Safe Canning Tips for the Summer Season

Brittany Spieker, Food, Nutrition, and Health Extension Educator and Registered Dietitian Author

06/12/2025 Added

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Whether you’re planning to stock your shelves with green beans, asparagus, or your famous homemade salsa — safe canning starts with the right equipment.

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[00:00:01.680]I’m Brittany Spieker, your Food, Nutrition, and Health
[00:00:04.140]Extension Educator serving north central Nebraska.
[00:00:06.891]The last week in May, I toured the area for the first annual
[00:00:10.491]Pressure Canner Roadshow, and wow - what a turnout!
[00:00:14.291]I had the chance to test many pressure canners across the region,
[00:00:17.791]making sure they’re safe and ready for
[00:00:19.640]another season of home food preservation.
[00:00:21.800]Whether you’re planning to stock your shelves with green beans,
[00:00:24.660]asparagus, or your famous homemade salsa -
[00:00:28.000]safe canning starts with the right equipment.
[00:00:30.720]And if you didn’t make it to the roadshow, don’t worry -
[00:00:33.200]we test pressure canners year-round.
[00:00:35.500]Just call your local county Extension Office
[00:00:37.820]and schedule a time that works for you.
[00:00:40.800]As we roll into peak canning season,
[00:00:42.640]I want to challenge you with a few important questions:
[00:00:45.760]How well do you really know your canning safety?
[00:00:49.960]Let’s start with one I hear all the time…
[00:00:52.556]Can you safely can green beans in a boiling water canner?
[00:00:56.356]The answer - No, you can’t.
[00:00:59.660]Green beans are a low-acid vegetable, and that means they’re
[00:01:03.080]vulnerable to botulinum toxin that can cause botulism -
[00:01:07.118]which grows in low-acid, oxygen-free environments like sealed jars.
[00:01:12.660]The boiling water method only reaches 212°F,
[00:01:16.660]which isn’t hot enough to kill those spores.
[00:01:19.320]But a pressure canner reaches 240°F or higher - and that’s what
[00:01:24.000]makes green beans, carrots, corn, and other low-acid foods safe to can.
[00:01:30.100]So, if you're using a boiling water canner to can your vegetables,
[00:01:33.820]it's time to upgrade your canning method.
[00:01:36.820]Okay, next question: Can you tell if food contains the
[00:01:41.097]botulinum toxin just by looking at it or smelling it?
[00:01:44.640]Unfortunately, no.
[00:01:46.700]This toxin is odorless, tasteless, and invisible.
[00:01:50.640]There won’t be a weird smell, color, or mold to warn you.
[00:01:54.280]That’s why following tested, research-based recipes is absolutely essential.
[00:01:59.720]Now, let’s talk about tomatoes.
[00:02:03.040]Do you need to add acid when canning tomatoes?
[00:02:05.980]Yes, you absolutely do.
[00:02:08.440]Tomatoes walk the line between high and low acid, and
[00:02:12.040]factors like soil, variety, and growing conditions can change their pH.
[00:02:18.160]So to be safe, every jar of tomatoes needs a little acid boost whether
[00:02:22.560]it’s from commercially bottled lemon juice, 5% vinegar, or citric acid.
[00:02:28.760]Avoid using freshly squeezed lemon juice though
[00:02:31.560]its acidity isn’t consistent enough to guarantee safety.
[00:02:36.680]Now what about canning salsa?
[00:02:38.980]Can you adjust the ingredients in a tested salsa recipe?
[00:02:42.580]You can tweak the spices - like adding more cumin or chili powder.
[00:02:47.640]But ingredients that affect acidity - like tomatoes,
[00:02:50.280]onions, peppers, and vinegar - should not be changed.
[00:02:54.520]Adjusting those can make your salsa unsafe for canning.
[00:02:57.480]And if you want to customize your recipe,
[00:02:59.940]do it after opening the jar, not before sealing it.
[00:03:03.613]And here's a big one I’ve been hearing more and more lately:
[00:03:07.133]Can you safely can food in an electric multi-cooker, if it has a 'canning' button?
[00:03:13.553]The answer? No.
[00:03:15.800]Even though it sounds convenient, multi-cookers haven’t been
[00:03:18.840]tested to reliably hold the right temperature and
[00:03:21.400]pressure for long enough to kill harmful bacteria.
[00:03:24.800]So while they’re great for cooking dinner,
[00:03:26.720]they’re not a safe choice for canning.
[00:03:29.920]Now let’s talk about recipes.
[00:03:32.391]Where you get your canning instructions matters.
[00:03:35.451]Stick with reputable, research-tested resources like
[00:03:39.451]the USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning,
[00:03:42.231]the National Center for Home Food Preservation,
[00:03:44.651]the most recent version of the Ball Blue Book, and
[00:03:48.351]of course, your local Nebraska Extension Office.
[00:03:52.080]Home canning is a beautiful tradition and it’s even
[00:03:55.620]better when you know your jars are safe as well as delicious.
[00:03:58.820]So whether you’ve been canning for 30 years or are just getting started,
[00:04:02.820]let’s keep learning and preserving safely - together.
[00:04:06.894]If you have questions, want to schedule a pressure canner test,
[00:04:10.194]or need help finding safe recipes, just reach out.
[00:04:13.334]Give me a call at 402-387-2213
[00:04:20.820]again 402-387-2213
[00:04:27.180]This is Brittany Spieker with Nebraska Extension.
[00:04:30.040]Thanks for tuning in and remember:
[00:04:31.540]When in doubt, check it out… and happy canning!

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Safe Canning Tips for the Summer Season

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