Homemade Applesauce: Make It, Can It, Freeze It
Homemade applesauce from the NCHFP procedure, with yield math by the pound and bushel, both tested canning methods, freezer headspace and the egg-swap ratio.
Food Preservation
Pumpkin Puree From Scratch (and the Canning Catch)
Roast, boil, steam or pressure-cook a pie pumpkin into puree, keep it in the fridge or freezer, and can pumpkin the only tested way: as cubes in a pressure canner.
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Putting food by, safely. Water-bath and pressure canning, approved ratios, dehydrating and freezing, plus the botulism rules every home canner needs to know cold.
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Apple Butter Recipe: Stovetop, Slow Cooker, and Canned
The tested NCHFP apple butter recipe, cooked on the stove or in a slow cooker, with both doneness tests, a batch scaler and canning times for every altitude.
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How to Dry Herbs: Air Drying, Dehydrator, Oven and Microwave
How to dry herbs four ways, with the temperatures and times from the National Center for Home Food Preservation and Minnesota Extension.
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How to Prevent Botulism When Canning at Home (2026)
Home canning season is here. Learn how to prevent botulism when canning low-acid foods, which method to use, and the warning signs before you taste a jar.
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Home Canning Safety: The Botulism Rules Every Homesteader Should Recheck in 2026
Home canning safety starts with acid and heat. Here are the botulism rules for tomatoes, low-acid foods, and tested recipes to check before you fill a jar this season.
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What to Do With Too Many Tomatoes: A Homestead Glut Plan (2026)
The vines won again? A quick triage plan for what to do with too many tomatoes: freeze, can, dry, cook, or share the glut without burning out.
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Dehydrating Tomatoes: Dryer, Oven and Sun-Dried at Home (2026)
Shrink a whole basket of tomatoes into a jar: how to make dehydrated tomatoes in a dryer or oven, store them safely, and use them all winter.
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Canning Salsa: Safe, Approved Ratios for Shelf-Stable Jars (2026)
How to can salsa safely: why the tested ratio of tomatoes to peppers and vinegar is a safety feature, plus a step-by-step water-bath method.
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Canning Tomato Sauce: Start to Finish (2026 Guide)
Turn a heavy harvest into shelf-stable jars: how to can tomato sauce safely, with acidification amounts, USDA-based processing times, and an altitude note.
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How to Freeze Tomatoes (No Blanching Needed) 2026
The fastest way to preserve a tomato harvest: freeze them whole with no blanching, then peel after thawing for soups, sauces and stews all winter.
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Canning Tomatoes: The Water-Bath Method, Step by Step (2026)
A safe, step-by-step guide to canning tomatoes in a water bath, with acidification amounts, USDA-based processing times, and an altitude adjustment.
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How to Preserve Tomatoes: 5 Proven Methods for a Full Pantry (2026)
Five reliable ways to preserve a tomato harvest — canning, freezing, drying, sauce and salsa — plus the one safety step every canned method shares.
