Canning Is Making a Comeback!
I bought my first set of mason jars (made by Ball) and a regular canning pot (not a pressure canner) so I can try my hand at this skill that has been largely forgotten over the course of two generations… Or so I thought, until I started checking out the Best Sellers List on Amazon.com and noticed that the Presto 23-Quart Pressure Cooker/Canner, the Back To Basics Home Canning Kit, and the Granite Ware 21-Quart Covered Preserving Canner with Rack were ALL THREE on the list of Top-Selling products on Amazon.com this month.
Is it a coincidence that I am getting into canning at the same time that so many other people are starting to rediscover the art? Hardly. I think it has more to do with the fact that our food supply chain is broken, as evidenced by recall, after recall, after recall after recall… of foods coming from corporate, industrial-sized farms and distribution channels. People are tired of wondering if their next meal is going to include a dose of e. Coli, Listeria or Salmonella. Sure, canning your own food carries the same risks, including nasty things like Botulism. But we KNOW how careful we are when canning, which is more than we can say about the people who make foods we buy in stores. It’s all about taking control over your health and what you eat.
Then there is the environmental impact of shipping fresh tomatoes from Mexico to Ohio in the middle of January. This is the topic of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle – a book I highly recommend (review to come soon).
It seems that several factors are coming together these days, which are awakening America and much of the Industrialized world to the fact that we have lost something along the way to prosperity. Whether you want to live off the grid, grow an urban garden, buy from farmer’s markets or can your own foods – you are not alone. Simple, local living is making a comeback and not a day too soon.
Just saw this on kirtsy.com. I come from a long line of home canning and I’m happy to hear it’s a trend again. Just think. In today’s design obsessed world, I’m betting people are going to create ways of making canning super chic.
found you through kirtsy. that’s awesome that amazon is selling so much canning gear. i must admit, i’m a big canning fan. (i live in a small farming community, so it works out.) i’m so happy to hear that my favorite nerdy hobby is now becoming fashionable! i’ve got to get posting- all my fave canning recipes~ mmm apple pie filling, apricot jam, spaghetti sauce. . .
This is something I’ve always wanted to learn. I think it is a great way to hedge against rising food prices, particularly in produce. And I like the idea of having my own stockpile of preserves, etc.
grow local…..buy local…..trade local..its the way of the new emerging “enlightened prosperous society”
I just started learning to can this year. My mom did a little of it when I was young, but I never learned from her. Luckily we’ve had an unusually mild August, so it hasn’t been too punishing with excessive heat. I haven’t tackled huge quantities of anything yet. The baby steps are the way to go, I think, when learning a new skill. Especially without a mentor.
-Kate
I wanted to make pickles this year, but by the time I finally found jars, my cukes were cooked! I do have a bumper crop of tomatoes and just found a recipe to make homemade tomato sauce for freezing. I would LOVE to can but right now it’s too hot to boil water in the kitchen. So freezing for me this year.
I love that people are getting back to basics. Thanks for this informative article!
Here in rural Oregon we even have entries into the County Fair for canning still…
Also for dried fruits/veggies. I only mention that because I won a blue ribbon for my home grown/home dried soup mix 
While I do can, I just find drying fruits and veggies much more economical than canning. I use them in soups and stews. (I got the dehydrators for $10 and $5 at garage sales) I did figure out the cost of canning once tho, including the electric/water,lids etc at about 25 cents per jar, once you own the jars.
Your local county extension office sometimes has classes on canning for beginners if you want some help getting started
Why bother canning when you can freeze instead?
It’s easier to freeze foods with a minimum of fuss compared to canning – might need to blanch some foods, and use something like a Food Saver, but both of those are far easier and take much less time than canning.
My family cans very few foods today (mostly tomatoes) compared to say 20 years ago.
We love to can and I have definately noticed a popularity in it this year. Which is great. We also freeze and dry things, but canning is what we do the most of. In fact, I’ve made some free canning labels for anyone to download, if you’d like:
http://asonomagarden.wordpress.com/2008/07/21/canning-lids-download/
I bottled 67 pints of chicken over 2 days this week by myself. I bought untrimmed chicken for 1.69 a pound and some canning lids and I got to work.
I think many people will start to rethink the high level of waste with the hard times. But, it still irritates me to watch a big huge truck tear off at an intersection and blow billows of black smoke out of the tail pipe. If people would just waste less there would be enough to go around.
I can every year, but I am more gung-hoe this year. Each year I fill my jars, but I did not have enough.
Then, I was given canning jars that were full of old food. Yes, I had to empty them out. I was nice canning that just got too old.
(Bread and butter pickles and pickled vegetables.)
I love having the bottled chicken. We eat very very little meat so this works well for us. I use one pint of chicken to a whole pot of taco soup.
Next I will can the apples off of my tree.
I am at the point where I have frozen enough squash and I am tired of eating tomatoes from my garden.
Surely you have heard the phrase “victory garden”? Google it.
People were encouraged during war time to garden.
It makes really good sense to use that water we are sprinkling on the yard anyway to grow food that we can eat. My front flower beds have vegetable and flowers in them. They look lovely and I am feeding my family with the result.
Best wishes to you with your canning.
Chili is on my list for Monday. There is a safe extension service recipe that I will use.
Just a quick question, i always remeber canning with my mom when i was younger..all the regular stuff… pasta sauce, fruits jams…ect…but can you can soups???? all soups no soups or just certain kinds???? please let meknow and thanks.
I’m bookmarking this page. My grandmother is getting too old and forgetful for me to learn it from her and I’ve waited too long to ask. Thanks for the info!
I am looking for a recipe for canned rhubarb pie filling.
I always saw my Mother can many things, I just started canning last month, love it, alot of work, but so rewarding. She helped me start, she is 82 and said she felt like she was housekeeping again.
The canned sweet potatoes looked beautiful, as well as the figs. I love it, cheaper to buy by the bushel baskets, then the canned veggs in the store, no salt, everyone better try it, much cheaper….can’t wait to do tomatoes and stringbeans next year
Have you tried using a steam canner? It’s much easier to use than an old fashioned water bath canner. A steam canner is for high acid fruits, not for low acid veggies. Steam canners are much simpler and less time consuming to use than water bath canners.
I have home canned 100′s of jars of food over my lifetime. I am 58 years old, have 5 (grown) children and 12 grand children. I can enough for my busy children. Tomatoes are my favorite. But this year I actually canned up a lot of beef, chicken, and turkey. We had a bull butchered and I thought canning up all the stew meat would be good in case we ever lose our power. Lots of veggies, fruit, soups, stews, pork/beans, and so on always fill my pantry…I don’t care if I am a canning nerd. I enjoy it and I AM teaching my daughter’s and daughter in laws how to can the simplier foods. They’ll GET THAT ITCH…I am sure.
Oct 28th, 2008 at 8:41 pm
[...] I should just quit my job, move off the grid, homeschool my children, make all my own food and start my own little country in the middle of the woods [...]
Nov 6th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
[...] vegetables is easier than canning them, and in many cases can lead to a fresher taste. The only downside is that canned foods will keep [...]