Looking for Water Bath Canning - General Instructions in 2026?  Scroll down this page and  follow the links. And if you bring home some fruit or vegetables and want to can, freeze, make jam, salsa or pickles, see this page for simple, reliable, illustrated canning, freezing or preserving directions . There are plenty of other related resources, click on the resources dropdown above.  If you are having a hard time finding canning lids, I've used these, and they're a great price & ship in 2 days .

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What's in season in April 2026, and other timely information:

Notes for April 2026: Spring is here! The very brief Asparagus and Rhubarb season should be starting right now in many areas! Cherry picking and  Strawberry season is here or almost here.  It started in February in Florida, Texas, southern California and a few other areas of the Deep South; then March along the Gulf coast, April in the Deep South and west coast, May through much of the country, and June in northern areas. Blueberries are next, about a month later. Of course, cool weather crops, greens should be available almost everywhere. Check your area's crop calendar (see this page) and call your local farms for seasonal updates.

Are carpenter bees boring holes into your house, shed or barn? There is a simple non-toxic solution !

NEW! Start your own tomato, pepper, squash and other vegetable plants from seed - It's easy and costs about 50 cents per plant .
Also see our Master list of tomato varieties,  with descriptions, details and links to ordering the seeds .

You may also be interested in finding a local:

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We also have home canning, preserving, drying and freezing directions . You can access recipes and other resources from the drop down menus at the top of the page or the site search. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to write me! It is easy to make your own ice cream, even gelato, or low fat or low sugar ice cream - see this page . Also note, there are many copycat website listing U-pick farms now.  They have all copied their information from here and usually do not ever update.  Since 2002, I've been updating the information every day but Christmas; so if you see anything wrong or outdated, please write me!

Water Bath Canning - General Instructions

Water Bath Canning Instructions

Check Mason jars discarding any that are cracked, nicked, have uneven rims or are otherwise defective. Wash jars and put in water bath canner with enough water to submerse jars and heat for 10 minutes to get them hot. Adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the water will help eliminate hard water deposits from forming on the jars. Keep jars hot while preparing food. (It is only necessary to sanitize jars for foods processed less than 10 minutes. Sterilizing is done by boiling jars for 10 minutes.) Prepare lids and rings according to manufacturers directions on the box. Rings may be reused but lids must be new to insure a seal. Pack hot food into hot jars leaving recommended amount of head space. Using a non metallic instrument like a spatula or plastic knife, run the instrument around the inside of the jar between the jar and the food to remove air bubbles. Use a damp clean cloth and wipe the sealing rim of the jars free of food. Affix lids and adjust rings until just finger tight and load jars onto a rack and lower into a hot water bath canner that is filled half full of water, adding hot water if needed covering the jars by one or two inches of water and bring to a boil. If you don't have a rack, a clean dish towel in the bottom of the canner will do. Start timing and process the recommended time. Remove jars using a jar lifter and place on a thick towel out of drafts and allow to cool completely. Do not tighten rings that may appear to have loosened. After cooling, rings may be removed, if desired. If any jars have not sealed, refrigerate immediately.

Wash jars to remove any hard water deposits or clinging food and store in a cool, dry, dark place.