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Ahhhh dry pack canning.  My favorite rebel canning method, especially for fresh blueberries.  Simply wash your berries, pack them into jars, and can them for the same processing time as you would berries in syrup.  You can add sugar or honey to sweeten if you would like, but drastically less than you would use making a syrup.  Plus, the berries hold their shape and actually have some texture rather than being water laden mush balls.  I use this method for canning blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, black raspberries, red raspberries, and a mix of all of them I call “July in a Jar” with great success.  This works for all varieties of berries.  If you have freezer space and don’t mind frozen berries, then fill some freezer bags or freezer containers and do that.  I just cannot stand frozen berries.  I think freezing takes the flavor from them and leaves sad, lifeless, no longer sweet berries that I just don’t want to use.  They’re not even good for jam later on.  (Just my opinion but I’m always right :D)  <<KIDDING>>

Dry Pack Canning

It never fails someone will lose their ever loving mind over dry pack canning.  “YOU HAVE TO ADD WATER for the thermal process to occur.”  What they mean is they believe heat cannot penetrate the food without filling the jar with water to conduct said heat.  What they fail to consider is heating the berries that naturally contain liquid within their fibers (most berries are 85% or more comprised of water) causes them to release their liquid within the jar and create steam.  We’ve all learned that steam is the same temperature as the boiling liquid creating it… around 212 degrees F.  How is that not heating the berries?!  And we’ve also seen that water is an insulator, so wouldn’t the addition of more water work as an insulator around the berries in the jar preventing the heat from getting to the center as fast?  Just food for thought to encourage you to think.  I’m not trying to sell this method and I really don’t care if you do it or not, I just want you to think for yourself and at the end of the day do what you’re comfortable with. 

Another common misconception with canning is you need the syrup because the sugar is a preservative. This is false. The only time sugar works as a preservative is when you’re using almost equal parts sugar to fruit. This was common practice when jams were made and sealed with paraffin wax in my experience. That’s when you need that preservative. You can safely can fruit with ZERO sugar. Even the NCHFP gives guidelines stating you can prepare a syrup, which gives you the best flavor, or use plain juice or even water. PLAIN WATER. You do not need sugar to “pReSeRvE” your fruit. 1 tablespoon of sugar in your fruit will NOT preserve it. You get me?

Rebel Canning

This recipe can be considered rebel canning.  This means this exact recipe has not been evaluated nor approved by the USDA or National Center for Home Food Preservation, NCHFP.  Does the mean this recipe is unsafe?  Sure doesn’t, as its one I and many others use and consume.  What it does mean is as with any home canning, you should can at your own risk and use common sense.  Make your own decisions because what I do and say I’m doing in my own home should not affect what you do in yours.  If you are not comfortable with rebel canning, please don’t follow this recipe.   In the end, you will have canned something you are afraid of and you will not eat it or use it and you will have essentially wasted your time and money.  

Water Bath or Steam Canning

I normally use a steam canner for canning my high acid foods since I have one and I love it.  It has also proven very helpful when canning dry packed berries.  Since we’re not adding extra liquid to the jars, the jars will float and not stay submerged in a boiling water bath canner, so a steam canner makes this much easier.  Before I had my steam canner, I did use a big pot for water bathing my dry packed berries and I would use a pie plate weighted down with a brick or big rock.  This holds the jars underneath the boiling water and it’s heat proof.  After processing time is complete, carefully remove the plate and weight and then remove jars.

Equipment You Might Want

• Pint or quart canning jars
• Canning lids & screw bands
• Water bath canning pot
• Pie pan
• Brick
• Steam Canner
• Jar Funnel
• Jar lifter

Ingredients

• Per Pint: 1 pound berries
• up to 1 Tbs sugar or honey or maple syrup (optional)

Step 1:  Prep

Select whole, ripe and intact berries free from blemishes and discard any moldy berries.  Wash berries with cold water and place in a strainer to drain.

Wash jars and new lids with hot soapy water, rinsing well, and setting aside on a clean towel.

Step 2:  Fill Jars

Do not worry about heating jars or berries since we are raw packing.  Add berries to clean jars, I fill to the very top of the jar since they’re raw packed and will shrink quite a bit during the canning process and have plenty of headspace.  Berries are 1/2 inch headspace if you’d feel more comfortable adhering to headspace rules.  Just expect the berries to shrink quite a bit after the canning process later on and the jars to be only about 3/4 full.

IF you would like to have full jars, you can absolutely blanch your berries in boiling water for a few minutes to shrink and heat them and then hot packing into jars to then dry pack can.  This really isn’t desirable though and creates the mushy berries that lose some of their color and flavor in the boiling water and are sad tasting.  For best results, just raw pack them please!

To each jar you can add up to 1 tablespoon of sugar, honey, or maple syrup.  I rarely add a sweetener to my jars if I’m being honest.  They don’t need it.

Wipe jar rims with a vinegar soaked cloth and add a clean lid and secure with a screw band.

Step 3:  Canning

WATER BATH CANNING:  

Place jars in your water bath canning pot filled with hot water from the tap.  No hotter than that because you don’t want to thermal shock and bust jars.  Weight down jars with a pie plate and add a brick on top wrapped in foil or a clean rock to weight the jars down and add enough water to keep them submerged in 2 inches of water.  Over medium heat, slowly bring the pot to a full rolling boil.  Once at a full rolling boil, start processing time and process pints for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed.

