Are there food-safe solutions? Feeling frustrated & disillusioned about canning (venting & want help

I was all excited about preserving my excess garden produce to store in a shelf-stable way, and had this idea that I'd be able to can things I grow in a basic and healthy way, but I keep running into roadblocks. The more I look into it, the less I think canning will work for me. I really want it to work, but it seems like it won't unless I change what I grow so that I grow things specifically for canning, and change the types of foods I'm willing to eat. I already was going to change the foods I would eat some for this, but now it's seeming like I'd need to change it too much. I'm hoping someone(s) will have solutions. Here are the issues:

First: I'm limited to water bath canning, canning-wise, since my stove is not suited for pressure canning, which I can deal with as I was thinking I could still water bath can (and dehydrate, freeze).

Second: I know it's recommended to use only lab tested recipes in order to be food safe. I know I can do something like refrigerator pickles without the recipes, but those aren't shelf-stable and the point for me is to have it last months beyond the season, not just weeks. The thing is, this severely limits what I can use in terms of the ingredients as well as the size of the pieces of ingredients... and I'm having trouble finding much if anything I actually want to eat or think is healthy (I guess it's a relative and subjective term).  More on that ahead.

Third: Is related to the previous one in that I don't like sweet pickles or relish, and don't want to have added sugar (or added sweeteners) in my jams, jellies, preserves, etc. or any food actually. It's partially because I don't think it's healthy, and mostly simply because I don't have that much of a sweet tooth and I get headaches from sweeteners, just don't like the taste (especially in pickles), and prefer to taste whatever sweetness (if any) of the foods without that. When it comes to pickles I'm all about the savory and sour, and ick to any sweet with that. When it comes to fruit things, I like the fruit itself without the added sweeteners.

Why is sugar in practically all of the water bath canning recipes, even pickling? I've seen in some places that you can skip the sugar as it's just a flavor thing with pickling, but in other places it says it's needed and none of the recipes have it as an optional thing. Even the recipes for special diets that can't have sugar still have a sweetener. Really? Can't we just have plain dill pickles without sugar or garlic? Which brings me to...

Fourth: I'm allergic to garlic, and somewhat sensitive to onions. I love dill and it's fine in foods... used to be allergic to dill pollen, but that seems to have resolved.

Fifth: There are way more limitations on ingredients for canning than I thought there would be, so like most recipes, I don't necessarily have the exact same ingredients ready to use at the same time and/or at all as the canning recipes. I'm fine with having to get specific canning salt, and get distilled vinegar, but when it gets into the realm of needing to buy produce that I'm not growing just to be able to preserve what I am growing, it stops working for me so much.

Take cucumber pickles for instance, the size of the cucumbers is an important food-safe part of the recipe as is whether you slice it and how. I usually don't grow pickling cucumbers specifically, and I was hoping to be able to pickle the cucumbers I grow when they are a bit younger than I usually eat them. The thing is I grow a lot of snake and Armenian types of cucumbers (which are actually a melon), little cucamelons (which isn't really a cucumber either), and various kinds of cucumbers that are meant to be eaten at a larger size (like slicers), none of which seem to be allowed except possibly the slicers in relish (which has sugar, garlic, onions, or all of those... and red bell pepper which I'm not growing).

I had thought I'd be able to grow things I like (and I do grow lots of varieties), and preserve what I wouldn't be eating fresh so that I could have it during the rest of the year too. I wasn't going to be depending entirely on canning, but I don't have unlimited freezer space, and freezers need electricity, so I was hoping the canning could take care of that. I can dehydrate things, and have been, but my dehydrator only has 5 trays and uses electricity, is not quiet, and it gets depressing having it on all the time in my living space. I'm getting the plans for the solar dehydrators here and we plan to build it, but it might not get done for this season, so I was thinking canning could make up for that. I was hoping to have canning as part of how I can eat food I've grown all year round on a regular basis, even after we have the solar dehydrator.

Does anyone have solutions for this, or should I just give up on water bath canning (at least until/if I adjust what I grow)?

