Canning Yellow Summer Squash

Disclaimer

Prior to the 1980’s canning squash was deemed safe to be canned according to the USDA. Since the 80’s they have now withdrawn that and it is not considered safe.

So with that being said, you do what you feel is best for you and your family. I have been canning squash for years now and will continue to do so. Your kitchen, Your Rules!

Canning summer squash is a great way to preserve it for later use. I have frozen both squash and zucchini in the past, but that really takes up a good bit of space. Specially if you saw just how many plants we ended up with this year. I need my freezer space for meat, since freezers are a hot commodity right and can’t really be bought. Who would have ever thought that! Anyways, this is super simple and one of the easiest things to can. Let me show you my process.

Canning Squash

Preparations

You need hot jars, lids, and rings. I always put my jars, lids and rings in the oven and set it on 200 degrees. For this process I use pint jars.

Get your pressure canner ready and turn it on. It needs to be nice and hot when you go to put in the jars. *Be sure to add the correct amount of water*

Wash the squash really well. You want to make sure they are clean, as dirt can cause bacteria in your jars.

Fill a pot up of water and bring it to a boil.

Chop up all your squash. One of my favorite chopping gadgets is the Vidalia Chop Wizard. This is a huge time saver!

Canning

Now that you have the prep work done, you are ready to fill your jars.

Carefully remove the hot jars from the oven and fill with your squash. Once the jars are filled, pour in the boiling water and put your hot lid and ring on. Place them carefully into your pressure canner using your jar lifters. The water in your pressure canner should be close to if not boiling at this point. Continue this process until you have filled all jars and or canner.

Once your canner is full or you have filled all your jars, place the lid carefully on your canner and lock it into place. Turn the heat on high and wait for a steady stream of steam to come out the vent pipe. Once the starts set a timer for 10 minutes. You have to always vent your pressure canner whenever you are canning anything. This is a very important step.

After venting for 10 minutes, it is time to place on your weight. You use whatever weight is recommended for your altitude. For me that is 10lbs. Now it’s time to wait. Once it reaches the the correct pounds of pressure you will lower your heat and start the timer. You never want to drop below pressure. If you do, you have to restart your timer. I can squash for 30 minutes for pints.

Cooldown Process

When your timer goes off, turn off the heat and allow the canner cool down completely before removing the lid. Do not remove the lid until all the pressure has been released. DO NOT EVER try to speed up this process by removing the weight to drop the pressure quicker.

Carefully remove the jars from the canner using the jar lifter. Lift them straight up and do not move them around much. Place them on a towel, and just let them be for the next 24hrs. Now is the time to listen for the “popping” sound. That sound means the jars have all sealed!!

The next day I like to remove my rings and check all my seals. Then they are ready to go into the pantry.

This is how our family is able to enjoy summer squash all year long!

Happy Canning!!

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