Some things I learned about canning...

Canning three batches of jam was quite an experience.  Throughout the entire day, I kept making mental notes of things I learned, and that hopefully I would do differently the next time.  So of course I thought I'd write them down and share them with you.

So from one Canning Novice to another:

• Be prepared to spend pretty much the whole day working on this.  From making the jam in the morning, to canning it in the afternoon.

• BE GOOD TO YOUR FEET. Unless you have some of those fancy gel mats or thick throw rugs in your kitchen, your feet are going to ache after a while.  Give yourself a break and wear your most comfortable shoes.  There's a reason you see so many chefs wearing Crocs.

• Even if you dislike planning meals in general, have a meal plan for the day.  Make a casserole for dinner before you get started so all you'll have to do at dinner time is pull it out and stick it in the oven or microwave.  Likewise, order in some takeout for lunch. Or vice versa if you like.

• No matter what the weather is outside.  No matter how many windows you have open and how many fans you have going, you will get hot.  Stirring hot pots of bubbling jam is sweaty work.  Sticking close to a mammoth pot of boiling water, and then pulling jars out of rapidly boiling water is sweaty work.  Just accept this simple fact and plan accordingly.

• Since you've accepted you'll get hot, dress appropriately.  Wear lightweight and loose (but not too loose) fitting clothing.

• Wear an apron.  I don't care how old your t-shirt is.  Wear one anyway.

• Skim the foam off the jam while it's still hot and loose.  Waiting until it's cooled makes skimming practically impossible.

• Do not over tighten the jars before processing in boiling water.  Bad things can happen if you do.

Lucky me: only one broke. The whole thing could have shattered and taken out other jars.

• If a jar breaks during the processing, do not panic. I found a couple helpful tips here and here.

• Unless you really need to tone your arms, use a food processor to "crush" your fruit instead of a potato masher.  More dishes?  Yes.  Lots less hassle?  For me OH YES. Especially since I was looking at "crushing" about 12 quarts of berries.