May Gardner wrote:I was all excited about preserving my excess garden produce to store in a shelf-stable way, and had this idea that I'd be able to can things I grow in a basic and healthy way, but I keep running into roadblocks. The more I look into it, the less I think canning will work for me. I really want it to work, but it seems like it won't unless I change what I grow so that I grow things specifically for canning, and change the types of foods I'm willing to eat. I already was going to change the foods I would eat some for this, but now it's seeming like I'd need to change it too much. I'm hoping someone(s) will have solutions. Here are the issues:

First: I'm limited to water bath canning, canning-wise, since my stove is not suited for pressure canning, which I can deal with as I was thinking I could still water bath can (and dehydrate, freeze).

Second: I know it's recommended to use only lab tested recipes in order to be food safe. I know I can do something like refrigerator pickles without the recipes, but those aren't shelf-stable and the point for me is to have it last months beyond the season, not just weeks. The thing is, this severely limits what I can use in terms of the ingredients as well as the size of the pieces of ingredients... and I'm having trouble finding much if anything I actually want to eat or think is healthy (I guess it's a relative and subjective term).  More on that ahead.

Third: Is related to the previous one in that I don't like sweet pickles or relish, and don't want to have added sugar (or added sweeteners) in my jams, jellies, preserves, etc. or any food actually. It's partially because I don't think it's healthy, and mostly simply because I don't have that much of a sweet tooth and I get headaches from sweeteners, just don't like the taste (especially in pickles), and prefer to taste whatever sweetness (if any) of the foods without that. When it comes to pickles I'm all about the savory and sour, and ick to any sweet with that. When it comes to fruit things, I like the fruit itself without the added sweeteners.

Why is sugar in practically all of the water bath canning recipes, even pickling? I've seen in some places that you can skip the sugar as it's just a flavor thing with pickling, but in other places it says it's needed and none of the recipes have it as an optional thing. Even the recipes for special diets that can't have sugar still have a sweetener. Really? Can't we just have plain dill pickles without sugar or garlic? Which brings me to...

Fourth: I'm allergic to garlic, and somewhat sensitive to onions. I love dill and it's fine in foods... used to be allergic to dill pollen, but that seems to have resolved.

Fifth: There are way more limitations on ingredients for canning than I thought there would be, so like most recipes, I don't necessarily have the exact same ingredients ready to use at the same time and/or at all as the canning recipes. I'm fine with having to get specific canning salt, and get distilled vinegar, but when it gets into the realm of needing to buy produce that I'm not growing just to be able to preserve what I am growing, it stops working for me so much.

Take cucumber pickles for instance, the size of the cucumbers is an important food-safe part of the recipe as is whether you slice it and how. I usually don't grow pickling cucumbers specifically, and I was hoping to be able to pickle the cucumbers I grow when they are a bit younger than I usually eat them. The thing is I grow a lot of snake and Armenian types of cucumbers (which are actually a melon), little cucamelons (which isn't really a cucumber either), and various kinds of cucumbers that are meant to be eaten at a larger size (like slicers), none of which seem to be allowed except possibly the slicers in relish (which has sugar, garlic, onions, or all of those... and red bell pepper which I'm not growing).

I had thought I'd be able to grow things I like (and I do grow lots of varieties), and preserve what I wouldn't be eating fresh so that I could have it during the rest of the year too. I wasn't going to be depending entirely on canning, but I don't have unlimited freezer space, and freezers need electricity, so I was hoping the canning could take care of that. I can dehydrate things, and have been, but my dehydrator only has 5 trays and uses electricity, is not quiet, and it gets depressing having it on all the time in my living space. I'm getting the plans for the solar dehydrators here and we plan to build it, but it might not get done for this season, so I was thinking canning could make up for that. I was hoping to have canning as part of how I can eat food I've grown all year round on a regular basis, even after we have the solar dehydrator.

Does anyone have solutions for this, or should I just give up on water bath canning (at least until/if I adjust what I grow)?

I am sorry you feel that way, so let’s take them one by one and see if we can find something that will work for you.
For water bath canning, the most important thing is acid. Keep the ph under 4 (I aim for 3.6) and it’s safe to can. The only exception is proteins and fats. If you can’t pressure can on your stove, you might like to think about getting a presto electric canner. I have one and I love it. In broth alone, it paid off the price in savings within a year.
I also want you to think about using fermentation as a way to preserve. Brassicas can’t be canned, in fact they will stink up your house if you do it.  Radishes turn to mush if frozen and don’t do well dried, but they shine as a fermented food. I make 3 types of kimchi, 4 different kinds of sour kraut, and fermented lemons by the gallon. We eat it as a snack, in a salad, side dish and even in soups. All of your cucumbers, melons and similar things can be fermented, and you don’t need to add garlic. Add what you like to eat with them. My favorites are dill and onion, with a little grains of paradise. I have a jar with fermenting rhubarb, where I added lemon quarters, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Also note, that as long as your ferments have the right acidity they can also be water bath canned.
Feel free to send me a pm, if you have other questions.
When we have too much fruit I usually dehydrate them or make fruit leather.

