Water bath canning is the most affordable homestead equipment. It is a large pot that you fill with water. Then you use a basket to lower a basket into the water with canning jars in the basket. Water level goes over the basket and they boil for an allotted amount of time.
Canning was a skill that I taught myself. To this day I only use a water bath canner. I would use a pressure cooker if I canned the items that were necessary for it. My whole purchasing and food storage purpose is to have food for the winter. Healthy, and unprocessed food to eat that we have grown or picked is what I prepare for our pantry. If what I have preserved doesn’t fall into that category I don’t grow it. Buying fancy canning equipment isn’t necessary for my needs. A few years’ ago I did purchase a second water bath canner just so I could process more than four jars at a time.
Buy Affordable Canning Equipment in Bulk
Buying canning equipment in bulk saves because they get rid of large quantities for a given price, and you get all that you need at once. Bulk shopping is great for so many reasons. I love to bulk shop because it allows me fewer trips out. My favorite is when I get a great deal, and then have some left for the next year.
That happened to me a few years’ ago. I found a food mill on sale at Rural King. This was a great buy and I have yet to use it. My tomatoes did not come in well last year and this year. But, the year before, 2021 my garden had so many tomatoes that I ended up with over twenty cans of tomato juice.
Purchase Affordable Canning Essentials
Don’t buy canning equipment in the summer. That will not save any money. Buy canning equipment in the fall or winter. Prep it, inventory it and keep a list of what you have for the next summer. Not a lot of people can food in the winter so first it is cheaper, and second they have plenty of stock.
I purchase all of my canning jars and lids in the winter. In the fall, I take stock and write down my inventory. Another canning essential is a cookbook. Buying a cookbook helps to see the ingredient list on the recipe you are canning. Using the recipe is helpful from the beginning where canning starts, in the garden.
Ask Relatives for Equipment
Last year I decided to try my hand at fermenting. Sauerkraut was my experiment. Spoiler alert, it didn’t go well and I have to try again this year. But, to ferment the sauerkraut it needs heavy glass weights. My quart jars were ready to go, and I missed this part in the instructions. So, I called my mother in law and asked her if she knew what the recipe was calling for. Indeed she did and told me what to do in the meantime. The next day she arrived with the weights that I needed.
Call on family members that you know can and preserve foods. No one knows how to solve a problem better than those who have crossed the same path.
Affordable Homestead Supplies at Amish Stores
The Amish can food, and it is a way of life for them. They do have bulk stores in areas so find one on your maps app and check out one that may be within an hour range of where you live. Always call first though to save a trip.
Amish stores carry a lot of canning equipment. Personally, I have never bought canning equipment from them, but several of my homeschool mom friends recommend Amish stores for shopping. Decide what you need before you go to any store and set a budget. Next, I look around at other stores online and price compare. Rural King is also another store that I know sells good canning equipment in the spring. Walmart carries jars year around I think.
Canning is a food preservation life skill and one I recommend every homesteader knows how to do. If you don’t know, buy a book or online course and teach yourself. In the long run purchasing simple canning equipment that is affordable will be the biggest grocery bill reduction available.
Leave a Reply