Now that I've lectured, let's talk about equipment needed in the canning process. In addition to the things listed at that site, among my favorites utensils for canning are jar tongs, funnels, a magnetized wand for retrieving hot lids and rings from the water (all these items can be purchased together in a kit marketed by Ball), and an item of whose name I am unsure - I think it is a "jar wrench." It is rubber-coated, and used to hold your jars while you fill them, as they can become quite hot. I have had mine for years, and have not seen another like it; if you come across one, don't pass it up, you will wonder how you got along without it.
I am going to assume that you know how to sterilize jars, and heat lids and rings. (If not, just follow the directions on the box when you buy them, or buy what I consider the "learner's manual" for canning: the Ball Blue Book.) I am not going to go into detail on that issue. Instead, let's discuss the methods used to seal the jars once you have filled them, cleaned the rims, and attached the lids and rings to the jars. If you follow the directions on the Sure-Jell box (as I have done for years), you will merely invert your jars as soon as they are filled with the hot jelly, and, after five minutes, right them, and they will seal. For this to work, your jars, lids, rings, and jelly must be very hot, and the jars must be turned upside-down immediately upon filling. I have always had good luck getting my jars to seal using this method, but it works best for jellies or jams when the batches are small, and only if you can get the jars filled before the fruit cools.
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