Preserving your harvest comes down to choosing the right method for each food: water bath canning for high-acid foods like fruit, jam, pickles and acidified tomatoes; pressure canning for low-acid vegetables, beans, meat and soups; freezing for vegetables and fruit you want to taste close to fresh; drying for fruit, herbs, onions, peppers and tomatoes; fermenting for sauerkraut and crock pickles; and cold storage for root crops, potatoes, onions, squash and apples. Whatever method you use, start with fresh, high-quality produce and follow tested, research-based recipes, because home canning shortcuts can cause botulism. This page gathers every Garden Voila preserving guide in one place.
Free download: get our printable Year-Round Garden & Preserving Planner with planting dates, blanching times, canning safety numbers and storage charts.
Which preserving method should you use?
| Food | Best methods | Read first |
|---|---|---|
| Berries and soft fruit | Jam, freezing, drying | How to make jam |
| Apples and pears | Cold storage, drying, canning sauce and slices | Dehydrating fruit |
| Tomatoes | Canning with added acid, freezing, drying | How to can tomatoes |
| Cucumbers | Pickling (refrigerator, canned, fermented) | How to make pickles |
| Green beans, corn, carrots, peas | Freezing, pressure canning, drying | How to freeze vegetables |
| Cabbage | Fermenting, cold storage | How to make sauerkraut |
| Root crops, potatoes, onions, squash | Cold storage, curing | How to store vegetables for winter |
| Herbs | Drying, freezing | Dehydrating herbs |
| Soups, stocks, beans, meat | Pressure canning, freezing | Pressure canning |
Canning guides
- Water bath canning for beginners: equipment, step-by-step processing, headspace, altitude adjustments and checking seals for high-acid foods.
- Pressure canning vegetables: why low-acid foods need 240°F, venting, pressure by altitude and sample times.
- How to can tomatoes: the lemon juice and citric acid rule, crushed and whole tomatoes, juice and sauces.
- How to make jam: pectin, gel point, low-sugar and freezer jam, and fixing runny jam.
- How to make pickles: refrigerator, canned and fermented pickles, and keeping them crisp.
Freezing, drying and fermenting guides
- How to freeze vegetables: blanching times, packing to prevent freezer burn and storage times.
- How to dehydrate fruits and vegetables: temperatures, pretreatments, drying times, fruit leather and storage.
- How to make sauerkraut: salt ratio, fermenting temperatures, kahm yeast versus mold and storage.
- How to make prunes: drying plums at home.
- Hard apple cider: fermenting apple juice into cider.
Storage guides
- How to store vegetables for winter: root cellar temperatures, curing and storage times for every major crop.
- How to store apples: keeping apples crisp for months.
A seasonal preserving calendar
Preserving follows the garden. Here is what most temperate gardens produce through the year and the methods that suit each harvest best. Adjust the timing to your climate and frost dates.
| Season | Typical harvests | Preserving ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Rhubarb, asparagus, spinach, peas, strawberries, herbs | Rhubarb and strawberry jam, frozen asparagus and peas, frozen spinach, dried herbs |
| Early summer | Cherries, raspberries, blueberries, snap beans, zucchini, garlic | Berry jam and freezer jam, frozen berries, dilly beans, cured garlic, zucchini relish |
| Midsummer | Cucumbers, sweet corn, peaches, apricots, peppers, onions | Dill and bread-and-butter pickles, frozen corn, canned peaches, dried apricots, frozen peppers |
| Late summer | Tomatoes, plums, melons, eggplant, more peppers and beans | Crushed tomatoes, sauce and salsa, prunes, pickled peppers, pressure-canned beans |
| Fall | Apples, pears, grapes, winter squash, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beets | Applesauce and apple butter, grape jelly, sauerkraut, pickled beets, root cellar storage, cured squash |
| Winter | Stored crops, leeks, kale, citrus in warm climates | Marmalade, soups and stocks for pressure canning, checking stored produce |
How much should you preserve?
