Easy Canning Recipes for Beginners

Here are three easy canning recipes for beginners. These recipes are from my late friend Antoinette Jucha, a Penn State Master Canner.

Canning is a great way to preserve the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables from your summer garden. These easy canning recipes are also a great way to make lots of easy and delicious foods for eating throughout the year!

If you have never canned before, you might want to read my Water Bath Canning For Beginners story before you try canning one of these recipes. Included in this story are links to canning supplies on Amazon. Home Garden and Homestead receives a small commission (at no cost to you) for the sales we generate. Thank you for supporting this website!

Easy Canning Recipes for Beginners #1

BERRY ICE CREAM TOPPING

Is there anything as wonderful as fresh berries served over ice cream? I don’t think so. But freshly canned berries served over ice cream—eaten in the fall and winter—is also wonderful.

Ingredients

2 ½ pints (36 oz.) of fresh or thawed blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or a combination of all of them

2 ¼ cups of Cranapple Juice (not diet)

¾ cup of honey

¾ cup of granulated sugar

Place berries in a 6 or 8 qt. saucepan. Crush fruit a little with a masher or wooden spoon then add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling gently for 35-40 minutes making sure not to burn it. It should be slightly thickened and reduced by almost half.

Immediately fill hot sterilized pint jars with mixture. Leave ½ inch headspace. Wipe tops and threads clean, place hot, clean lids on jars and apply screw bands. Hand-tighten the bands. Process in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes. Shut water off after the timer ends but let jars sit in canner for another 5 minutes with the lid on.

If you like you can also use this as a topping on waffles and pancakes! So yummy! Thank you to A Plentiful Path for the use of this photo, and check out their story on homemade berry sauce.

Easy Canning Recipes for Beginners #2

APPLESAUCE

Maybe apple pie is the most American food. But applesauce is a close second. A bountiful crop of homegrown apples (or a bushel of fresh apples from a farmers’ market) is a great reason to make applesauce.

This recipe might be the perfect easy canning recipe for beginners. Very few ingredients are needed. The only real chore is peeling and cutting up all the apples!

Ingredients

6 lbs. of apples (I like a mixed variety, but a single variety is also delicious)

2 cups water

¾ cup sugar (you can use more or less to taste)

1 tablespoon of BOTTLED lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or cinnamon OPTIONAL

Put lemon juice and water in an 8 qt. saucepan. Peel and core the apples and slice them into the saucepan with the water and lemon. Heat over medium high heat until the apples are softened, stirring constantly. As they soften, turn the heat low and mash the apples to the desired consistency, smooth or chunky.

Then bring this mixture to a boil over medium heat and stir in the sugar (and the spice if you are using it). Boil for a few more minutes and immediately fill hot pint jars leaving a ½ inch headspace. Run a bubble remover inside of the jar to remove any trapped air and wipe down the jar. Immediately place hot lid and ring on jar.

Process in the water bath for 20 minutes according to your sea level. After the timer goes off, let sit in the canner for an additional 5 minutes then remove and cool.

HINT: If possible, choose a variety of apples for making applesauce for the best flavor.  But choose only one variety of baking apples for making pie so that the slices bake evenly.

Easy Canning Recipes for Beginners #3

DILLY BEANS

What are dilly beans? They’re pickled green beans, of course! I am an experienced canner, but I have been making dilly beans since I was a novice looking for easy canning recipes for beginners.

I have always enjoyed this recipe. You will, too!

Ingredients

3 lbs. of fresh green beans, washed and cut into 4-inch pieces

6 sprigs of dill weed

6 crushed cloves of garlic

3 ¾ cup white vinegar (5% acidity)

3 ¾ cup water

1/3 cup Pickling salt

Bring water, salt, and vinegar to a boil. Stir to dissolve salt. Place a clove of garlic in each of the jars along with a sprig of dill weed. Place cut beans in jar with the cut end facing up. Pout hot liquid over beans leaving a ½ inch headspace. Use bubble remover to remove any air pockets. Wipe rims, place lids and rings and process in a water bath for 15 minutes or long depending on your altitude.

Visit Amazon.com for a complete selection of homemade canning supplies.