5 Things To Do When The Canning Season Is Over

As the canning season comes to a close, doing these 5 things will wrap up all the loose ends and help you to sit back and proudly survey the hard work of your hands!

Canning season can be both stressful and satisfying- there’s all the produce to be harvested or purchased, canning supplies to be bought, ingredients to source and purchase, the fruit and vegetables to be prepared and much more! But then at the end of the day you get to look at the rows of filled jars sitting on the counter, bubbling and hot.

Canning is a great way to preserve food and folks have been doing it for centuries. It is an economical and budget friendly way to live, especially for those that are trying to cut back on their grocery bills.

Another reason canning is favorable is because when you prepare your own food, you know what’s going into it and what you are feeding your body! When you can your own food you are avoiding the dozens of extra unnecessary ingredients and preservatives that are added to typical store-bought items.

My favorite canning accessories and electric canner:

Home canning accessory set

Pamona’s pectin for low-sugar canning

Electric canner

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Here are the 5 things to do when the canning season is over:

1. Clean out your canner with dish soap and hot water

Whether you are used a stove top or electric canner you need to give it a good cleaning with some hot water and dish soap. Leaving your canner as it is after you took out the last jars can encourage mold growth and a musty smell. Be sure to get the crevices along the rim, around the handles and other smaller areas. Use a brush if needed.

2. Label all canned items

There are different ways that ppl label their jars, and some don’t do it at all so just do what works best for you! You can label each jar with its contents or you can just label the shelf that the different items are on. “Tomato soup”, “Strawberry jelly,” etc. Ideally labeling should be done immediately following after each items is canned to avoid mix-up.

3. Put away all canned items onto the storage shelves

Carrying all the jars of freshly canned food can be the least favorite part of canning but it is so worth it to have them out of the way and to have your counter space back again! Plus getting to see those jars lined up neatly on the canning shelves is worth a million dollars!

Take the time to first remove all jars off the shelf of that item from the previous year and and rearrange any other spaces that need it. Then put the jars from this year on the shelf towards the back and then put the jars from the previous year in front for easiest access. Or you can store your jars from last year in a separate area to use first.

4. Put away the canner, canning accessories, extra jars and rings

Get everything put away so you are not tripping over and working around your canning accessories. Put the items away in a place that you will remember them for the next canning season. Organization is key to a smooth canning season and storage area so take the time to rearrange the area, or clean out other things that are in the way! You won’t regret taking a few extra minutes to have a tidy looking storage area!

5. Get out your canning log and add any additional info.

Block out some time after the canning season has ended to sit down and get out your canning log and do some updating. Record amounts, what was canned, where you sourced the item from, any expenses involved and summary notes with things to remember for next year’s season.

Related helpful information:

7 things to do with runny jam or jelly

Garden log spreadsheet printable

Homesteader’s weekly and monthly printable

Best vegetables for homesteader’s to grow (For new gardeners)