I do a lot of fruit sauces without any sugar at all - just cook up the fruit, mash it a bit while it's cooking, hot pack into jars, then water bath can 20 mins for pints 25 for quarts.

My stove is not considered suitable for pressure canning, and I've been able to pressure can with it. What kind of stove are you using?

Went through the same frustration with courgettes last summer, pressure canning felt like a lot of faff and I didn't trust my stove for it either. Ended up lacto-fermenting most of the veg glut instead and it's a lot more forgiving than I expected, works for almost anything low-acid. Still got the canning bug for jams and fruit though.

There are table-top propane burners you can purchase.  In my own cabin, I used one for years before I bought a standard gas model from Home Depot.  I suppose you could even set it on top of your regular stove as long as none of the burners can turn on.  It ran to a 5-gallon barbeque tank I squirreled away under the table I was cooking on.

That would allow you to pressure can anything you want without acidifiers.  Once you the ability to pressure can, a new world will open up for you.

I water bath can all the fruit and my tomato passata, jam, compotes etc., just like Kate describes. The biggest PITA is washing the jars and lids.
I don't can pickles because I tend to do more fermented pickles, and for the non-fermented ones I don't think I'm interested in the texture of pickles that have been boiling for 10 minutes, quite honestly.

I agree with the previous posters, the problem is you are trying to get pressure canning results from water bath canning. I have never used an electric pressure canner but I know a lot of people who do, and love it. Look into them :D
The sugar is added to recipes as it kills bacteria, so it's part of the preservation process. Pressure canning you don't need the sugar, I'm with you, I don't like the taste of sweet stuff.

USDA standards are fine. They are also very restricting. Other countries have somewhat looser regulations. I don't think those countries are trying to kill off their people. You could look into Australia's standards. They allow waterbathing things that our great grandmothers did in their kitchens. It would give you a safe frame work to play in.

After you get some experience, then experiment further. A recipe that has not been tested by the USDA is not automatically unsafe.

I buy sugar free (no sugar substitutes either) pineapple, mango, peaches etc, so there has to be a way.  Sweet pickles give me the irrits too - no need!  So, this link gets you to a PDF from Colorado State University.
https://ccetompkins.org/resources/food-preservation-without-sugar-or-salt
Precis: use ascorbic acid, citric acid or lemon juice ( to provide the necessary acidic component)
As well as canning (bottling, because we used glass jars - mason jar equivalent) - in a pan of water on the stove top, my mother did the same thing in the oven, using a roasting pan as the water container.
Hope you feel better for venting!  Now deep breathe and relax.

For unsweetened jams & jellies, you could try using Pomona pectin. I use it with a little honey, because I like the flavor it adds, and to help it set up a little more firmly, but it's not necessary.

If I were in your situation I would plan to can the things that I am able to, learn to dehydrate some others and freeze what is left over.

Believe it or not this will take up the majority of your time.

There is no reason to grow things you don't like or can them either.

Grow what you eat and eat what you grow.  Can, dehydrate, or freeze the surplus.

Thanks everyone!

I have kind of let go of my attachment to getting this to work for this season, or at all, and I'm feeling better. I do still want it to work, but have come to terms with only preserving via freezing or dehydrating if needed. We're also going to make a solar dehydrator too, but that won't be for this season either. So now, I'm just going to explore without the time constraint and see if I find something that works for me.

I used to live in the tropics and growing all the food I eat year round did not require as much preservation, so trying to do that here is more involved and has included a dietary change among other things. Still, I love it here, so I want to make it work in some manner. It's yet to see how much canning will be involved, if at all. I'm thinking I might do some fruit canning at least, but that will be next season as the fruit I'd can (grapes, stone fruits, maybe pome fruits too) is not in season anymore. We've had some challenges with doing a high tunnel greenhouse here due to the wind and large temperature shifts, but perhaps it's worth looking into working that out again too, as if we can get that going then preservation isn't as necessary.

