Canning without canning tools

For my first canning experience I considered buying the traditional tools. You know, the blue pot, rack, jar picker upper, etc. There were a bunch of nice kits online. I live in a 400 sq ft house though and I don’t have space for more stuff.  I already had stew pots and tongs with silicon grippers so I figured if I could raise the jars off the bottom of the pot, I could still do it.

I looked into a lot of different options for raising the jars and most seemed like a pain. Even the special rack probably wouldn’t have worked because I was using little jars I got a Habitat ReStore for 50 cents each. In the end I decided to cut four circles out of an old wire screen and lay them on the bottom (I cleaned them up before using them). They fit perfectly in my stew pot because I cut them the right size.


Instead of the special tongs, I used a pair I already had. They worked well to put the jars in and get them out again. Since they’re nice and small, they fit in between the jars very well.


I have decided to buy the funnels. I tried my normal funnels, but they did NOT work. I also tried using a serving spoon, but I still made a big mess that required wiping the edges. I think the funnels will be worth storing. They’re useful for other things and small.


After boiling the empty jars to sanitize, I put them in the oven on a preheated cookie sheet so they stayed hot. They were also out of the way while I did everything else.


I was very surprised and pleased that my jars all popped just a couple of hours after I took them out. This was my first time canning by myself with alternative tools so I count it a huge success! What about you? Anyone have alternative canning tools that they use?

Clever use of things on hand. What did you can?

I’ve gone this route and it absolutely works for smaller batches. The one item I won’t do without is a jar lifter after dropping a hot, full jar on the tile floor when pulling it out. (Huge mess, and I narrowly missed being splashed by the mass of boiling jam.) It’s less a convenience item and more a safety one, for me. Sugar burns, especially, are no joke.

Like Shawn, a jar lifter is worth the small expense.

The other one that I feel is well worth the expense is a canning funnel with the larger opening. It is designed for use in filling jars for home canning and to keep jar rims cleaner and prevent waste.

Everything else can be what is found in my kitchen cabinets or kitchen drawers. Like what is pictured in the original post.

Angela Wilcox wrote:Clever use of things on hand. What did you can?

I canned pear preserves and tomato sauce/paste. See more details on the Water Bath Canning Badge Bit

I picked the pears from a tree by the courthouse and grew the tomatoes.

Jennie Kies wrote:

Angela Wilcox wrote:Clever use of things on hand. What did you can?

I canned pear preserves and tomato sauce/paste. See more details on the Water Bath Canning Badge Bit

I picked the pears from a tree by the courthouse and grew the tomatoes.

The pear preserves in the photo look so pretty.  I agree with the jar lifter being a helpful safety tool. As a child, I helped my mother can our garden produce and we had not heard of a jar lifter. She used a towel in hand to place jars in the steamy water and lift them out when done.  It was a dangerous task reserved for the adult. Lots of scalded fingertips.

I introduced my mom, who was in her 60’s at the time, to a jar lifter after taking a class at our extension office. Mom was amazed! To this day when we can together, even with the jar lifter and she is in her 80’s, she insists on being the one to use the tool to remove hot jars from the canner so I won’t get burned. Ahh, sweet, caring mothers.