For The beginner, a few key points: In simple terms, canning food is cooking recipes (which most of us already know how to do) and then "processing" the results by putting them in sterilized canning jars and boiling or pressure "cooking" them for a designated amount of time. It really isn't as complicated as you may think. It is important to use canning recipes from reliable sources. Especially as a beginner these are not recipes you want to modify or adapt in any way because each ingredient as well as both the length of time and temperature at which the jars are processed can be key components to ensuring food safety. You certainly can spend your entire day preparing big batches of recipes in order to preserve in-season produce when it's fresh, but it does not have to be a huge production. In fact, I made a half recipe of the strawberry jam in just over an hour. So don't let those fresh fruits and veggies go to waste. Grab your canner and Let's Get Creative