The right amount depends on how your household eats. A simple approach is to count how often you use a food each week and multiply by the number of weeks until the next harvest. For example, a family that uses one quart of tomatoes a week needs about 40 to 50 quarts to last from one late-summer harvest to the next, which is roughly two bushels of tomatoes. If you eat a pint jar of jam every two weeks, about 25 pints will last a year. Start modestly with your family’s favorite foods, keep notes on what you used and what was left over, and adjust next year. Preserving more than you will eat wastes jars, time and garden space, while rotating stock ensures you always use the oldest jars first.
Keeping records and labeling
Label every jar, bag and container with the contents and the date, and for canned foods, the batch if you make several on the same day. A simple preserving notebook or spreadsheet listing the recipe source, processing method, time and pressure, altitude and number of jars helps you repeat successes and trace any problems. Records also tell you which varieties preserved best and how much your garden produced, which makes planning the next season easier. Store canned goods with the oldest at the front, keep a running freezer inventory on the freezer door, and check cold-stored produce at least monthly.
Preserving safely in hot or high-altitude climates
Altitude changes the boiling point of water, so canners at elevations above 1,000 feet must add processing time for water bath canning and increase pressure for pressure canning; jam makers must also adjust the gel point temperature. In hot climates, storage areas for canned and dried foods should be the coolest, darkest spot in the home, since temperatures above 85°F shorten shelf life and can cause seal failures. Cold storage of root crops is difficult where winters are mild; in these areas a second refrigerator or fermentation and canning may be more practical than a root cellar. For more on reading your local climate, check your frost dates by zip code.
A seasonal preserving calendar
Preserving follows the garden. Here is what most temperate gardens produce through the year and the methods that suit each harvest best. Adjust the timing to your climate and frost dates.
| Season | Typical harvests | Preserving ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Rhubarb, asparagus, spinach, peas, strawberries, herbs | Rhubarb and strawberry jam, frozen asparagus and peas, frozen spinach, dried herbs |
| Early summer | Cherries, raspberries, blueberries, snap beans, zucchini, garlic | Berry jam and freezer jam, frozen berries, dilly beans, cured garlic, zucchini relish |
| Midsummer | Cucumbers, sweet corn, peaches, apricots, peppers, onions | Dill and bread-and-butter pickles, frozen corn, canned peaches, dried apricots, frozen peppers |
| Late summer | Tomatoes, plums, melons, eggplant, more peppers and beans | Crushed tomatoes, sauce and salsa, prunes, pickled peppers, pressure-canned beans |
| Fall | Apples, pears, grapes, winter squash, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, beets | Applesauce and apple butter, grape jelly, sauerkraut, pickled beets, root cellar storage, cured squash |
| Winter | Stored crops, leeks, kale, citrus in warm climates | Marmalade, soups and stocks for pressure canning, checking stored produce |
How much should you preserve?
The right amount depends on how your household eats. A simple approach is to count how often you use a food each week and multiply by the number of weeks until the next harvest. For example, a family that uses one quart of tomatoes a week needs about 40 to 50 quarts to last from one late-summer harvest to the next, which is roughly two bushels of tomatoes. If you eat a pint jar of jam every two weeks, about 25 pints will last a year. Start modestly with your family’s favorite foods, keep notes on what you used and what was left over, and adjust next year. Preserving more than you will eat wastes jars, time and garden space, while rotating stock ensures you always use the oldest jars first.
Keeping records and labeling
Label every jar, bag and container with the contents and the date, and for canned foods, the batch if you make several on the same day. A simple preserving notebook or spreadsheet listing the recipe source, processing method, time and pressure, altitude and number of jars helps you repeat successes and trace any problems. Records also tell you which varieties preserved best and how much your garden produced, which makes planning the next season easier. Store canned goods with the oldest at the front, keep a running freezer inventory on the freezer door, and check cold-stored produce at least monthly.
