While I love the idea of putting a cooked-from-scratch meal on our table every day, I’m too familiar with seasonal busyness to think that’s always possible. Fellow homesteaders will understand why meals in a jar are such a win-win dinner solution. You can use downtime (such as the winter season) to prepare many meals that just need heating and eating in advance. An added benefit is that they’re shelf-stable and don’t take up freezer room.
TOOLS AND MATERIALS
Pressure canner (not a water bath canner)
Rack for canner
Glass canning
jars Canning lids
Canning rings
Jar lifter
Nonmetallic utensil for removing bubbles
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
• Carefully read the manual for your pressure canner.
• You can reuse rings and jars, but don’t reuse lids.
• Wash jars, rings, lids, and jar lifter with hot, soapy water, and then rinse them.
• Check all jars for damage. Discard any jars with chips or cracks.
• Keep jars hot (you’ll be adding hot ingredients and won’t want the jars to break under thermal shock).
• Add the amount of water indicated by your pressure canner
