Whether from your own garden or orchard, or from your CSA box or farmers market, the abundance of summer is at its peak. Here, I give you a collection of some of my family’s favorite canning recipes for bottling up the flavor of summer. Oh, how you will enjoy these in the depths of winter!
New to home preservation? Start with this post to learn the basics of canning equipment. It will help you understand why you need specific equipment and how to use it. To make sure you have enough of your favorite canned goods to last through the winter, check out the simple system I use to keep track of my pantry.
Canning Recipes to Preserve the Summertime Garden Abundance
When the gardens and orchards of summer are laden with fruit, it’s the perfect time to think about preserving some of that produce!
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”cyCANXVM” upload-date=”2020-07-23T20:12:53.000Z” name=”Introduction to the Canning Jar System” description=”From glass canning jars to lids and rings, here’s what you need to know to start preserving food at home.” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]The canning recipes I’ve included here fall into the “easy” category. For me, that means they can safely be processed in a water bath canner. This canning method is a good entry point for people who are just learning about the whole process.
The Handcrafted Pantry
Ready to DIY your pantry with healthier ingredients? Check out my ebook, The Handcrafted Pantry! Filled with delicious recipes for some of your favorite condiments, snacks, and toppings, it’s the guide you need to start skipping packaged products and embrace homemade.
5 Easy Steps to Transform Your Pantry!
Ready to switch from store bought to homemade? Let me help you make some changes! Grab my FREE five-part guide to getting started.
🍅 Safety First!
Canning is an excellent way to preserve food for the pantry, but there are some important safety considerations to keep in mind. The recipes on this site have been made following safe canning procedures by a certified Master Food Preserver.
- Know the difference between water bath canning and pressure canning. Low acid items must be pressure canned for safety.
- Altering ingredients may change the recipe’s pH, posing a safety issue. I highly recommend investing in pH paper to test your products for acidity level when canning. Note: For safe water bath canning, the Hawaii Master Food Preservers suggest a pH of 4.2 or lower in the tropics. In other regions, the recommended pH is 4.6 or lower.
- Use the proper jars and lids. Never reuse lids, with the exception of the Tattler or Harvest Right hard plastic lids that are intended for such a purpose.
- For more on canning equipment, please go here.
Beginner Canning Recipes
Lemon Marmalade
This easy marmalade recipe can be used like any of your favorite jam recipes as a topping for toast. But this delicious recipe is also great as a glaze for grilled meats or stirred into marinades.
Raspberry Jam with Apricots
This homemade raspberry jam has a lower sugar content than some recipes. The addition of fresh apricots gives the finished product a fresh, sunny flavor.
Easy Pickled Peppers Canning Recipe
These easy pickled peppers are a great addition to a well-stocked pantry. They're sweet and tangy and delicious!
Candied Jalapenos
This recipe for candied jalapeno peppers calls for water bath canning to make a shelf stable product. Alternatively, you can just pop them in the fridge for adding to recipes.
Persimmon Jam
This easy jam recipe turns persimmons into a delicious spiced spread with the flavors of fall. This lower sugar recipe means the flavor of the fruit will shine through!
Peach Preserve Recipe
Delicious homemade peach preserves is easy to make for the pantry and it's much less expensive than store-bought jam or preserves.
Old Fashioned Pear Preserves for Canning
Making ginger pear preserves is a delicious way to capture the flavor of fall in a jar. Keep some in your pantry and wrap some jars for gift giving.
Homemade Applesauce Recipe
This homemade applesauce recipe doesn't require any measuring at all. Eat it fresh or try canning applesauce to stock your pantry. It's like pie in a jar!
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
The flavor of this easy strawberry rhubarb jam far exceeds what you can pick up in grocery stores. In fact, this particular flavor is hard to find commercially! Consider making a few batches so you can give jars of jam as gifts.
Easy Plum Jam
The old-fashioned flavor of plum jam is one that is hard to find in stores. Making your own is EASY and a great way to preserve the harvest!
Easy Pickled Green Beans
These pickled green beans are a great way to preserve a summer harvest for the winter pantry. They’re crisp, delicious, and perfect for snacking.
Salsa Recipe for Canning
This salsa recipe for canning is a great way for me to preserve not only the tomatoes, but peppers and onions from the garden, too. I use canned salsa to cap off taco night and as a homegrown ingredient for my chili.
Easy Homemade Grape Jelly
Even if you don’t have ripe grapes on hand, you can whip up a batch of jelly. This grape jelly recipe can be made even in the winter with this little trick.
Homemade Strawberry Jam
This homemade strawberry jam recipe is easy for beginners, sweetened with honey, and you'll be able to savor the goodness of garden fresh berries all year long!
Easy Homemade Peach Butter Recipe
If you're lucky enough to have an abundance of fresh peaches, set some aside to make a batch of peach butter. You can opt to preserve this for the pantry, or simply store in the fridge for topping your breakfast toast, pancakes, or ice cream.
Zucchini Relish Recipe
This zucchini relish recipe is a favorite around here. It's good on burgers, but excellent for mixing into potato salad or egg salad, too.
Sugar-Free Apple Butter
Making this apple butter recipe in the slow cooker is an easy shortcut. Assemble the ingredients and let it cook overnight, and you’ll be ready to start canning first thing in the morning.
Sweet & Savory Tomato Chutney
This is a fairly new addition to my canning recipes repertoire, but it’s become a must! Tomatoes, peppers, and spices blend to make a zingy topping.
Green Tomato Relish
Save those end-of-season green tomatoes to make chow chow. Yes, it's a funny name, but it's delicious and gives a tangy zip to sandwiches and is great for stirring into egg salad.
Mango Chutney
Mangoes are something I can forage for here. No mangoes? No reason you can’t substitute peaches.
Watermelon Rind Relish
This watermelon rind relish recipe is a great way to use watermelon rinds for a knock-off old fashioned hamburger relish! A no-waste recipe for good food!
Passion Fruit Jelly
Otherwise known as passion fruit, liliko‘i is Mother Nature’s answer to a SweeTart. The first sour bite of a liliko‘i will jangle all the way back to your jawbone.
Chai Spiced Peaches
Preserve the flavors of summer with this recipe for canned peaches; the addition of chai spices makes these a little extra special.
Blueberry Ginger Nectarines
Canning nectarines with fresh ginger and blueberries gives them a flavorful pop! It's an easy way to preserve the flavor of summertime nectarines.
Ketchup
This ketchup recipe for canning starts with tamarillos (aka tree tomatoes), which are often abundant in warmer regions, but you can also use tomatoes.
Related: 10+ Food Preservation Methods to Consider
Originally published July 2014; this post has been updated.
Unfortunately I can’t find lilikoi in Georgia. I used to pickk them of the trees on Big Island, Hawaii.
I’ve heard that some ethnic markets will carry liliko‘i juice in their freezer section…
You can buy pulp in the freezer at Walmart. Look for the small section of frozen Mexican products (not Mexican frozen food plates…real food products).