The latest post in my series all about Water Bath Canning discusses the special ingredients you need in addition to your Water Bath Canning Equipment and Supplies.

Canning Salts, Spices, and Pectin - WaterBath Canning 101 - Home Canning Basics for Beginners Series Video
Watch the Canning Salts, Spices, and Pectin – WaterBath Canning 101 video

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Salts For Water Bath Canning

Once you decide on a recipe that you want to make and process in a water bath canner, you may find that the recipe calls for salt. But it’s not going to be just any salt. You will need canning or “pickling” salt. Why? Because when it comes to home canning, standardization is the key to success, and canning salts are standardized. But don’t worry. Canning salts are not hard to find, and they are generally sold in most grocery stores and large “big box” stores.

Flexibility When It Comes to Spices

When it comes to the type of spices that you may want to use in your canned foods, you have a lot of choices. You can certainly buy the prepared spice mixes sold along with the canning salts and other supplies, but it’s not required. You can use any spice or spice mixes that you want.

Which Pectin To Choose?

As you start water bath canning, and you decide to try your hand at making homemade jams, jellies, and marmalades, you’ll need to learn about pectin. The common question is…do I need to buy pectin? And the answer is no.

You can make jams and more without using commercially prepared pectin. The process is a bit different than if you are using purchased pectin, and you can learn all about this process in the video where I show you How to Make a Three Citrus Marmalade.

If you want the jam-making process to go quicker and decide to buy pectin, there are generally two kinds:

  • Powdered pectin
  • Liquid pectin

Both pectins offer similar results, and the choice boils down to which type you like using. As you make more jams, jellies, and marmalades, you will begin to discover which type of pectin you like best and which one works best in the recipes you choose.

What About Lemon Juice?

As we discussed in the Essential Guide to Water Bath Canning Equipment and Supplies, you use the water bath technique to can tomatoes, but most recipes will call for adding extra acid to your canning jar. Generally, you should use bottled lemon juice, as opposed to fresh, because just like tomatoes that contain an uncertain and variable acid level, the level of acidity of the juice from a fresh lemon can be unpredictable too.

But not to worry. Bottled lemon juice is usually very easy to find at most grocery stores. And as a backup, you can use a bit of powdered citric acid, and this powdered acid is usually sold in the same place as the other canning supplies.

More Water Bath Canning Videos

Now that you know about the Water Bath Canning Salts, Spices, and Pectin, learn about Water Bath Canning Books, as well as Water Bath Canning Supplies and Equipment. I also show you how to make Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam and a Marmalade Jam with a step-by-step guide to water bath canning both. Lastly, you’ll find videos for canning crushed tomatoes and a Ball Electric Water Bath Canner unboxing.

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For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!

And if you’re looking for a printed book full of my traditional foods recipes that shows you how to create a traditional foods kitchen, be sure to order your copy of my new bestselling book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook. (My cookbook will help you get started water bath canning.)

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Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.

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Comments

  1. Kira Marie McCullough says:

    Hi, Mary,

    Another quick question: I ordered a vacuum sealer for mason jars. Could I simply vac seal a jar of fermented sauerkraut?
    Or is water bath canning best (or even an option)?
    Thank you!

    1. Mary Bryant Shrader says:

      Hi Kira,

      Thanks for your comment. I don’t recommend vacuum sealing sauerkraut. It’s not a proper food-safe practice. You’ll want to enjoy it while it’s still fresh and can give you its probiotic benefits.

      I also don’t recommend water bath canning your sauerkraut. The heat during the canning process will destroy all the probiotic bacteria, and you’ll wind up with just some lifeless cabbage in a jar.

      I hope this helps you.

      Love and God bless,
      Mary

  2. Kira Marie McCullough says:

    Hi, Mary,
    Thank you so much for your informative, educational, and very interesting videos. I have learned so much from your tutorials, and I am now keeping all kinds of tips and recipes in a big 3-ring binder for reference. I am 61, and for 25 years I homecooked our meals and tried my best to live naturally and simply as I cared for our three children and my wonderful husband. Now, however, I live alone, and I want to start ‘ramping’ up my homesteading skills to help my children and others. So, here is my question: Can I water-bath can fermented sauerkraut? I want to make a vitamin C rich dish like fermented sauerkraut, but I want to keep it in my long-term pantry. My children gave me a Ball kit for canning, and I have yet to try it (I’ve never canned). I look forward to hearing your answer! P.S.–I loved the video where you shared some Catholic background; I, too, am Catholic, and I live in Temple, not far from Georgetown. I hope you will keep helping people with your knowledge, and never give up! I will keep you and your wonderful family in my prayers!

    1. Mary Bryant Shrader says:

      Hi Kira,

      Thanks so much for your kind comment. You were such a wonderful wife and mother to give homecooked meals to your family for 25 years, and you’re so kind to want to continue to help your children and others to eat and live more naturally.

      Although you can water bath can many delicious recipes, I don’t recommend it for sauerkraut. The heat during the canning process will destroy all the probiotic bacteria, and you won’t enjoy all the benefits that fermented sauerkraut has to offer.

      Instead, have you thought of making Homemade Rose Hips Syrup for long-term storage in your refrigerator? It will provide you with vitamin C and will last up to a year if you make it with honey. You can find the recipe at https://marysnest.com/homemade-rose-hips-syrup-recipe/

      Thanks again for your wonderful comment. I’m glad you’re in the Central Texas area, and I’m especially glad we’re on this traditional foods journey together.

      Love and God bless,
      Mary

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