AUTUMNAL PRESERVATION SOCIETY // How To Can Your Own Fruits + Vegetables

All of a suddend, we've found ourselves teetering on fall's doorstep, which means...harvest time for farmers -- urban or otherwise. So what to do with all that homegrown, handpicked deliciousness? A.) Gorge yourself. Spend the next three days doing nothing but eating tomatoes, beets, cukes, etc. B.) Just gorge yourself a little bit and preserve the rest. This is easier than you think, folks. But you will need a solid day. Keep in mind, the method we're sharing with you is not intended for things with meat--that needs a deeper level of preservation. But to get you officially prepped for the coming season, we decided to bring you a quick and dirty preservation how-to:

• Assuming you've already stocked up on mason jars (and why wouldn't you have?) step 1 is to wash them. Wash them in very hot water and stash them somewhere they'll stay relatively warm.
• Fill the biggest pot you own with water high enough to be about one inch above jars standing upright. Set it to simmer.
• Prepare what your preserving: To make tomato sauce or any kind of jam, you're just going to mash up your tomatoes/fruits/berries and stew them. For tomato sauce, add your various and sundry herbs and seasoning. For jam, you can really just add sugar and lemon juice. If you like it a little more jelly-like, use pectin, too. 
  To make pickles, just make a brine that's 3/4 cup vinegar and about 4 tbsp. salt per cup of water. You're going to put whatever veggies you're pickling (Beets! Green beans! Brussels sprouts even! Cucumbers are actually the trickiest) into the jars, along with dill and garlic and any other spices you see fit.
• Pour your sauce/jam into jars, or pour your brine over pickling ingredients. Fill them up to 1/4-1/2 inch below the rim of the jar, making sure to give a little shake in the process. This will get rid of air pockets that could lead to grossness.
• Put lids on jars. Use tongs to gently place jars in the big pot of simmering water. Note: Fancy jar racks exist, so if you're fancy, pick one up when you get your jars and lids. If you're not (we're not!), tongs work fine.  
• Put lid on pot and raise stove heat so water comes to a boil. Let it boil for five minutes.
• Remove jars and let them sit for about a day. The lid shouldn't flex. For pickles, give them a few days to reach full pickledom. 

And wah-la: You've successfully canned your first harvest. 

--Layla Schlack