Important: Safety Warning
This page describes home-canning methods from before the causes of botulism were understood. Canning low-acid foods without a pressure canner, as described here, can allow the growth of Clostridium botulinum, whose toxin is among the deadliest known. Follow current USDA home-canning guidelines instead.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
Canning Fruits
Canned Berries
Select those the skins of which have not been broken, or the juice will darken the syrup; fill cans compactly, set in a kettle of cold…
Plain Canned Berries
Pick out stems or hulls if any-if gathered carefully the berries will not need washing, put in porcelain kettle on the stove, adding a…
Canned Currants
Look over carefully, stem and weigh, allowing a pound of sugar to every one of fruit; put in a kettle, cover, and leave to heat slowly and…
Green Gooseberries
Cook the berries in water until white, but not enough to break them; put into cans with as little water as possible, fill up the can with…
Canned Grapes
Squeeze pulp from grapes, boil skins and pulp in water until each seem tender; then pass pulp through a sieve, add skins and the water in…
Canned Quinces and Apples
Quarter them, and if large, eighth them; cook separately in water to cover till they can be pierced with a (silver) fork; to a quart of the…
Canned Peaches Steamed
To peel, place in a wire basket, to the handle of which a cord has been tied, let down into boiling water for a moment, then into cold…
Canned Peaches
Pare, halve and seed; make a syrup of a pint granulated sugar to a quart water, place on stove in a porcelain kettle (enough for two quart…
Canned Pears
Prepare and can precisely like peaches in preceding recipe, except that they require longer cooking. When done they are easily pierced with…
Canned Pie Plant
Cut the pie plant in pieces, two inches long, put over a slow fire with its weight in sugar; when sugar is dissolved let it boil slowly…
Canned Pine-Apple
Peel and slice, make syrup in proportion of two and a half pounds best white granulated sugar to nearly three pints of water; boil five…
Canned Plums
Wash and put whole into a syrup made in the proportion of a pint of water and a pound of sugar to every two pounds of fruit; boil for eight…
Raspberries with Currant Juice
Ten pounds of red or black raspberries, twelve pounds of granulated sugar, one quart currant juice. Make syrup of the sugar and juice; when…
Canned Strawberries (Fill glass jars with fresh)
Fill glass jars with fresh whole strawberries, sprinkled with sugar in the proportion of half pound sugar to a pound of berries, lay covers…
Canned Strawberries (For every quart of fresh)
For every quart of fresh strawberries, take one coffee-cup of white sugar; add a table-spoon or two of water to the fruit if there is no…
Canned Corn
Dissolve an ounce tartaric acid in half tea-cup water, and take one table-spoon to two quarts of sweet corn; cook, and while boiling hot…
Canned Corn and Tomatoes
Scald, peel, and slice tomatoes (not too ripe) in the proportion of one-third corn to two-thirds tomatoes; put on in a porcelain kettle…
String-Beans
String fresh string-beans, break in several pieces, cook in boiling water ten minutes, and can like tomatoes. - Mrs. L. W. C., Cincinnati.
Canned Tomatoes
The tomatoes must be entirely fresh and not overripe; pour over them boiling water, let stand a few minutes, drain off, remove the skins…
Canned Watermelon
Cut rind of ripe melons (first cutting off all green parts) into small pieces two or three inches long, and boil until tender enough to…
Warranted Canned Strawberries
Take Put four pounds white sugar in a kettle, add a teacup cold water, let boil till perfectly clear, then add four quarts nice berries…