13 Steps to Canning Relish

Step 4, Boil Jars

Because we will hot pack our relish, we need to boil our jars before we fill them. We put the top-side down in pan with about an inch of water on slow heat. You need to do two things here. First, you need to sterilize the jars and secondly, you want the jars hot as you put the boiling relish into the jar. This will prevent the jar from breaking. You never want to put boiling liquid into a cold jar. I put them on a slow heat as I work to prepare the fruit. Watch to make sure you don't run dry in the pan. Sometimes the water will be drawn up into the jars and leave the pan dry. Simply tip or lift the jar to let the water out.