Last Updated on April 27, 2023 by Renee’
It’s that time of year again. As you know, my 84-year-old father has a huge organic garden every year. I cherish everything he grows & I try to preserve as much of it as I can. Potatoes are something that my mother & grandmother never canned. I’m not sure why. It’s so easy & they are sooo good in the winter months.
My daughter loves to fry them in the black iron skillet in butter or ghee until they are crispy brown. Yum!
You can also make mashed potatoes, add in soups or anything you would normally do with potatoes. I haven’t tried potato salad, but I’m sure they would be great!
A Few things you need to know about canning potatoes:
What kind of Potatoes are best for canning?
“White potatoes for canning should be the “waxy” or “boiling” kind. Different types of potatoes have different amounts and types of starches and they react to heating differently. You want a potato that keeps its shape and texture well after a lot of heating, and not one that falls apart becomes “fluffy” after cooking, and is better for mashing. Most red-skin potatoes are of lower starch than baking potatoes and work well for canning. Many white round potatoes with thin skins fall into this category with red-skin potatoes too. Russets are not good for canning but are good for baking (they have a high starch content). Yukon Gold may not be the best potatoes for canning. While they seem good for boiling, they do tend to fall apart when overcooked. From what we have read, there is a wide variety in the types and amounts of starches in blue potatoes, so not all blues are the same, just like not all white potatoes are the same in these characteristics.”
To Peel or Not to Peel
“That style of preparation is how the research was carried out to determine the recommended processing, and in order to know that the peeling does or does not make a difference, research would need to be done with unpeeled potatoes. Different assumptions might be needed in assessing just how many spores of C. botulinum or other bacteria might be present at the start of the process and what amount of heat might be needed to meet standards for the risk of possible survivors. We do not know of research of canning potatoes with peels left on, so we recommend the preparation steps provided with the process recommendation, especially because there is a possibility that the deviation could result in a less safe situation.”
That being said, I chose not to peel mine. I haven’t had any problems with them. I just make sure to scrub them very well.
Ingredients:
- Approximately 6 lbs. of Potatoes cut into 1 in cubes (enough for 7 qts.) It is recommended to Peel the potatoes. I didn’t & haven’t had any problems.
- Sea Salt (optional) 1 tsp. per quart
- Filtered Water (I love my Berkey filter system) Do not use Tap Water due to fluoride & chlorine.
Tools Needed
- Pressure Canner (I love this one. It is the newer version of what I have. It has a “metal-to-metal” sealing system for a steam-tight seal; No gaskets to crack, burn, replace or clean)
- 7 Quart Jars with Lids
- Jar Lifter
- Tongs
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Large Stainless Steel mixing bowl
- Colander
- Wooden Spoon for removing bubbles (I use the handle or you can use a butter knife)
- 2-Med-Large Pots (big enough to bring the potatoes to boil
- Med-Large Pot (for boiling filtered water to fill jars with)
- Large Pan with hot water for rings & lids
Directions:
- Clean & Sterilize Jars. (My dishwasher has a sterile cycle, so I just make sure to run them on the sterile cycle ahead of time. It’s not required for pressure canning. Just make sure they are clean.)
- Add water to large pots (may need 2 pots) Bring to boil (This is for the potatoes)
- Add filtered water to large pot & bring to a boil. This is to pour into the jars of potatoes after they are packed.
- Add potatoes, bring to boil.
- Boil for 2 minutes for 1/2 in. to 1 in. cubes. (If using whole potatoes (2 in.) boil for 10 min.)
- Fill the canner about 1/4 – 1/3 way full with hot water (it will rise when you add the jars of potatoes) & turn on low to med. heat.
- Put the lids with bands into a pan of boiling water.
- While filtered water is heating, Pack jars with hot potatoes.
- Add 1 tsp of sea salt to each quart (optional)
- Pour boiling filtered water into jars of potatoes. Leave 1″ of headspace. (Don’t use the water the potatoes were boiled in due to starch)
- Remove air bubbles with the handle of the wooden spoon or canning knife by sliding it down the side of the jar.
- Wipe jar rim with a clean cloth
- Use tongs to put the lids on the jars. They will be very hot. Tighten.
- Put jars of potatoes into canner using a jar lifter
- Put the pressure canner’s lid on & tighten according to your canner’s instructions.
- With my pressure canner, I turn the heat up to med-high until steam starts coming out the vent then I close the vent & let it start building pressure. Make sure to follow your canner’s instruction manual.
- Bring pressure up to 10 lbs. Make sure to check your canner’s manual to adjust for your altitude.
- Reduce heat but maintain 10 lbs of pressure. You may have to turn it up or down to get it to stay at 10 lbs.
- Cook for 40 min.
- Once it is done, turn off the heat & let the pressure come completely down to zero. This is very important. Do not attempt to relieve pressure manually. Once the pressure has completely come down, open vent & lid.
- Remove jars & allow to cool for 12-24 hours before moving. You can remove the bands at this point since they are not necessary anymore since they are sealed under pressure. This prevents the bands from rusting & being hard to remove later.
Aren’t those beautiful?
*Great in soups or Pan-fried in grass-fed butter or ghee in a black iron skillet.
More Canning Recipes:
- How to Can Okra
- How to Can Bone Broth I save my bones in the freezer until I have enough to can it. I pressure can enough so that I always have broth on hand during the winter for soups!
- How to Can Green Beans
- How to Can Squash
- How to Can Beef
- How to Can Tomatoes
*Scroll down for the printable recipe.
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More info on canning & preserving here & get your free guide to canning here.
UPDATE:
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- I recently bought an Electric Canner. It’s all the rage now. OMG! I can’t tell you how this has changed my life. I love it so much that I bought another one. So much easier than my All-American. Don’t get me wrong, I still love it but this is a game-changer. It’s perfect for small-batch canning. Also after it comes to pressure, you can leave it & you don’t have to monitor like a stove top canner.
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Hi Renee, I used your recipe for canning potatoes (fresh). We have already dug into them and they are so delicious. My first canning potatoes but not my last. Thank you so much for sharing
I’m so glad you loved them! Thanks for the great review! We love cooking them in the oven in a black iron skillet with Butter!!!
Hi Renee, do I understand correctly… I bring the water to a boil before I add the potatoes, then when it returns to a boil, I let it boil for 2 mins… It’s that correct?
Hi Cheryl, yes you are correct.