Oven Canning

I love oven canning!  It is also known as “dry canning“.  This method is PERFECT for south Louisiana where the humidity is high and vermin are plentiful LOL  We live out in the country, so getting rid of mice is just not a reality for us.  No matter how many traps we set or how many cats we own; the mice still come in and they are HEALTHY!  Not only can they chew through paper and cardboard, but we’ve even had them chew through plastic containers!  Oven canning is awesome for us.  We use the half gallon mason jars for rice and cereal and the pint jars for pastas and beans.

Some people say that it’s not safe to dry can and there are two reasons for this.  The first reason is because “they” say that Mason jars were not made to withstand this kind of “dry” heat.  Well, I don’t know about you, but it gets over 200 degrees in my car in the summertime down here.  I have baked in mason jars at 400 degree heat for years and never had a problem.  Just to be on the safe side; be sure to wear safety goggles and use long oven mitts when handling the hot jars.  The other safety risk “they” say comes with dry canning is the risk of botulism from storing food.  Well, if you read up on botulism; you will see that the one thing it needs to grow is moisture and we are talking about strictly DRY canning.

I started dry canning a few years ago when I noticed the humidity was really getting to my foods and have been hooked since!  One AMAZING thing about dry canning is that you can reuse your lids.  The reason is because you are using dry heat!   So, yes, reuse those lids as long as they are still intact.  Of course, if the rubber is cracked or peeling you’ll need to replace your lids.

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Fill your clean canning jars with dried goods (leave 1/2″ at the top)
3. Do not put lids on yet
4. Place in oven and set timer for 1 – 1 1/2  hours (I leave mine for 1 1/2 hours)
5. Use pot holders or towel to remove jars from oven
6. Quickly wipe rim of jar with damp (not dripping wet) towel
7. Place one metal canning lid on each jar and screw the band on tightly
8. Listen for the “pop” that lets you know the lid is sealed.
9. Be sure to ALWAYS date your oven canned foods.

Items you can dry can:

• White Rice
• Dry beans
• Oatmeal
• White flour
• Sugar
• Dry grain cereals such as rice crispies and Cheerios
• Dry fruits and veggies

Items NOT to dry can:

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Barley
• Anything with a high oil content as these foods tend to turn rancid
• Anything with a high moisture content

I will keep my foods up to 6 months after the date I canned them. I have seen and heard of people using them for years after dry canning them. I would not recommend this, but that is completely up to you.  You can read more about what the CDC says about oven canning HERE.