I will have to look into fermenting more. I was under the impression that while it takes a while for the fermentation process, once it's done then it is no longer shelf-stable and must be eaten or preserved in some other manner (refrigeration for short term, canning or dehydrating for longer).

Also, I have a history of having histamine issues, which ferments can increase. Many ferments I've tried don't agree with me (like kombucha, kimchi, most sauerkraut and yogurt). This could also be because garlic and/or cow dairy are often involved. That said, I did have some ferments in the past that didn't seem to bother me (for instance: I used to make something called sunflower seed cheese with short fermenting in coconut water about 25 years ago, don't remember the details, and goat yogurt has been okay when I can find it as I don't have goats)... so maybe I can find something that does agree with me if I'm careful? I do well with sheep feta and often goat feta as well. I also do fine with yeast breads and sourdough, but then, that's baked. My spouse makes L reuteri yogurt, but that's with cow dairy, which makes me wheeze. It's quite tasty though. We've looked into bringing goats into our lives, but am not ready for that now. Lemon salty ferment sounds delish, but alas, our climate doesn't work for lemons without dragging pots around or lots of protection that needs to go on each night and off during the day in the winter due to the temperature fluctuations. I love, love, love lemons though.

I'm not sure if I've had fermented pickles before. My mom loved, loved, loved pickles and we used to have them all the time when I was growing up. She made a refrigerator kind herself, but mostly we would buy them from the grocery store (when you could get sour dills without sugar or garlic in them) or get the big ones from a deli or something. I'm thinking some of the big ones may have been fermented, but don't know. She and I actually need to eat more salt than most people, so I don't need or want reduced salt things.

I will also look into Australia's standards, and maybe France's. Note that I didn't think a recipe has to be tested by the USDA to be safe, just that it was supposed to have been lab tested to be safe (a lot of universities test things, Ball does some, and perhaps other countries too). As far as I know this is not just for water bath canning, but for any canning (so even with pressure canning it seems there are similar limitations).

In-between my post and checking back here I did discover the Pomona pectin and it is promising for that, good to now some of you have used it successfully. I also like that it involves adding calcium to gel.

Kate, I have a glass-top electric stove that has burners that cycle on and off when turned to high, which apparently is a no-no for pressure canners. There was an article about what kinds of stoves can and can't work for canning, and it actually had a photo of the exact stove I have (same color too) as an example of what doesn't work, lol. It's a Frigidare Electrolux Gallery Series self cleaning oven with speed bake. It came with the old house I'm in. While I like the control an open flame gives for cooking, I prefer to not have natural gas or LP appliances.

I had thought for a while that I could just test the pH of the brine to make sure it was acidic enough and I'd be good for water bath canning, but supposedly there are other considerations that can affect it. Perhaps testing the inside of the food from a finished batch would do it. Those of you who are testing the pH of things for water bath canning: how, when, and where are you testing the pH?

I can't seem to directly link, but here's a pdf on reducing sugar in canned foods:

Source: UC Agriculture and Natural Resources https://share.google/wej419euTIAcbqcmo

Basically - sugar keeps colour/texture long term, as does salt, but it doesn't really matter to the long term safety of the food.

Also helpful:

https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/extension/publications/play-it-safe-safe-changes-and-substitutions-tested-canning-recipes

I adjust my canning recipes to suit ME in terms of salt/sugar/spices. Omitting garlic isnt going to make a recipe unsafe, nor is adding peppercorns or whatever spices I like. I find most canning recipes either bland, or unpleasant as written. I am more careful about size of pieces/types of veggies as the density matters. I keep quantity of veggies, water, and vinegar consistant.

For pickles - i tend to grow dual use slicing/pickling cukes. I have also seen reliable sources saying zucchini can be subsituted for cucumbers in sliced pickle recipes, so I do that, too.

This is my favourite recipe site for tested recipes - they seem to agglomerate recipes from many sources.

https://www.healthycanning.com/

I do find canning limiting. (And time consuming!). I freeze a lot, but also experiment with storage crops that dont need preservation - what's the earliest green i can grow? What's the latest? Wow, if i leave my fall grown carrots in the ground over the winter, they are still tasty and crunchy in the spring! Yay, my winter squash lasted all winter in my basement. Darn, no, leeks do NOT survive the winter in my climate.  Etc. And i supplement in the winter with hydroponic greens. I do adjust my diet to what is easy to grow and preserve.

