers that cite the date and ingredients.
We’ve got you covered if you’re inspired to host your group canning session.
Visit the store to shop for Ontario produce at its peak. Need larger volumes? Reach out to order what you need. We also have loads of jars.
Ready team? Let’s can together!