The first step in canning food for long term use is to sterilize canning jars in the oven. Whether you have spent lots of time tending your garden and have a bountiful crop, or you have gotten a great deal on a large amount of produce from a farmer’s market or produce stand. Before it spoils and you need to feed it to the chickens or send it to the compost pile, it’s a good idea to can the excess.
There is nothing worse than preparing and canning your food only to have it spoil in the pantry. It’s important to follow all of the best practices, including sterilizing canning jars. Sterilized jars are essential for safe, long-term food storage. The food lasts longer and tastes better when you open the jar years later. There are several ways to sterilize canning jars, including running them through a dishwasher cycle, boiling them in a pot of water, heating them in the microwave or placing them in the oven. https://pressurecanners.com/sterilize-canning-equipment/
It is important to sterilize canning jars for a couple of reasons.
For safety and piece of mind, sterilize canning jars! Your grandmother sterilized her jars and most of her cans lasted ten or 20 years. Canning methods are tried and true. If you are going to go through all of the trouble of buying jars, purchasing equipment, and gathering produce, make certain of a successful product at the end. Sterilizing jars will be that one step that ensures that you have a clean product that will taste wonderful when you pop that seal in the middle of the non-growing season.