I also have experimented with other ways to dry things than my dehydrator - chilis and beans strung on strings, slowly air dried quince paste, etc. At this point in my life, i can applesauce (no sugar needed!), jams (i love low sugar pectin!), relish, and a few pickles.

May Gardner wrote:
I will have to look into fermenting more. I was under the impression that while it takes a while for the fermentation process, once it's done then it is no longer shelf-stable and must be eaten or preserved in some other manner (refrigeration for short term, canning or dehydrating for longer).

Also, I have a history of having histamine issues, which ferments can increase. Many ferments I've tried don't agree with me (like kombucha, kimchi, most sauerkraut and yogurt). This could also be because garlic and/or cow dairy are often involved.

I'm not sure if I've had fermented pickles before. My mom loved, loved, loved pickles and we used to have them all the time when I was growing up. She made a refrigerator kind herself, but mostly we would buy them from the grocery store (when you could get sour dills without sugar or garlic in them) or get the big ones from a deli or something. I'm thinking some of the big ones may have been fermented, but don't know. She and I actually need to eat more salt than most people, so I don't need or want reduced salt things.

It sounds like you are not into pickles so why not just  try to  fermenting some vegetables.

I did carrots, celery because that is what I had. What vegetables do you have?

Have you looked into Nourishing Traditions?

https://permies.com/wiki/2711/Nourishing-Traditions-Sally-Fallon

Thanks for the additional links Catie, they do look helpful. Yes, good ideas about storage crops that don't need preservation.

I forgot to mention that I am growing winter squash, longkeeper types of tomatoes, sweet potatoes, dry beans & peas, etc. to store as-is for off-season eating, and we're planning on trying to come up with a root cellar of sorts (don't have a basement, garage, etc. though, and no good places inside that are humid enough. There's an old cistern that doesn't hold water due to cracks that we're toying with the idea of converting to a root cellar, but that's not for this season either.

I have been experimenting with seeing what will still grow or last over winter in the ground as it doesn't stay frozen during the day, even when it gets down to single digits (F). Certain things will grow most of the winter. So far I haven't got the timing down correctly for extending the season on the other end (to plant early), but I'm hoping I'll accomplish that this winter/spring. Still getting used to the timing deadlines of the seasons and all. Still figuring out how to grow potatoes and flint corn in this area. I am able to eat at least something homegrown at all times of the year, I'm trying to get back to having my whole diet homegrown, so I'm trying to accomplish that with many methods.

I'm resistant to using a heating pad and/or indoor grow lights though, so it'll either be direct seeding outside, or in flats I take out during the day and in during the night. The first year I was here I grew things in pots that I kept on carts to wheel inside at night and outside in the day for the winter, and it worked pretty well to have tomatoes, basil, citrus, and some other things that wouldn't survive outside... but we don't have the indoor space for the carts anymore, so I'm not doing that, but I could do a few flats of starts to plant out early.

Actually, Anne, I do like pickles. It's ferments in general that I'm a bit shy on for reasons I already mentioned. I have not looked into that Sally Fallon book, but I'll take a look at the discussion thread about it. Thanks!

May Gardner wrote:Kate, I have a glass-top electric stove that has burners that cycle on and off when turned to high, which apparently is a no-no for pressure canners. There was an article about what kinds of stoves can and can't work for canning, and it actually had a photo of the exact stove I have (same color too) as an example of what doesn't work, lol. It's a Frigidare Electrolux Gallery Series self cleaning oven with speed bake. It came with the old house I'm in. While I like the control an open flame gives for cooking, I prefer to not have natural gas or LP appliances.

I wonder if a single induction burner could work? These can be picked up pretty cheaply. Not all canners will work on induction stoves though, so you'd need to check the model first. I know there is a type of Presto that will work on induction, but I don't think all Prestos will.

I've only pressure canned on a wood stove, so can't say exactly what is needed for an electric stove, but on wood (which is something they don't recommend), you generally need it heating at medium-high to high at first when it's venting and getting to pressure, and then it gets lowered just to maintain the same heat once you get it to the right pressure. As a safety precaution, I tend to can at 12 to 13 instead of 10, so that if the pressure drops, I don't have to start the timing all over again. But if it is a "the canner will explode if used with this type of stove" issue then you'll need to do more research.

