Learning to Can with Fagor Home Canning Set

Disclosure:  I recieved my Fagor Home Canning Set for free, however, all thoughts, opinions, and experiences are my own...unless you want to come help me can vegetable!  Thank you to Fagor America!  

Upon moving home I decided that I wanted to garden and learn to preserve my own foods.  I am not a health freak, but I think the food I grow taste better and is healthier.  I am a complete idiot when it comes to this stuff, seriously, I can cook, but I have no clue how to do much more than freeze my veggies and fruits.

A few months back I received an email from Fagor America advertising their Fagor Home Canning Set, the product seemed too good to be true, but I am a sucker for trying something new.  I was first excited for the chance to learn and try out the canner, but as time neared I got nervous....I didn't want to ruin my veggies, or fail in front of everyone.

Well this past week I got brave, or well I had to do something with fruit and veggies that were coming off the trees and vines, so I broke out my canner and got started.  Fortunate for me the canner comes with everything I needed, except jars, lids, rings, and the food I want to can.  I quickly read through the instruction manual  and Grandma H handed me over a Ball Blue Book of Preserving (I highly suggest this book also) and off to work I went.

While I worried myself to death over how to use this product, rather I would fail, if my jars would seal.....I am a complete idiot.   The Fagor Home Canning Set really is as simple as it says it is!

Yesterday (my second time using the canner) I made coleslaw in a jar, our neighbor gave me 15 heads of cabbage...yes I have cabbage everywhere, so I had to be creative with what I was going to do with all this cabbage.  I found a recipe for coleslaw in a jar and I decided this would be my true test.

I borrowed Grandma H's food processor, chopped up my cabbage, added in some carrots, onions, green peppers, and red peppers and then soaked my mix in salt water for an hour.  An hour later I drained the salt water, combined sugar, vinegar, and my vegetable mixture in a large saucepan and let it simmer for 20 minutes.  (see below for full recipe) The directions said to hot-pack (hot pack means put it in the jar while it is still hot) the mixture in the jar, tighten the lids and then process in the canner for 20 minutes.  Guess

what....I have coleslaw in a jar, no in fact I have coleslaw in 20 jars.