| Asparagus (spears or pieces) | Use tender, tight-tipped spears, 4 to 6 inches long. Wash and remove tough scales. Break off stems and wash again. Cut in pieces or leave whole. | Raw pack: Fill jars with raw asparagus, pack tightly (but avoid crushing), then cover with boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids.
Hot pack: Cover asparagus with boiling water. Boil 2 or 3 minutes. Loosely fill jars with hot asparagus and cover with boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 30 | 40 |
| Beans or peas (dry, all varieties) | Sort and wash dry seeds. Cover with cold water and let stand 12 to 18 hours in cool place. Drain. | Hot pack only: Cover soaked beans with fresh water and boil 30 minutes. Fill jars with beans or peas and cooking water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 75 | 90 |
| Beans (fresh lima, butter, pintos, soy or shelled beans) | Can only young, tender beans. Shell beans and wash thoroughly. | Raw pack: Pack raw beans loosely into jars. For small beans, fill 1 inch from top for pints and 1 1/2 inches for quarts. For large beans, fill 1 inch from top for pints and 1 1/4 inches for quarts. Do not press or shake down. Fill jars with boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids.
Hot pack: Cover with boiling water, bring to a boil and boil 3 minutes. Pack hot beans loosely in jars and cover with boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 40 | 50 |
| Beans (green, snap, wax, Italian) | Wash and trim ends. Cut or snap into 1-inch pieces, or leave whole. | Raw pack: Fill jars tightly with raw beans, leaving 1 inch headspace. Add boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids.
Hot pack: Cover with boiling water, boil 5 minutes. Fill jars loosely, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 20 | 25 |
| Beets (whole, cubed or sliced) | Sort for size. Cut off tops, leaving tap root and 1 inch of stem to reduce color loss. Wash. | Hot pack only: Boil beets until skins slip off easily (15 to 25 minutes, depending on size). Cool; remove skins, stems and roots. Can baby beets whole. Cut medium and large beets in 1⁄2-inch slices or cubes, or halve or quarter. Fill jars with hot beets and cover with fresh boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 30 | 35 |
| Carrots (sliced or diced) | Wash, peel and rewash. Can baby carrots whole. Slice or dice larger ones. | Raw pack: Pack carrots tightly into jars to 1 inch of jar tops and cover with boiling water; leave 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids.
Hot pack: Cover carrots with boiling water; simmer 5 minutes. Fill jars loosely and cover with boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 25 | 30 |
| Corn (cream-style) | Husk corn, remove silk and wash. Blanch ears 4 minutes in boiling water. Cut corn from cob at about the center of kernel. Scrape cob. | Hot pack: To each quart of corn and scrapings in saucepan, add 2 cups boiling water. Heat to boiling. Fill pint jars with hot corn mixture, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 85 | Not recommended |
| Corn (whole-kernel) | Husk corn, remove silk and wash. Blanch 3 minutes in boiling water. Cut from cob at about 3⁄4 depth of kernel. Do not scrape cob. | Raw pack: Pack corn in jars, leaving 1 inch head- space. Do not shake or press down. Add fresh boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids.
Hot pack: To each quart of kernels in saucepan, add 1 cup hot water. Heat to boiling and simmer 5 minutes. Fill jars with corn and cover with cooking liquid, leaving 1-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 55 | 85 |
| Greens (including spinach) Greens can be canned; however, freezing results in a better product. | Sort and wash thoroughly. Cut and remove tough stems and midribs. Remove any discolored or damaged portions | Hot pack only: Steam greens, 1 pound at a time, for 3 to 5 minutes or until wilted. Fill jars loosely with greens; add fresh boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 70 | 90 |
| Mushrooms (whole or sliced) | Use only high-quality, small- to medium-sized domestic mushrooms with short stems. Do not can wild mushrooms. Trim stems and discolored parts and soak in cold water for 10 minutes to remove dirt. Rinse in clean water. Leave small mushrooms whole; cut large ones. | Hot pack only: Cover mushrooms with water in a saucepan and boil 5 minutes. Fill jars with hot mushrooms. Add 1/8 teaspoon of ascorbic acid powder or a 500-milligram tablet of vitamin C to each jar to prevent discoloration. Add fresh hot water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 45 | Not recommended |
| Peas (green or English- shelled) | Select filled pods containing young, tender, sweet seeds. Shell and wash peas. | Raw pack: Pack peas into hot jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Do not shake or press down; add boiling water; leave 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids.
Hot pack: Cover peas with boiling water; boil 2 minutes. Fill jars loosely with hot peas and add cooking liquid, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 40 | 40 |
| Peppers (hot or sweet, including chilies, jalapeño, pimento) | Select firm yellow, green or red peppers. Wash and drain. Caution: Wear plastic gloves while handling hot peppers, or wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching face. Small peppers may be left whole. Large peppers may be quartered. Remove cores and seeds. | Hot pack only: Slash 2 or 4 slits in each pepper. Blanch in boiling water or blister skins by placing peppers in hot oven (400°F) or broiler for 6 to 8 minutes. Place blistered peppers in pan and cover with damp cloth. Let cool several minutes, then peel. Flatten whole peppers. Fill jars loosely with peppers and add boiling water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 35 | Not recommended |
| Potatoes (white) | Wash and pare. Leave whole if 1 to 2 inches in diameter, or cut into 1⁄2-inch cubes. Dip potatoes into solution of 1⁄2 teaspoon ascorbic acid per quart of water to prevent darkening. Drain. | Hot pack only: Place potatoes in saucepan and cover with boiling water. Boil cut potatoes for 2 minutes; whole for 10 minutes. Drain. Fill jars with hot potatoes and cover with fresh hot water, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 35 | 40 |
| Pumpkin and Winter Squash (cubed) Do not purée or mash. | Wash, remove seeds and pare. Cut into 1-inch cubes. | Hot pack only: Place in saucepan and cover with boiling water. Boil 2 minutes. Fill jars with cubes and cover with cooking liquid, leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 55 | 90 |
| Sweet Potatoes (pieces or whole) Do not purée or mash. | Choose small- to medium- sized potatoes. Wash well. | Hot pack only: Boil or steam until partially soft (15 to 20 minutes). Remove skins. Cut medium potatoes, if needed, to make pieces uniform in size. Fill jars and cover with fresh boiling water or boiling syrup (1 cup sugar and 43⁄4 cup water for light syrup), leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. | 65 | 90 |
