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I was born in Montana and come from a long line of hearty Montana women who knew how to capitalize from short growing seasons. They canned fruits and vegetables to last the long, quarrelsome winters that would butt into the start of my swimming lessons as late as early July. I used to watch my older sisters can for 4-H projects and county-fair competitions. I vividly remember the sucking-in pop of the Ball-jar seals while the preserves cooled.

When I turned eight, my family moved to New Mexico, where the growing season extended months longer. Nevertheless, industrial food began to creep into our diet. Fruits and vegetables arrived via semis from California’s Central Valley. The Jolly Green Giant, Del Monte and Dole moved into the pantry, delegating Ball jars to temporary tarantula homes, their lids punctured with nail holes.

But food out of cans was short-lived for me. This year, our garden has cranked out bucketfuls of raspberries and strawberries and soon, bushels of peaches. I’ve made fruit tarts and pies and have frozen bagfuls. And finally, I have taught myself how to can, starting with raspberry and strawberry-rhubarb preserves.

It’s super easy. First, buy a flat of canning—aka Mason—jars and a box of pectin at the grocery store. Inside the box is a packet of the off-white powder. It’s extracted from citrus fruits and is what builds the cell walls of terrestrial plants. This makes your preserves gel. There is also a small packet of calcium to be mixed with water.

The pectin comes with easy instructions and recipes for cooked jam and jelly, with or without a food processor. In a nutshell, here are the steps:

• Wash, rinse and boil the jars and lids.
• Add a teaspoon or two (depending on the quantity of fruit) of the calcium water to your fruit. This will activate the pectin. Add some lemon or lime juice if your recipe calls for it.
• Mash and bring the fruit to a boil in a stainless-steel pan.
• Separately, mix the correct amount of pectin with the white or brown sugar, fructose, honey, agave syrup or whatever sweetener you like.
• Add this mixture to the boiling fruit and continue to boil for a couple of minutes while stirring vigorously to dissolve the pectin. Remove it from the heat.
• Fill the jars to one-quarter-inch below the rim. Seal tightly with the lids.
• Lower the jars into boiling water for five to 10 minutes, depending on your elevation (10 PSI plus ½ pound per 1,000 feet).

Lift the jars out of the water and cool for 12 hours. Within minutes, you’ll hear that lovely popping sound.

Note: less sugar means a shorter shelf life. Typical shelf lives are three months in the pantry or six months in the refrigerator.

It was high time I returned to my Montana roots. And, thinking back on the awe with which I observed my big sisters, canning is not nearly as daunting as I had imagined.

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Additional resources:
Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving by Judy Kingry and Lauren Devine
How to Can Tomatoes and Vegetables from a Home Garden or Farmers’ Market

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