STEAM CANNING:  

Place jars on steam canner rack filled with the manufacturer’s stated amount of water.  Add lid and heat over medium heat until gauge is at level indicated for you elevation.  Process pint jars for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes, keeping in mind altitude adjustments if necessary.

PRESSURE CANNING:  

You can also pressure can berries, but I don’t prefer it.  It does render them softer than if you’d water bath or steam can.  But it’s possible.  You may have to weight your jars down with this method, too, depending on how much water you need to add.  Add jars to your pressure canner filled with hot water (amount specific to your brand, read your book), secure the lid and heat slowly.  Once to pressure, process jars: pints for 8 minutes and quart jars for 10 minutes at your elevations recommended weight for high acid food depending on if you’re using a weighted or dial gauge pressure canner.  If you don’t know what I mean by this, please check out my blog post on altitude and canning here.  After canning time is complete, allow pressure canner to completely depressurize.

Once canning process is complete, remove jars from canner and set aside to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.

Step 4:  Storage

After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.  Room temperature is fine, just don’t expose the jars to extreme temperatures.  

Any jars that did not seal should just be used right away or transformed into something different, like fruit spreads, butters, or jam.

Shelf life is ’til you eat them.  If the seal is good, they are good.  Aim to rotate out canned goods every 2 years for best quality and nutritional value, but they will last much longer if needed.  Home-canned foods don’t just go bad at the 18 month to 2 year mark.  That’s not a thing.

Step 5:  Preparing

Use as you would fresh berries.  I like folding them into muffins, quick breads, ice cream topping, making pies with them, and even just dumping them in a bowl and enjoying them with a spoon!

Notes:

Use any berries you enjoy and can grow in your garden!

If you would prefer canning your berries in a syrup according to the recommended canning rules set for by the NCHFP, go to their website cause this method and recipe ain’t for ya.

Preserving Fresh Berries: Dry Pack Water Bath Canning

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 18 minutes minutes

Servings: 1 pint

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

• Pint or Quart Canning Jars
• Canning lids & screw bands
• Water bath canning pot
• Pie pan
• Brick
• steam canner
• jar funnel
• jar lifter

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh berries
• 1 Tbs sugar, honey, or maple syrup optional

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Select whole, ripe and intact berries free from blemishes and discard any moldy berries.  Wash berries with cold water and place in a strainer to drain.
• Wash jars and new lids with hot soapy water, rinsing well, and setting aside on a clean towel.
• Add berries to clean jars, I fill to the very top of the jar since they're raw packed and will shrink quite a bit during the canning process and have plenty of headspace.  Berries are 1/2 inch headspace if you'd feel more comfortable adhering to headspace rules.  Just expect the berries to shrink quite a bit after the canning process later on and the jars to be only about 3/4 full.
• To each jar you can add up to 1 tablespoon of sugar, honey, or maple syrup.  I rarely add a sweetener to my jars if I'm being honest
• Wipe jar rims with a vinegar soaked cloth and add a clean lid and secure with a screw band.

Water Bath Canning

• Place jars in your water bath canning pot filled with hot water from the tap.  No hotter than that because you don't want to thermal shock and bust jars.  Weight down jars with a pie plate and add a brick on top wrapped in foil or a clean rock to weight the jars down and add enough water to keep them submerged in 2 inches of water.  Over medium heat, slowly bring the pot to a full rolling boil.  Once at a full rolling boil, start processing time and process pints for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed.

Steam Canning

• Place jars on steam canner rack filled with the manufacturer's stated amount of water.  Add lid and heat over medium heat until gauge is at level indicated for you elevation.  Process pint jars for 15 minutes and quarts for 20 minutes, keeping in mind altitude adjustments if necessary.

Pressure Canning

• you can also pressure can berries, but I don't prefer it.  It does render them softer than if you'd water bath or steam can.  But it's possible.  You may have to weight your jars down with this method, too, depending on how much water you need to add.  Add jars to your pressure canner filled with hot water (amount specific to your brand, read your book), secure the lid and heat slowly.  Once to pressure, process jars: pints for 8 minutes and quart jars for 10 minutes at your elevations recommended weight for high acid food depending on if you're using a weighted or dial gauge pressure canner.  If you don't know what I mean by this, please check out my blog post on altitude and canning here.  After canning time is complete, allow pressure canner to completely depressurize.
• Once canning process is complete, remove jars from canner and set aside to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
• After cooling, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.  Room temperature is fine, just don't expose the jars to extreme temperatures.  
• Any jars that did not seal should just be used right away or transformed into something different.
• Shelf life is 'til you eat them.  If the seal is good, they are good.  Aim to rotate out canned goods every 2 years for best quality and nutritional value, but they will last much longer if needed.  Home-canned foods don't just go bad at the 18 month to 2 year mark.  That's not a thing.

To Use:

• Use as you would fresh berries.  I like folding them into muffins, quick breads, ice cream topping, making pies with them, and even just dumping them in a bowl and enjoying them with a spoon!

Notes

Use any berries you enjoy and can grow in your garden!

If you would prefer canning your berries in a syrup according to the recommended canning rules set for by the NCHFP, go to their website cause this method and recipe ain’t for ya.

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