Most fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, fish, and many prepared foods like soups and sauces can be safely canned at home. The method you use depends on one critical factor: the food’s acidity. Foods with a pH of 4.6 or lower are acidic enough for water bath canning, while everything above that threshold requires a pressure canner to prevent the growth of bacteria that cause botulism.
Fruits You Can Water Bath Can
Most fruits are naturally acidic enough to process safely in a boiling water bath. This is the simplest canning method and the one most beginners start with. Fruits that fall comfortably in the safe acid range include apples (pH 3.30–4.00), peaches (3.30–4.05), pears (3.50–4.60), strawberries (3.00–3.90), raspberries (3.22–3.95), blueberries (3.12–3.33), blackberries (3.85–4.50), plums (2.90–4.30), cherries (4.01–4.54), pineapple (3.20–4.00), nectarines (3.92–4.18), gooseberries (2.80–3.10), and oranges (3.69–4.34).
A few fruits sit right at or above the safety line. Figs have a pH of 4.92–5.00 and papaya ranges from 5.20–6.00, so both need added acid to be canned safely. Cantaloupe (pH 6.13–6.58) and watermelon (5.18–5.60) are so low in acid that they must be pickled before water bath processing.
Tomatoes: The In-Between Food
Tomatoes are the most commonly canned food at home, but they sit in an awkward spot. Their pH ranges from 4.30 to 4.90, which means some batches fall safely below 4.6 and others don’t. You can’t tell by taste or appearance, so every batch needs added acid to be safe. The standard amount is two tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or half a teaspoon of citric acid per quart. For pints, use one tablespoon of lemon juice or a quarter teaspoon of citric acid, added directly to the jar before filling. With that acid added, tomatoes can be processed in a water bath canner.
Pickled Foods and Condiments
Pickling opens up the list considerably. Vegetables that would otherwise need pressure canning, like cucumbers, green beans, beets, peppers, and onions, become safe for water bath processing once submerged in a vinegar brine that brings the pH below 4.6. The same principle applies to relishes, chutneys, salsas (with enough vinegar or citrus), and pickled eggs. The key is following a tested recipe with a known-safe ratio of vinegar to food. Improvising the proportions can leave pockets of the jar above the safe pH threshold.
Jams, Jellies, and Preserves
Fruit spreads are excellent candidates for water bath canning. The combination of fruit’s natural acidity and added sugar creates an environment hostile to dangerous bacteria. This category includes jams, jellies, marmalades, fruit butters (like apple butter), and conserves. Sugar-free versions work too, though they should be hot packed for better results.
Vegetables That Need Pressure Canning
Plain vegetables, without pickling, are low-acid foods. Green beans, corn, carrots, peas, potatoes, beets, asparagus, lima beans, and squash all have pH values well above 4.6. These foods can absolutely be canned at home, but they require a pressure canner. A regular boiling water bath tops out at 212°F, which isn’t hot enough to destroy botulism spores. A pressure canner reaches 240 to 250°F, which is.
Dried beans are also in this category. You can cook and can pinto beans, kidney beans, black beans, and others using pressure canning. The same goes for soups that combine vegetables, beans, and broth.
Meat, Poultry, and Fish
All animal proteins are low-acid and require pressure canning. The USDA provides tested recipes for beef, pork, lamb, veal, venison, bear, chicken, rabbit, turkey, and sausage. These can be canned as strips, cubes, or chunks. You can also safely can meat broths and stocks, chili, and meat-vegetable soups.
Fish and shellfish follow the same rules. Salmon, trout, and other firm fish are commonly pressure canned at home, particularly in regions where people catch large quantities. Processing times for seafood tend to be longer than for red meat or poultry because of the density and fat content.
Foods You Should Not Can
Some foods are genuinely unsafe to can at home regardless of method. Dairy products, including butter, cheese, milk, and cream, are low acid and support botulism growth at room temperature. Don’t add them to canned recipes like soups or sauces. Creamed soups, mac and cheese, and custard pie fillings should be frozen instead.
Oils create another hazard. Oil coats food surfaces, creating an oxygen-free environment where botulism thrives. Pesto, herb-infused oils, and any recipe where fresh ingredients sit in oil should never be canned. Don’t add oil to tested recipes like tomato sauces either.
Starches and thickeners interfere with heat transfer during processing, meaning the center of the jar may never reach a safe temperature. Flour, cornstarch, tapioca, pasta, rice, and noodles should not go into canned products unless a scientifically tested recipe specifically calls for them (and very few do). If you want a thick soup or stew, can it without thickener and add that after opening.
Hot Pack vs. Raw Pack
Most foods can go into jars either raw or precooked. Hot packing, where you cook the food before jarring it, removes more air from the food, helps it retain color and flavor longer, creates a stronger vacuum seal, and lets you fit more food per jar since it shrinks during cooking. Raw packing is faster and works better for foods that lose their shape when cooked. However, raw-packed food tends to float in the jar, shrinks during processing (leaving excess headspace), and can discolor within two to three months.
Some foods work best with a specific method. Apples, pears, peaches, and pineapple are best hot packed. Sugar-free fruit should always be hot packed. Certain raw-packed foods like lima beans, corn, potatoes, and peas shouldn’t be tightly packed because they expand during processing.
Altitude Changes the Rules
If you live above 1,000 feet elevation, water boils at a lower temperature. At high altitudes, it may boil at 200°F instead of 212°F, which means standard processing times aren’t long enough. For water bath canning, add 5 minutes of processing time at 1,001–3,000 feet, 10 minutes at 3,001–6,000 feet, 15 minutes at 6,001–8,000 feet, and 20 minutes at 8,001–10,000 feet. For pressure canning, you increase the pressure instead. A weighted-gauge canner goes from 10 to 15 pounds of pressure above 1,000 feet. Dial-gauge canners increase more gradually, from 11 pounds at 1,001–2,000 feet up to 15 pounds at 8,001–10,000 feet.
How Long Canned Food Lasts
Properly canned food stored in a cool, dry place retains its best eating quality for at least one year. It doesn’t become unsafe after that point, but flavor, texture, and nutritional value gradually decline. Storage conditions matter more than most people realize. Jars kept near a stove, furnace, hot pipes, or in indirect sunlight can lose quality in just weeks or months. A dark pantry or basement shelf at a stable, moderate temperature is ideal.