Canning Season‪®‬ John Gavin

As we wrap up the growing season, we turn to fall home canning, That means the holidays and all the abundance that comes with them are not far away.

To get us there, today we are fortunate to have with us Wendy Rose, a Master Food Preserver.  We is trained by the University of California Master Food Preserver Program and has some great tips and tricks to help with your home canning and food preservation efforts all year long.

The following comes directly from the website of The UCCE Master Food Preservers of Sacramento County —

“To teach research-based practices of safe home food preservation to the residents of California.”

– UC Master Food Preserver Mission Statement



“The University of California Master Food Preserver Program extends UC research-based information about home food safety and preservation to the public. The UC Master Food Preserver Program is a public service and outreach program under the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) administered locally by participating UC Cooperative Extension county offices.

The UC Master Food Preserver Program is an example of an effective partnership between the UC Division and passionate volunteers. In exchange for extensive training on home food preservation from the University, UC Master Food Preservers offer volunteer services and outreach to the general public in 17 California counties. Last year 447 UC Master Food Preservers donated more than 18,908 volunteer hours! ”







Interested in finding a Master Food Preserver course near you?

The following link comes to us from HealthyCanning.com — Master Food Preserver Courses

In today’s show, we talk about safely pickling foods.  This is a foundation skill used in home canning worldwide.

Seasoned home canners will benefit by refreshing themselves on the fundamentals of pickling,  This includes a review of the related techniques, concepts, and processes central to safe home canning.

Those new to home canning will learn ways to safely get started.

As always, I talk about what went right and what went wrong in my own home canning.







Things we Talk about in Today’s Show



* What is pickling?

* What can I safely pickle?

* Does it matter what kind of vinegar I use in my home canning?

* The difference in salts.

* Canning pickles, salsas, vegetables.

* Ideas for the novice to start pickling.

* Ways the experienced canner can get creative with pickling.

* Pickling meats, eggs, and fish.



Things I Recently Made that I Talk about in Today’s Show



* Kosher Dill Pickles – They are safe, but didn’t turn out as I hoped!

* Refrigerator Pickles – This is where the extras went for good-eating right now.

* Sweet pickle relish – Turned out great, but I forgot to add some heat to the sweet.

* Corn relish – This was my first time making this and I loved how it came out.



Links Worth Considering (Affiliate links)—

The home canner I use:  Presto 1755 16-Quart Aluminum Pressure Cooker/Canner (Amazon)

Before you go …

If you haven’t done it already please take a moment to give me a rating on iTunes. Positive reviews are welcome on any platform you listen on.  Thank you for taking the time.

Thanks for listening and all your wonderful support!

This show is dedicated to the memory of Perry and Dorrie Rosen, both of whom recently died within 8 days of each other from the Coronavirus.  May they rest in peace.  May their memories be a blessing. 

Today, we talk about what it takes to get your jams and jellies to set.





* Pectin – what it is.

* The concept of “a set” and what it means.

* Best method of testing for set.

* Pectin’s role – to pectin, or not to pectin.

* Making your own pectin.



Made a lot of jam since we last got together –



* Strawberry vanilla

* Strawberry japaleno

* Cherry

* Chery almond

* Blueberry, and,

* A raspberry / blueberry combo.



Also made my incredible blueberry muffins. It’s a special treat that I love to make when the berries are freshest.  Of course I have a little of John’s touch, a little sum-sum, to make them really great.

Note:  You’re not hearing things.  In the audio, I called this episode #43 by mistake. It really is supposed to be episode #42. By the time I discovered the mistake, it was too late as the show had posted.  -john

The strawberries have arrived and it’s time to make strawberry jam. 

Today’s show lists the 10 things I learned for making the best strawberry jam.  We get answers to the following, as well as many more questions —



* How to make jam without pectin.

* What to do about all that foam that forms on top of boiling jams.

* How many strawberries does it take to make jam?

* What are the best sized jars for home canning?



As a reminder, this podcast relies heavily on information and expertise provided by the USDA, the National Center for Food Preservation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ball Blue Book of Preserving.

Blue Book Guide to Preserving  (Amazon affilate link)

Before You Go …

If you’ve not done so yet, please consider clicking here to give me a rating on iTunes (hopefully positive!) along with a written comment to tell people what you like about the podcast.  Thanks for listening!

In today’s episode we talk about what causes disruptions in the food supply and its connection to home canning & food preservation.  To help answer those questions, we take lessons from how they package a popular food item, in the United States known as Pop-Tarts®.

It’s been six years since the last episode of the Canning Season podcast.  Today’s show re-introduces Canning Season to fans of home canning and food preservation.  John Gavin, the creator and producer of Canning Season, returns as your host to guide you throughout the growing season.

Get out your jars!  Canning Season is back.