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Getting started in boiling water bath canning is easy–you need little more than a nice big stock pot. You don’t have to have a special canner. You can buy special boiling water bath canners–but…. I have one. I quit using it some time ago. If you want to get into pressure canning also–just buy one canner, a pressure canner, and use it for BWB, too! That’s what I do now. The reason I quit using my BWB canner is because the racks sold with most of these canners are flimsy and terrible. I started putting my much sturdier and less frustrating pressure canner rack in my BWB kettle. Then one day I thought–why don’t I just use the pressure canner to BWB?! And I moved the BWB pot out of my pantry, relieving storage space by downsizing to one big pot that can do both. (To use a pressure canner as a BWB canner, all you have to do is not operate the pressure canning function. Put the lid on top of the pot, without clamping on, and don’t use the pressure. Then it’s just a big pot! And usually pressure canners come with better racks.)
If you’re not ready to buy a pressure canner or plan to only do boiling water bath canning, you can use any large stock pot you already own. You just need to add a rack. You can buy canning racks separately, or use any rack that fits your pot, such as a round cake rack. I recommend any rack other than one of those flimsy racks sold off the shelf for boiling water bath canners. (You can do a search online and find sturdier racks for boiling water bath canners than those sold off the shelf with the kettles.)
This is the kind of rack I’m talking about that I can’t stand. Please enjoy the rust and cobwebs. I abandoned this boiling water bath canner, leaving it outside. I think I need to turn it into a planter now.
What is with that? These racks are incredibly frustrating. Avoid them at all costs. They cause jar toppling, for one thing, because balancing jars on them is difficult. They’re flimsy and infuriating, and whoever invented them should be spanked. Hard.
This is the rack inside my pressure canner. Stable. Fabulous. This pressure canner is 50 years old, so it came by its rust the old-fashioned way, hard work.
The pot is aluminum and I only use it for canning, so I don’t worry about it too much.
Once you’re all set with your pot and rack, you need a BBB, too!
It’s a Ball Blue Book Project day! Today’s Ball Blue Book is sponsored by Never Yield Gear–check out their stuff here.
For a chance to win: Leave a comment on this post and let me know you want it. You can just put (BBB) at the end of your comment or otherwise note that you want to be in the draw. One winner will be drawn by random comment number to receive a Ball Blue Book. Eligible entry cut-off is midnight Eastern (U.S.) time tonight (March 13). This post will be updated with the winner by 9 a.m. Eastern (U.S.) time tomorrow (March 14). Return to this post to claim your book if your name is drawn (or check the BBB Winners List).
Find out more about the Ball Blue Book Project and become a sponsor.
UPDATE 03/14/11: The winning comment number, drawn by random.org, is #94, northcountrygirl. Email me at CITRgiveaways(at)yahoo.com with your full name and address for shipping!
THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED TO ENTRY.
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on March 13, 2011
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Would love to win the book!
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<3 Love your site <3
BBB please.
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BBB please!
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Please enter me into the drawing. When I started using my new to me canner, it wasnt too pretty either. I had to buy a new insert for it, but I can’t believe that they want so much for a flimsy piece of wire now days. Ridiculous.
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BBB pretty please.
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Tell Weston if he ever finds himself designing household products in his engineering career to think of his mom and how easy it would work for her.
Mom envisioned a company of female product designers who would actually have used what they designed. That was saying a lot back then. And if a man applied, his interview was going to be running a household for six months and having to put up with what he designed. Mom was a visionary. And kind of a complainer, too.
BBB,please.
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Would love a chance to win, please, BBB!
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think I can get away with that in your loaf??
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MN MONA
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a great, informative post Suzanne, thanks. and thanks to Never Yield Gear for sponsoring this giveaway! BBB!
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I would love a BBB.
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Ann/alba
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Put this pot to good use leave in the old rack, knock some holes in the bottom with a large nail…place a piece of worn burlap in the bottom and plant….Then you could set it by the planted old worn out boots….Mercy, I hope you like my TN hillbilly
make-do ideas?…My friends used to get a kick out of my flower pots…especially the old enameled childrens potty pans with the little handle…I also used old rusty metal wagon wheels on top of the soil for planting herbs…even if they soon outgrew the spoke separations…most times the flowers will grow and fall over the pot and it is not recognised anyways….
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Thanks for another chance!
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Thank you.
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Mary
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BBB please!
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