Preserving safely in hot or high-altitude climates
Altitude changes the boiling point of water, so canners at elevations above 1,000 feet must add processing time for water bath canning and increase pressure for pressure canning; jam makers must also adjust the gel point temperature. In hot climates, storage areas for canned and dried foods should be the coolest, darkest spot in the home, since temperatures above 85°F shorten shelf life and can cause seal failures. Cold storage of root crops is difficult where winters are mild; in these areas a second refrigerator or fermentation and canning may be more practical than a root cellar. For more on reading your local climate, check your frost dates by zip code.
Why do tested recipes matter so much?
Home canning is safe when it follows research-tested procedures, and risky when it does not. The bacterium Clostridium botulinum produces spores that survive boiling and, in sealed low-acid jars, can produce a toxin that causes botulism, a rare but life-threatening illness. Tested recipes from the USDA and the National Center for Home Food Preservation have been checked in laboratories for heat penetration and acidity, so the processing time, jar size, headspace and ingredients all work together. Changing ingredient amounts, adding thickeners, using larger jars, or substituting methods can make a safe recipe unsafe. Recipes from social media, blogs and older cookbooks often do not meet current standards. The USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning remains the core reference for home preservers.
The golden rules of safe home preserving
- Know your acid. High-acid foods (pH 4.6 or lower) can be water bath canned; low-acid foods must be pressure canned.
- Use tested recipes exactly as written, including acid, headspace, jar size and processing time.
- Adjust for altitude: add time for water bath canning, and add pressure for pressure canning above 1,000 feet.
- Use proper equipment: home canning jars, new lids, a canner with a rack, and a tested dial gauge.
- Start with fresh, sound produce, preserved as soon as possible after harvest.
- Keep things clean: wash hands, tools and surfaces.
- Check every jar for a good seal after cooling, and for spoilage before eating.
- When in doubt, throw it out, without tasting.
What equipment do you need to start preserving?
- A water bath canner or deep stockpot with a rack.
- A pressure canner, if you plan to can vegetables, beans or meat.
- Canning jars, new lids, bands, a jar lifter, funnel and headspace tool.
- A large pot and basket for blanching, freezer bags or containers, and a vacuum sealer if you freeze a lot.
- A food dehydrator with an adjustable thermostat.
- A fermentation crock or wide-mouth jars with weights for sauerkraut and pickles.
- A thermometer and hygrometer for cold storage areas.
Planning a garden for preserving
If you want to preserve food, plan your garden around it. Grow larger plantings of crops that preserve well, such as paste tomatoes for sauce, pickling cucumbers, bush beans for freezing, cabbage for kraut, and storage onions, carrots, potatoes and winter squash. Choose varieties described as good for canning, freezing or storage. Stagger plantings so harvests arrive in manageable batches. The plants needed for a harvest goal calculator estimates how many plants you need to fill a target number of jars or pounds, and the plant database gives spacing and days to harvest for each crop. For keeping harvests healthy before they reach the kitchen, see the plant pests and diseases library.
Where can you get help with food preservation?
Your local cooperative extension office is one of the best resources: many offer canning classes, free or low-cost dial gauge testing, and answers to food safety questions. Master Food Preserver programs train volunteers in research-based methods. The Michigan State University Extension canning resources and the Colorado State University Extension canning guides are good examples of university resources available to home preservers.
Food safety warning: Improperly preserved foods can cause serious illness, including botulism. Follow tested recipes exactly, never water bath can low-acid foods, and discard any jar with a bulging lid, leaks, mold, foam, cloudy liquid or off odors without tasting it. Seek emergency medical care for symptoms such as double vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or muscle weakness.
Frequently asked questions
What is the easiest way to preserve food for a beginner?
Freezing and refrigerator pickles or freezer jam are the easiest; water bath canning jam is a good first canning project.
Can I water bath can vegetables?
Only if they are pickled with a tested vinegar recipe; plain vegetables must be pressure canned.
How long do home-canned foods last?
Best within a year, stored cool and dark.
Is freezing or canning better?
Freezing keeps more fresh flavor and texture for most vegetables; canning saves freezer space and power.
Do I need special equipment to ferment vegetables?
No; a clean jar, salt and a weight to keep vegetables under brine are enough.