Part of the beauty of preserving is that you need little more than clean jars and good produce. Never jammed or pickled before? Here’s a tool box to get you started.
Whether it’s a quart size (ideal for infused booze), a 16-ounce wide-mouth (perfect for pickles), or an 8-ounce jam jar, buy only the type with a resealable screw-top lid or rubber gasket.
The classic white stuff for bundling herbs or attaching tags for your jam. (Pinterest points!)
You could ladle that molten jam into jars and clean up the mess, or you could spring for one of these fat funnels. We prefer stainless steel, which withstands even the hottest pickling liquid.
Nothing fancy here. The ideal candidate will be something you don’t mind staining.
Getting serious about fermentation? Buying a crock is the next step. We like the traditional technology of this water-sealed version from ceramist Sarah Kersten ($280; sarahkersten.com) because it keeps out oxygen, keeps in odors, and is easy to clean. And since pickling is a lifestyle, it doesn’t hurt that it will look great on your counter.
