StretchLearn Course

Preserve the Harvest with Confidence

Water bath canning, pressure canning, jams, and food safety — all in one beginner course.

Beginner9 hrSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

This course teaches the science and practice of home canning from the ground up, covering the critical difference between water bath and pressure canning, the role of pH in food safety, and how pectin works in jams and jellies. You will work through headspace, sealing, and processing times using tested recipes from the NCHFP and Ball Blue Book, then build a year-round seasonal preserving calendar. Every lesson is grounded in USDA guidelines and food microbiology so you preserve with confidence, not guesswork.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Distinguish between water bath and pressure canning and select the correct method for any recipe

Apply pH and water activity principles to evaluate the safety of a preserve

Prepare jams and jellies using both commercial and natural pectin with accurate gel-point testing

Execute proper jar preparation, headspace measurement, sealing, and processing time for tested recipes

Identify signs of seal failure and spoilage and take correct corrective action

Plan a seasonal preserving calendar matched to local harvest windows and pantry goals

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: Foundations of Safe Canning

Understand why canning works, what makes food safe or dangerous, and how to choose and prepare the right equipment before you open a single jar.

3 lessons

The Science of Preservation: pH, Water Activity, and SpoilageContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Equipment Selection and SanitationContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Reading Tested Recipes and Why You Must Not Modify ThemContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Water Bath Canning in Practice

Execute water bath canning from start to finish — filling jars, processing fruits and high-acid vegetables, checking seals, and labelling for long-term storage.

3 lessons

Step-by-Step Water Bath ProcessingContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Pickling: Vinegar Brine Chemistry and Safe RatiosContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Fruit Canning: Syrups, Hot Pack vs Raw Pack, and TroubleshootingContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: Pressure Canning and Low-Acid Foods

Learn to safely operate a pressure canner, process low-acid vegetables and meats, and recognise and avoid the critical safety failures that make pressure canning mistakes potentially lethal.

3 lessons

Operating a Pressure Canner SafelyContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Canning Green Beans, Vegetables, and MeatsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Recognising Spoilage, Seal Failure, and What To DoContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Jams, Jellies, and the Seasonal Preserving Calendar

Master pectin science, gel-point testing, and the full jam and jelly workflow, then build a year-round seasonal preserving plan tied to local harvest windows.

3 lessons

Pectin Science: How Jams and Jellies SetContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Making Jam, Jelly, and Marmalade from Start to FinishContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Seasonal Preserving Calendar and Building Your PantryContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

canningpreservingwater bath canningpressure canningjam makingfood safetypectinbotulism prevention