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August 23, 2011 · 4 Comments

The Joy of Good Tools

How to

jar lifter is a good tool to have

You can lift super hot jars safely and confidently with this jar lifter.

I’ve been canning and pickling for about 15 years now — starting with applesauce when my kids were young and then graduating to jellies and jams, relishes and pickles. But, I’ve never had good tools to do the job with.

That is, until recently when I bought some legit canning tools until this year — and what a difference good tools make. Now, I should have known this already. Having the right tools — a pruner that fits your hand well, a sturdy trowel, a tree saw — makes a huge difference in gardening. Cooking is no different.

canning jar lid on magnet

Grab those lids out of boiling water with a lid magnet.

I bought this  set from Egg|Plant Urban Farm Supply, a fun store on Selby Avenue in St. Paul last spring. The store is full of gear for gardeners, chicken keepers and canners, both equipment and how-to books. This simple set from Ball, the kingpins of canning, included a brilliantly efficient jar lifter (no more burned hands), a magnetic lid grabber and a tool that removes air from jars and measures the headspace between the food you are preserving and the jar lid.

Monday I made eight jars of pickle relish, using my rather abundant supply of cucumbers, and today I canned six half pints of peach preserves. It’s a good week for canning, especially with good tools.

pouring jam into a canning jar

A simple funnel makes loading jars up easier and neater.

Related posts:

  1. Decadence in a Jelly Jar: Raspberry Jelly It has come to this: I have so many raspberries...
  2. Recipe: Time for Pickles Right now, the squash and cucumbers are duking it out...
  3. Hooray for Autumn Joy As I’ve been thinking about the new flower bed I’ll...
« Garden Tours 2011: Raining Ideas
When Is It Time to Remove Plant Thugs? »

Comments

  1. commonweeder says

    August 23, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    I wish I had that magnetic lid lifter. What a great idea.

  2. Karen says

    August 25, 2011 at 9:15 am

    What a wonderfully simple idea for canning. I always have such a hard time picking up the hot lids, this is really neat. So many great ideas in your posts!

  3. tom says

    September 12, 2011 at 1:20 pm

    Mary, I finally tried canning a couple of weeks ago, and I’m completely hooked. I made both cucumber and zucchini pickles, pickled hot peppers, pickled green beans, and salsa. They all turned out great. Saturday I canned 17 more pints of pickles. Later this week I’ll make marinara. Now I find myself looking around at all my veggies thinking, “What’s next?”

  4. Mary Schier says

    September 13, 2011 at 7:40 pm

    Tom — Woo-hoo! glad you are enjoying the canning. If you have red peppers, try the recipe on the top of the blog for red pepper relish — it’s amazing.

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