How to put food up safely and cheaply — water-bath and pressure canning, dehydrating, freeze drying, and long-term mylar storage, explained without the guesswork.
One rule governs everything in this category: high-acid foods can be water-bath canned, low-acid foods must be pressure canned. Follow tested procedures, not family tradition, and preserved food stays safe for years.
What you’ll find in these guides
Method walkthroughs (canning, dehydrating, freeze drying, curing, mylar packing), equipment comparisons, and the payback math that tells you whether a machine makes sense for your household. We follow USDA and National Center for Home Food Preservation procedures and cite them, because this is the one corner of preparedness where an unsourced shortcut can genuinely hurt someone.
The numbers that matter
• pH 4.6 is the dividing line. Above it, food is low-acid and requires a pressure canner. Tomatoes sit close enough to the line that tested recipes call for added acid.
• Altitude changes processing. Both time and pressure increase with elevation — use the chart for your altitude, not the one in an old cookbook.
• Cycle time and power draw. A freeze-dryer batch runs roughly 20–40 hours. Multiply by your electricity rate before you calculate savings.
• Moisture is the enemy. Properly dehydrated food snaps rather than bends; anything still pliable will mold in storage.
Where to start
Begin with a water-bath canner and one high-acid recipe you’ll actually eat. Add a pressure canner when you’re preserving vegetables or meat. Consider a freeze dryer only after you have consistent surplus to run through it — the machine is the easy part, the volume is what makes it worth owning.
Current equipment prices and sale alerts live on our preservation deals page.
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These guides are general information. Follow manufacturer instructions and local codes for any product you buy. Some links earn Prepping Bargains a commission at no extra cost to you — it never affects what we recommend.
