Water bath canning is basically fruits and vegetables packed into canning jars with self sealing lids.  They are then heated to a temperature that kills any dangerous organisms that could cause food spoilage.  In all my years of canning I cannot count on one hand any failures that I have had.  If a jar does not seal right you must use it right away.  Always use quality ingredients, be sure to follow directions precisely and use recipes that have been tested.

I buy the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving that is published every year.  To think it celebrated 100 years back in 2009!  That would be fun reading the first one from 1909 – I know things have changed over the years!   I also have a few cookbooks such as Food In Jars by Marisa McClennan and Williams Sonoma’s Art of Preserving.

I have two water bath canners; the small one I recently purchased to do a small amount of strawberry jam.  This type of canner, versus a pressure cooker, is limited to fruits, tomatoes, pickles, relishes, jams, jellies and marmalades.  The high acid levels in these particular foods make it safe to can them in boiling water.  Anything else you must use a pressure cooker.