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Tools for canning, fermenting, and making the most of summer’s bounty.
Every Sunday growing up, my family shopped at the Hollywood Farmers Market. In Southern California, every season brought its own thrills. Winter, with its explosion of neon citrus, was perhaps my favorite, followed closely by summer, with its flats of fragrant strawberries, alluring figs, and peaches so ripe they perfumed the whole kitchen. But it wasn’t until years later, after I had moved home to help care for my mother during her cancer treatment, that I started thinking about preserving that bounty.
One evening, my future husband reached for a jar of store-bought raspberry jelly to make his nightly PB&J. I looked at the ingredients, then at the bowl of beautiful fresh fruit sitting on the counter, and thought, I can do this better.
The next day I bought Mason jars, sugar, pectin, and a stack of canning books. My first batch of jelly was perfectly edible, if unremarkable. Before long I had fallen down the rabbit hole of homemade preserves, experimenting with different fruits, dialing back the sugar, and giving away jars as gifts. Along the way, I even earned a couple of county fair ribbons.
Preserving food can seem intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. Whether you’re making a batch of raspberry jam, quick refrigerator pickles, or kraut, the right tools will make the process easier, safer, and more enjoyable — and help you enjoy summer long after the season has passed.
A Kitchen Scale
I’m not generally a precise cook, but preserving is all about ratios, which is why I consider a kitchen scale non-negotiable if you’d like to consistently make great preserves. I typically make jam with about 65% as much sugar as fruit by weight. When I made sauerkraut earlier this year, I used about 2% salt by weight. Fruits and vegetables vary tremendously in weight depending on ripeness and variety, and people also chop them differently; measuring cups simply don’t cut it. The thoughtfully designed Escali Primo Scale is easy to read and use, and has an 11-pound capacity. ($36.79)
Mason Jars
There’s no surprise here: Many preserving projects involve jars. Mason jars are inexpensive, endlessly reusable, and useful long after canning season ends. Fill them with homemade jam, fermented vegetables, dried herbs, pantry staples, or leftovers. A collection of different sizes quickly becomes one of the most versatile tools in any kitchen. ($4.99+)
Jar Lifter
I rarely recommend single-purpose kitchen tools, except when it comes to canning. A jar lifter makes scalding your jars, as well as lowering them into and lifting them out of a huge pot of boiling water, a safe exercise. Do yourself a favor, and do not improvise or try to use tongs. There’s no reason for more than one of us to suffer first-degree burns. ($7.49)
Wide-Mouth Canning Funnel
Take it from someone who knows: Few things are more frustrating than trying to ladle hot jam into a jar without the right tools. A stainless steel canning funnel makes filling jars faster, cleaner, and far less stressful while helping keep jar rims clean for a reliable seal. (Of course, you should still always carefully wipe down rims!) ($9.99)
Bubble Remover and Headspace Tool
Air bubbles trapped inside filled jars can interfere with creating a proper seal. This handy little tool slides along the inside of the jar to release trapped air. When canning, you’ll also need to leave space at the top of the jar per the recipe. This tool helps you measure quickly and accurately. ($1.29)
Fermentating Basics
Not every preserving project requires canning. Fermenting vegetables is one of the oldest preservation methods in the world. The key is keeping everything submerged beneath the brine while allowing gases to escape. This handy fermentation kit ($51.95) includes nearly everything you need to get started and makes a great gift. You can also pair tempered glass fermentation weights ($10.99) with plastic airlocks ($2.19) and silicone fermentation airlock lids ($5.99) to all but ensure a successful ferment.
Handcrafted Wooden Cooking Tools
Don’t let fruit scorch as you cook it! I prefer to use long-handle utensils to protect my hands from bubbling-hot jam and stir in a figure-eight pattern to really keep everything moving. Solid wooden utensils like Earlywood’s Large Flat Sauté or Cooking Spoon are gentle on cookware, comfortable to hold during long stirring sessions, and sturdy enough to handle thick preserves. ($20+)
Top Tips
- Start with jam. It’s less fussy than marmalade or jelly.
- Your fruit doesn’t need to be beautiful; it just needs to be flavorful. Ask farmers if they have “seconds,” which cost less and still taste great.
- Raspberries have a melting texture and bright acidity that plays well with almost all other fruits. Raspberry-rhubarb, raspberry-apricot, raspberry-peach, and raspberry-fig are all wonderful combinations.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment. Write down your ingredients and their weights so that you can recreate your favorites.
- Check out Serious Eats’ helpful guide to canning, complete with photos.
- Take care to follow safety precautions. For details on the science and mechanics of preserving, check out the information on the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.
