Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/13/2026
Processing details
Source & provenance
Safety classification: Tested recipe from NCHFP.
Safety summary
Keep the heavy-syrup pack and 3-minute boil; do not use larger jars or shorten processing.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling Water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Pint or Quart Jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Processing time
- 15/20/20/25 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
Tested source
Safety status: Tested authoritative recipe. Follow the National Center for Home Food Preservation source exactly.
Canning timeline
- Prepare jars and a boiling-water canner.
- Wash and stem berries, add them quickly to boiling heavy syrup, and boil 3 minutes.
- Fill pints or quarts, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- 15/20/20/25 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
- Cool undisturbed 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
Equipment
Boiling-water canner, appropriate nonreactive cookware and preparation tools, jar lifter, and pints or quarts.
Visual method guide
- Prepare: Use exact ingredients and source-specific preparation.
- Pack: Hot pack; maintain 1/2 inch headspace.
- Process: Keep jars covered by boiling water and use the altitude schedule.
- Cool: Leave jars upright and undisturbed.
Safety essentials
Keep the heavy-syrup pack and 3-minute boil; do not use larger jars or shorten processing.
About this recipe
Cranberries is a tested NCHFP boiling-water home-canning recipe using hot pack.
Before you begin
- Method
- Boiling-water canning
- Pack
- Hot pack
- Jar size
- Pints or quarts
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
Altitude and processing schedule
15/20/20/25 minutes at 0–1,000/1,001–3,000/3,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
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Cranberries — NCHFP
Ingredients
- cranberries washed, stems removed
- heavy syrup prepared according to NCHFP fruit-syrup directions
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
Directions
- Prepare a heavy syrup. Wash cranberries and remove stems.
- Carefully but quickly add cranberries to boiling syrup and boil 3 minutes.
- Fill hot jars with fruit and cover with boiling syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
- Remove air bubbles, readjust headspace if needed, wipe rims, apply lids, and process in a boiling-water canner according to the NCHFP schedule.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.Serving suggestions
Serve or use this preserved product according to its texture and flavor after opening; refrigerate leftovers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change the recipe?
Only make changes expressly permitted by NCHFP. Keep the heavy-syrup pack and 3-minute boil; do not use larger jars or shorten processing.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly, or reprocess within 24 hours with a new lid and the complete tested process when permitted.
How this recipe compares
This is a whole-berry heavy-syrup pack, not cranberry sauce.
Troubleshooting
Boil exactly 3 minutes and work carefully to limit berry breakage.
Discard jars showing leakage, bulging, spurting, mold, or other spoilage. Never taste to determine safety.
Source & provenance
Typical canning season
Season: Summer
Months: June, July, August
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
10–22 lb of Berries or grapes per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.