Equipment

Over time we have become increasingly convinced that food we grow ourselves is healthier for our family. And if we don't/can't grow it ourselves, then buying from local producers is the next best option. So, in 2006 we did our first canning. Tomatoes and apples. And in order to get started we had to buy some equipment. We read every garage sale add, and went to every sale that had any mention of equipment that we needed. In the end, most of what we have for equipment was purchased second-hand, and only a few items were bought new. Here is our list of equipment:

• Pressure cooker/canner - we actually have four, 3 are Mirro-Matic (8, 10 and 16 quart) and one is a National (now Presto) 18 quart canner, but you only really need one large one. Please note that the size of the canner does not equal the number of quarts you can process at the same time. We can only do 7 quarts in our 18 quart canner. If you get your canner from a garage sale, you may need to replace parts. Make sure that you can still get parts for that model before you buy it. It took us about 18 months to finally find a gasket for our National canner. Our National canner was a gift from a friend. One of the small Mirro canners was my mother's, and the other two cost $25 at a garage sale.
• Steam canner/water bath canner - we have a 7 quart steam canner, Back to Basics brand. It uses less water, and takes less time to process each batch because there is less water to bring to a boil. As a bonus, we can prep our jars by putting them upside down in the canner while we bring the water to a boil. We bought this new at Farm and Fleet for $29.95.
• Dryer - we found a Harvest Maid Preserver at an estate sale. It is now called the FD-1010 Garden Master Pro by Nesco. It's awesome. It can handle 30 trays (we have 31 trays, 25 mesh screens and 5 leather sheets). We actually bought the whole set for $100. If you buy this new, it is $149.95 for the base unit, 4 trays, 1 screen and 1 leather sheet. Additional parts cost $24.95 for 2 trays, $7.95 for two screens and $9.95 for two leather sheets. Wow! Our set up would have cost $590.20 new.
• Roma food strainer - great for apples and tomatoes. You can also buy additional screens for salsa, berries and pumpkin. $49.95 new at Farm and Fleet.
• Apple peeler - ours was a gift. You can buy one new for around $20.
• Apple slicer/corer - we've had ours forever. New for about $8.
• Canning accessories - We bought a Back to Basics home canning kit which includes a canning funnel, a magnetic lid lifter, a cushioned coated jar lifter, a sure grip wrench, and tongs. $8.99 at Farm and Fleet.
• Jars, lids and rings - Buy new lids! Old lids may look OK, but if the seal isn't perfect, your food will spoil. We buy jars at garage sales, and get all that we can find.
• Food processor - another garage sale find. We have a Sunbeam heavy duty food processor.