Monthly Canning Guide for Zone 5 Gardeners: A Simple Timeline

It can be so overwhelming during the spring and summer months when you’re garden is ready to harvest and you’re trying to preserve what you can. Having a Monthly Canning Guide for Zone 5 Gardeners can be very helpful during the planning process. If you’re just starting your gardening or canning journey, don’t feel like you have to do it all, start with a few things this year and step up when you’re ready. You’ll find ideas for canning, dehydrating, and making fresh recipes with your produce & herbs in the post.

Canning Suppies & Common Ingredients:

Prepare your canning supplies. Make sure you have jars, rings, and lids in stock along with anything you may be using a lot of. Here are some things that I use a lot while canning:

Water Bath or Pressure Canner
Jars, Rings, and Lids (wide/regular) – I linked wide-mouth, quart-sized jars but be sure to get whatever size jars you want to use. These are usually the most cost-effective at local stores like Menards, Farm and Fleet, or Walmart.
Canning Tools
Stainless Steel Funnel
Dissolvable Labels
Canning/Pickling Salt – for picking or veggies like green beans, tomatoes, corn, etc.
Lemon Juice – for adding acid to tomatoes, fruits, jams, etc.
Vinegar – for pickling
Low Sugar Pectin – low sugar jams and jellies
Regular Pectin – jams and jellies
Organic Sugar
Clear Jel – for canned pie fillings (cannot be replaced with pectin)

In our monthly canning guide for zone 5 gardeners, you’re about to plan our your canning months based on what fruits and veggies you want to grow, buy locally, and preserve. There are certainly items missing from this list though so if there’s something you’re curious about make sure to leave a comment so we can add it in!

Monthly Cannin g Guide for Zone 5 Gardeners in April and May

Ready to Harvest: Early greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula, mustard greens), radishes, asparagus, rhubarb, herbs (chives, mint, parsley, lemon balm), spring flowers (lilacs, dandelions, calendula, chamomile), plantains, dandelions.

Greens – Freeze, dehydrate and powder, add to soups, shakes, or salads.
Asparagus – Freeze, can asparagus soup, pickle asparagus.
Rhubarb – Make rhubarb pie, rhubarb strawberry jam, freeze for smoothies, make rhubarb coffee cake, strawberry rhubarb crumble, or can strawberry rhubarb pie filling.
“Weeds” (plantains & dandelions) – Harvest plantain leaves to make plantain salve, infused oil, tea, or use in poultices for skin irritation and wound healing. Harvest dandelion flowers to make dandelion wine, infused oil, jelly, and dandelion sugar scrub.
Herbs (chives, parsley, lemon balm, mint, comfrey) – Dry for future use, add fresh to teas, salads, or as a garnish. Try this lemon balm lip balm or oil-infused lemon balm. Comfrey is best harvested in May/June before it flowers and can be used as a fertilizer and medicinally in oils, salves, teas, etc.
Flowers (lilacs, calendula, chamomile, dandelions) – Make lilac jelly, calendula-infused oil, or use in herbal teas. Harvest lilacs for floral arrangements or add to homemade potpourri. Dry your flowers and store them for a less busy season.

What is Ready to Harvest in June and July?

Get to Pickin’: Strawberries, cherries, currants, mulberries, red raspberries, blueberries, wild black raspberries, peas, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, kale, beets, herbs (basil, oregano), summer flowers (sunflowers, lavender), plantain (medicinal).

Strawberries – Make strawberry jam, strawberry syrup, freeze for smoothies, strawberry pie, or strawberry rhubarb crumble.
Wild Black Raspberries – Make jam, berry bars, freeze for later use, or wild black raspberry berry pie.
Blueberries – Freeze for smoothies, make blueberry syrup, bake into pies or muffins, or can pie filling for winter storage.
Peas (snap peas, snow peas) – Freeze, pickle snap peas, make pea soup, or use in stir-fries.
Kale – Freeze, make kale chips, or dehydrate for green powder.
Broccoli & Cauliflower – Eat fresh, freeze after blanching, or pickle them.
Beets – Can beets, pickle beets, or use in beet soup and smoothies.
Basil – Make pesto, dry or freeze basil leaves for later, make basil vinegar.
Lavender – Make lavender sachets, lavender lemonade, or tea.
“Weeds” (plantains & dandelions) – Harvest plantain leaves to make plantain salve, infused oil, tea, or use in poultices for skin irritation and wound healing. Harvest dandelion flowers to make dandelion wine, infused oil, jelly, and dandelion sugar scrub.

July and August Harvesting and Preserving in Zone 5

What’s ready: Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, peppers, beans, herbs (thyme, rosemary), flowers (sunflowers, marigolds), calendula flowers, plantain (medicinal) dandelions.

