3 Canning Recipes You Need Right Now

With harvest season right around the corner, you’re probably already picking through your garden for ripe veggies to eat with dinner tonight. What happens when everything is ready at once and you just can’t eat everything that quickly? That’s when you need some good canning recipes so you can save those delicious homegrown vegetables for later.

You don’t have to go searching for the best of the best. We’ve done that research for you. Here are some canning recipes you can bookmark right now for later use.

Zucchini Salsa

If there’s an underappreciated vegetable, it’s the zucchini. This versatile veggie is perfect in stir-fry, bread, and even salsa. This recipe is perfect for those who like to live on the wild side. You’ll need plenty of zucchini, but tomatoes aren’t totally absent. Also, pick some onions, green peppers, and red peppers from that garden of yours.

Make sure you have all the spices on hand before you get started, too. One of the most important ingredients is pickling salt, which probably isn’t something you always have on hand. You’ll also need some dry mustard, nutmeg, and cornstarch, among other ingredients. The full list can be found here, along with the steps for making your salsa.

Apple Pie Jam

When you can’t justify apple pie for breakfast, you need some apple pie jam to calm your craving. This delicious canning recipe tastes just like Grandma’s prize-winning pie, and it’s acceptable to eat before lunch.

The recipe calls for Golden Delicious, but of course you can substitute your favorite apples. Some prefer a tart flavor, while others want their apple pie jam to be as sweet as their tea. The rest of the ingredients are predictable, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and maybe a little ground mace. The big thing to remember is the liquid fruit pectin. You want that jam to set, right?

For the full shopping list and directions on canning your apple pie jam, click here. Then enjoy apple pie flavor for breakfast any day of the week.

Pickled Beets

For a good, down home Southern favorite, this recipe is everything you need. Pickled beets have been a staple of country kitchens for decades, and you can carry on the tradition. If you’ve never pickled beets before—or even watched your grandmother do it—then you might be surprised by some of the ingredients.

Make sure your spice cabinet has plenty of allspice, cloves, and cinnamon sticks, especially if you plan to prepare more than three pounds of beets. The rest is easy; just be sure you have plenty of vinegar and sugar on hand, too. The whole recipe, as well as some tips from others who’ve recently canned beets, you can go right here.

This is the true beauty of rural living right here. With your own garden and a stocked spice cabinet, you can store your creations to enjoy through the coming winter. If you try any of these recipes, let us know. And if you don’t yet have rural land where you can grow your own garden, we can help you with that, too. With a small down payment, you could be living the country life by this evening. Call to find out how.