Home » Recent Posts » Recipes » Preserves 101 + Best 15 Jelly, Salsa, Sauce, Pickle, Jam Recipes
Last Updated . Published By Abbey Sharp 11 Comments
Medically reviewed by Abbey Sharp, Registered Dietitian (RD), BASc.
We are getting into warmer weather, which means finally, local crops will start to grow! The farmers markets are in full swing, the fresh salads are looking surprisingly tempting, and we may even have a bumper crop for making preserves.
But What are Preserves?
Preserves are goodies we can or bottle (with important food safety precautions) that allow us to eat out-of-season ingredients all year round. They include salsas, pickles, jellies, jams, sauces and other delicious treats.
Why Bother Making Preserves?
I love making preserves because it means you get to eat your favourite foods all year long, even when they’re not in season. It means you can save a lot of money in December when you desperately want homemade salsa, but our local tomatoes taste super bleh. And it means our food is more nutritious, because when we buy out of season produce that is shipped from afar, the transit time results in nutrient loss. Sounds like a win, win to me!
Canning Healthy Preserves 101
The key is to prepare delicious healthy preserves is to use a canner and follow these steps.
- I place a canner rack in the bottom of my canner and fill the canner half full with warm water. I heat the water to 140 F if I’m adding raw foods (ie. salsa, pickles), or 180 F if I’m canning cooked foods (ie. jelly).
- I fill my jars, and top with the lid and ring band, and load them carefully into the canner using a jar lifter. I always make sure the jar is sitting up right.
- I make sure the water is 2 inches above the jars. If it’s not, then I’ll add more boiling water as needed.
- Heat the burner of my Frigidaire stovetop on high, I cover the canner with its lid and heat until the water boils.My Frigidaire freestanding induction range boils water in less than 2 minutes, so I keep an eye on it because this happens fairly quickly.
- Once boiling, I set the timer for the total minutes required in my recipe to properly can the food. If the water level ever goes below the cans, I just top it off with a bit more boiling water.
- Once the time is up, I turn off the head, remove the canner lid and wait 5 minutes before removing the jars using the jar lifter.
- Then, very carefully, I will remove the cans from the canner, being carefully not to tilt or tip the jars over. I let them cool on a towel or cooling rack for at least 12 hours. Once they’re cooled, you can remove the ring bands, wash the jars, label them and store them in a cool dry place (mine go in the closet!)
Are you ready to make preserves? Check out my top 15 healthy preserves recipes from fellow food bloggers and dietitians!
Smart Nutrition – Chipotle Salsa
Eat Chicago- Preserved Lemons
Avocado a Day Nutrition- Fermented Pickles
Mom’s Kitchen Handbook- Homemade Jam
Tastes Better From Scratch- Applesauce
Tastes Better From Scratch – Raspberry Jam
Tastes Better From Scratch – Canned Tomatoes
Frugal Living- Canned Peaches
Simply Live Love – Dill Pickles
Foodie Crush- Dilly Beans
Food in Jars – Sweet Cherry Rhubarb Jam
Food in Jars – Grapefruit Jam
Heart Beet Kitchen – Fiery Roasted Salsa
Little House Living- Strawberry Jam
Little House Living- Rhubarb
Mountain Mama Cooks – Triple Berry Jam
Hoosier Homemade – Italian Pasta Sauce
What are your favourite preserves to make? Have you tried any of the healthy preserves in this round up? Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: This post was developed in partnership with Frigidaire, however, as always all opinions are genuine.
Updated on October 27th, 2021
Abbey Sharp
Abbey Sharpis a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by theOntario College of Dietitians. She is a mom,YouTuber,Blogger,award winningcookbook author,media coachspecializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications likeHealthlineand on national broadcastTV shows.
About Abbey Sharp
Abbey Sharpis a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by theOntario College of Dietitians. She is a mom,YouTuber,Blogger,award winningcookbook author,media coachspecializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications likeHealthlineand on national broadcastTV shows.
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Reader Interactions
11 Comments
Elizabeth says
I’ve always wanted to try canning to save on $$. the chipotle salsa one sounds amazing! I will be pinning this for when I want to start canning! Thank you for sharing.
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Abbey Sharp says
Yes! Enjoy Elizabeth!
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So many great recipes to choose from! Yum! When I was young, we made and canned sweet pickles every summer. And, my Grandma was always making the best preserves and jellies. Your post was a lovely reminder!
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ann says
So much information! Thanks for sharing!!!
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Abbey Sharp says
so glad you like!!
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Suzanne Spiegoski says
fermented pickles all the way! I love fermenting a lot of different things, the last thing i did was kimkraut, which is a mixture of kimchi and sauerkraut! Thanks for sharing! for my food & recipes, please visit my page. 🙂
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Abbey Sharp says
Thanks Szanne! Lovely!
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Joleen says
Awesome recipes thanks so much. My father always made homemade pickles and corn relish growing up. He also made pickled beets and rhubarb. Your recipes have inspired me to resurrect this tradition.
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Abbey Sharp says
aw that is so lovely. i have never had pickled rhubarb but it sounds like a dream.
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Kim Seghers says
This post is awesome. Thank you for sharing it. I have been looking for ways to can my fresh tomatoes and other vegetables. I’m pinning this for future reference!!1
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Abbey Sharp says
Yum!! yes, great idea!
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