Why I Can

I’ve been canning food for quite a few years now. Every once in a while I am asked why I do it, usually by someone who isn’t on friendly terms with her kitchen or believes canning is a lot of hard work.

Sometimes I just give the easy answer, “Because I enjoy it.” Sometimes, though, I answer with all of the reasons why I’m passionate about lining my pantry shelves with glass jars packed with yummy goodness.

Money

A dear friend who doesn’t like cooking but does like to keep a close eye on her budget once asked me if canning saved me any money. My answer was a wishy-washy yes and no.

We happen to grow quite a bit of our vegetables these days. Although my family loves the veggie-heavy meals during the gardening season, three weeks straight of green beans at every meal does get to be a bit much. So, I’ll put up some of the harvest for use when the garden isn’t producing. Being able to preserve the harvest before it goes bad saves me a lot of money in the off season.

Unfortunately, I can’t grow everything, and because of space limitations, I can’t always grow enough extra to make it worth canning. Thankfully, my gardening experience taught me a lot about what’s in season when. Guess what? When a fruit or vegetable is at the peak of its harvesting season, it’s at its cheapest price at the market!

That reminds me. Stay away from the grocery stores for your produce! Hit the produce stands, farmer’s markets and U-Pick farms for the best deals on large quantities. My husband and I recently took advantage of a great deal on tomatoes from a u-pick farm about an hour away. When we were all finished putting up those tomatoes, my quarts and pints of crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, ketchup, and BBQ sauce cost around 50¢ a jar, not to mention all of the fresh tomatoes we ate and are still enjoying! By the way, not only will you come away with a great price, but you’ll also be boosting your local economy.

One last note about saving money through canning. Sometimes I don’t really save money, which is why I gave that wishy-washy yes and no answer to my friend. Some of my recipes like my very special salsas and a few of my specialty jams are a little pricey to make. For example, our favorite salsa recipe costs about $2 per pint, even when everything is in season. Can I buy a pint of salsa at the store for $2? You betcha. However, and this is a big however, I cannot buy what I make for $2. I might not have saved any money overall, but I’ve made something of a quality that I couldn’t afford to purchase. Remember that when you’re comparing costs you need to compare quality, too.

Health

Another reason that I take the time to can food instead of purchasing it from the store is that I feel what I put up is a lot healthier than what my budget can afford. What I grow in the garden might not be certified organic, but it is grown using organic practices. Many of the U-Pick farms have forgone the USDA Organic certification, but they still use organic growing practices. I can confidently put up produce that I know isn’t laced with pesticides and fertilizers.

On the off chance that the growing practices are in question like when I buy a case or two of something from the produce stand and I don’t know the farm, I know that I’ve cleaned that produce thoroughly.

I also control the quantity of the ingredients going into the jars. Although sugar activates the pectin in jams and acts as a preservative, I can use a low- or no-sugar pectin that drastically reduces the amount of sugar in the recipe. Most of the time, salt is an optional additive that can be eliminated completely. Obviously, I’m not going to have any chemical preservatives on hand. I don’t have to put anything in those jars that is unhealthy!

Finally, a quick note comparing like with like. Home canned food is put up in glass jars. Commercially canned food is put up in metal cans. Although incidences of lead poisoning from the cans from days of old are long gone, the canning process and the metals used in the process are still under question with new problems surfacing in the news regularly. I’ll stick with my easily sterilized glass jars, thank you very much.

An Eye on Emergencies

I live in Florida. Every year, from June to November, we Floridians keep an eye on the radar, watching for hurricanes crossing the Atlantic. We stock up on jugs of water and canned goods that don’t need refrigeration.

When we first moved to Florida, I was paranoid about hurricanes and our daily summer thunderstorms scared the bejeezus out of me. After a few years of barely even a flicker of the lights, I stopped worrying and only half-heartedly filled our emergency supplies bin for the summer.

Then we were hit by five hurricanes one right after another one summer. And again the next summer. This was at a time when I kept the freezer stocked instead of the shelves. Five days without power and 90°F to 100°F temperatures everyday quickly and permanently changed my attitude.

Hands down, nothing beats the taste of fresh fruits and vegetables, but frozen definitely beats out canned any day. There’s a crispness and freshness that freezing maintains that canning just isn't able to match. However, canned beats spoiled by a long shot. We lost so much food that year, it was heartbreaking. Now, if the power goes out for too long, I can even pull out the camp stove and put up what’s in my freezer if I necessary! Yes, even the meat.

Thanks for stopping by! I was not raised by a mother who canned. My mother was very talented in the kitchen, making dinner every night from scratch, but drew the line at canning. I love seeing this almost forgotten art returning to our kitchens!

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Betty

PS. Because I just can't resist a little play on words: I can because I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!

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