Back in my commune days I canned many a load of stuff in my pressure canner over a campfire!  If you're sitting around with friends and some wine, poking at a campfire all evening anyway, might as well make it productive!  It isn't really that hard....you need to set it on an elevated grill and then dither with small wood and moving embers around to regulate the heat just so!  As others have posted, a simple propane burner or a camp stove works even easier, and you can set it up temporarily indoors if need be.
    But as a long-time (40 plus years now!) canner, canning is best for certain things and not for others.  It's a great way to put up large amounts of meat, certain fruits, broth and soups, long cooked things like tomato sauce, stuff like that.  For most green veggies it depletes the vitamins and turns them mushy...corn and green beans are the only exceptions.

May said, "Also, I have a history of having histamine issues, which ferments can increase. Many ferments I've tried don't agree with me (like kombucha, kimchi, most sauerkraut and yogurt). This could also be because garlic and/or cow dairy are often involved. That said, I did have some ferments in the past that didn't seem to bother me

Have you tried just fermenting some easy vegetables?

What are your growing in your garden that would be an easy ferment?

You mentioned cucumber so why not try fermenting cucumbers?  Just cucumbers and salt?  Maybe with a little dill?

I am not a canner but as an enthusiastic freegan, I eat some pretty sketchy things.
I'm not afraid to eat preserved food that has been boiled.
Even botulism toxin doesn't survive boiling.

I use that, and listening to my senses.
If it smells bad and tastes bad it is bad, no matter what a lab might say.
Which why I don't eat truffles, no gasoline fungus for me, thank you.

If there is a water bathing recipe that is not lab approved, say for pork, and it actually has botulism toxin in it, AND it doesn't smell bad, well as long as you boil it after you open the jar, I don't think there's an issue.
I could be wrong!

Boiled cucumbers are rather meh sounding to me, but the right ferments could work for you.
I would look for a local producer of fermented pickles and try a jar of their cucumber pickles.
If it's good and doesn't give you a reaction, you'll have a good starter culture on your hands.

There is a Russian lady on YouTube that water bath cans everything, even meat. I believe one of the tricks was to add a little bit of vinegar to everything to make it acidic enough to be safe. Actually, there are allot of videos on water bath canning things that most people say you can’t. I think it’s called the ‘rebel method’.

I strongly recommend this website: https://homesteadingfamily.com/ to anyone frustrated with canning. I have canned on a stand alone, hot plate type thing (I don’t know exactly what you call it) and that worked when my stove had to be replaced. The website helped me understand exactly what works and what doesn’t but more importantly the why behind it. Because of that I learned to can meals in a jar and a bazillion other things, including fermenting. Some ferments are ridiculously quick and some take a few weeks to develop. Most can be encouraged to be a little faster by using things like seedling mats and towels as well as by using trial and error to find the sweet spots in your house for each type. Having been canning, fermenting, dehydrating and freeze drying for years, I hope you find your own sweet spot of being able to reliably preserve your favorite things in ways that you will love.

Michael Qulek wrote:There are table-top propane burners you can purchase.  In my own cabin, I used one for years before I bought a standard gas model from Home Depot.  I suppose you could even set it on top of your regular stove as long as none of the burners can turn on.  It ran to a 5-gallon barbeque tank I squirreled away under the table I was cooking on.

That would allow you to pressure can anything you want without acidifiers.  Once you the ability to pressure can, a new world will open up for you.

Getting into pressure canning would open up a whole new world to you. I was a beginner and jumped into it.

Get a “camp chef” or “Bayou Burner” portable propane burner and a 20# propane tank. Outdoors is best, but with good ventilation and proper flame adjustment - you can use it inside as well. (CO detector recommended!)

I bought an “All American Pressure Canner. They’re pricey, but the gold standard of pressure canners.

We canned EVERYTHING with that setup - our own pork, chicken, turkey, tons of broth, pretty much any veggies. You don’t need to add any acid or sugar.

Never have a can (mason jar) spoil or taste off. I recently used a jar of our pork broth that was five years old. Once properly processed - foods stay useable for ages. They may lose some flavor, color, or some nutritional value - but as long as they stay sealed, they won’t go bad.

If you can’t afford or don’t want to buy the equipment yourself. You might hook up with a fellow homesteader to use their equipment (and expertise).

When I gave up the farm - I sold the pressure canner - for more than it cost me to buy. That brand is a lifetime buy!