Tomatoes – Can diced tomatoes, make salsa, freeze, or make tomato sauce.
Cucumbers – Pickle cucumbers, cucumber salad, freeze for smoothies.
Red Raspberries – Harvest and freeze for later use, make cran-raspberry jam, raspberry crumble, or add to smoothies and desserts.
Zucchini & Summer Squash – Freeze, make zucchini bread, zucchini fritters, or stir-fries.
Garlic – Use fresh, freeze, cure for later use, and store refrigerated in olive oil or fermented in honey.
Peppers – Can hot peppers, freeze peppers, make stuffed peppers or pepper relish.
Beans – Can beans, freeze, or make bean soup/stew.
Herbs (rosemary, thyme) – Dry herbs for winter use, make herb oils.
Calendula Flowers – Harvest and dry for making homemade oil infusions, salves, balms, or as a skin-soothing tea.
“Weeds” (plantains & dandelions) – Harvest plantain leaves to make plantain salve, infused oil, tea, or use in poultices for skin irritation and wound healing. Harvest dandelion flowers to make dandelion wine, infused oil, jelly, and dandelion sugar scrub.

Monthly Canning Guide for Zone 5 Gardeners: August and September

In Season: Apples, pears, corn, pumpkins, peppers, eggplant, herbs (sage, tarragon), blueberries, wild black raspberries, plantain (medicinal).

monthly canning guide for zone 5 gardeners, applesauce

Apples – Make applesauce, can apple pie filling, freeze for crisps, can apple jelly or make apple butter.
Pears – Can pears, make pear butter, freeze, or use in salads.
Corn – Freeze corn kernels, make corn chowder, can corn, or roast on the cob.
Peppers – Can and freeze, make pepper jelly, add to salsas and sauces.
Eggplant – Freeze or make eggplant parmesan, baba ganoush.
Onions – Cure, can diced onions, or freeze for future use.
Herbs (sage, tarragon, comfrey) – Dry for use in winter cooking, make sage butter or tarragon vinegar. Comfrey can be harvested again and used as a fertilizer or medicinally in oils, salves, teas, etc.
Blueberries – Freeze for smoothies, make blueberry syrup, bake into pies or muffins, or can pie filling for winter storage.
“Weeds” (plantains & dandelions) – Continue to harvest plantain leaves to make plantain salve, infused oil, tea, or use in poultices for skin irritation and wound healing. Harvest dandelion flowers to make dandelion wine, infused oil, jelly, and dandelion sugar scrub.

September and October Canning

Finally Ready: Potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, cabbage, carrots, turnips, late apples, broccoli, cauliflower yarrow flowers, plantain (medicinal).

monthly canning guide for zone 5 gardeners, diced onions

Potatoes – Store in a cool, dark place, make mashed potatoes or potato soup.
Pumpkins – Make pumpkin puree, freeze, or make pumpkin pie with your fresh pumpkin.
Winter Squash – Roast, freeze, or make squash soup or casserole.
Carrots – Can carrots, pickle, or make carrot cake.
Broccoli & Cauliflower – Harvest late-planted broccoli and cauliflower to eat fresh, freeze after blanching, or pickle them.
Cabbage – Make sauerkraut, ferment, or store fresh for later use.
Yarrow Flowers – Harvest for medicinal teas, tinctures, or for use in poultices to help with inflammation or skin issues.
“Weeds” (plantains & dandelions) – Continue to harvest plantain leaves to make plantain salve, infused oil, tea, or use in poultices for skin irritation and wound healing. Harvest dandelion flowers to make dandelion wine, infused oil, jelly, and dandelion sugar scrub.

November and December – Finishing Up the Season!

Last Harvest of the Season: Late-season root vegetables (parsnips, carrots), herbs (rosemary, thyme), squash, apples, plantain (medicinal).

Parsnips & Carrots – Roast, freeze, or store in a root cellar.
Herbs (rosemary, thyme) – Store dried herbs or make herb-infused oils.
Winter Squash – Roast and mash, make butternut squash soup, or freeze for casseroles.
“Weeds” (plantains & dandelions) – Continue to harvest plantain leaves to make plantain salve, infused oil, tea, or use in poultices for skin irritation and wound healing. Harvest dandelion flowers to make dandelion wine, infused oil, jelly, and dandelion sugar scrub.

I hope this monthly canning guide for zone 5 gardener helps you with planning your garden and canning this year. Use it as a guide but also know that even within the same zone, things can fluctuate in your garden. It is beneficial for you to keep track of your own dates and save them for next year so you know when you were harvesting and canning different produce each month.