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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?
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?
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