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Homesteading & Survival · Homesteading & Survival Courses

Home Canning and Food Preservation

Can, pickle, ferment and dry food safely using USDA-tested methods.

Level
Intermediate
Estimated study
About 12 hours
Lessons
12 lessons in 2 modules
Format
Online, self-paced
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About this course

For beginners who want shelves of food they can trust. You will learn why some foods need a pressure canner, how to read an NCHFP recipe and altitude table, how a boiling-water batch of apples and a pressure batch of green beans run from start to finish, how to acidify tomatoes, ferment pickles, dry fruit and make jerky within tested limits, when oxygen absorbers help, and how to spot and handle unsafe jars. About 12 hours, with an optional supervised batch of apples.

What you will be able to do

  • Explain why low-acid foods need a pressure canner, using the botulism and temperature facts behind the rule.
  • Read an NCHFP recipe and pick the one processing time or pressure that matches your food, jar, altitude and canner.
  • Run a boiling-water canner through every stage of a tested recipe, from preheating to the 24-hour seal check.
  • Acidify tomatoes, protect fermentation salt ratios, dry fruit and jerky, and pack dry foods with oxygen absorbers as tested sources direct.
  • Recognize unsafe jars and handle them without opening or tasting.

Course outline

Module 1: Can food with tested processes

5 lessons · 5 h

Learn why low-acid foods need pressure canning, read a tested recipe correctly, and can one batch of fruit in a boiling-water canner.

  1. Choose a safe preservation method1 h
  2. Use tested recipes and altitude adjustments1 h
  3. Process suitable acidic foods in boiling water1 h
  4. Pressure-can low-acid foods with validated procedures1 h
  5. Preserve tomatoes using tested acidification1 h

Module 2: Pickle, dry, store and inspect

7 lessons · 7 h

Ferment pickles, dry fruit, make jerky within tested limits, pack dry foods with oxygen absorbers, check seals and storage, handle unsafe jars and plan a preservation day.

  1. Prepare safe pickles and controlled fermentation1 h
  2. Dry produce with verified methods1 h
  3. Evaluate jerky, smoking, salting and curing limits1 h
  4. Choose suitable packaging and oxygen-control methods1 h
  5. Inspect seals, labels and storage conditions1 h
  6. Recognize unsafe jars and handle them safely1 h
  7. Plan a seasonal preservation session1 h
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