http://www.care2.com/greenliving/home-cannings-hot.html
Home Canning is Hot
Home canning is getting its close-up, a revival that was bound to happen eventually. It’s funny how trends sneak up. I began to think about canning as I gravitated more and more toward a local diet. I would eye the mountains of August heirloom tomatoes on my counter and wonder how possibly will I ever live without tomatoes in the winter? “Put some up” I’d hear myself saying, although I know nothing about canning. Slowly friends would start telling me about their adventures in canning, and soon I realized, yes, this is becoming a trend.
And I’d venture to say that the trend became official a few weeks ago with the publication of the article, “Fresh Vegetables, by the Jarful,” in the New York Times. According to the story, home food preservation is enjoying a renaissance due to “increasing food costs, concerns about food safety, green sensibilities and a new appreciation of all things natural. Numbers are hard to come by, but Elizabeth L. Andress, project director of the National Center for Home Food Preservation in Athens, Ga., has noticed a definite surge in interest. She estimated that calls to the center had risen 25 percent in recent months.” So there you go, canning’s hot.
Now I have to admit, I am deeply attracted to the idea of canning. But with no farm mom to have shown me the ropes, terms like Clostridium botulinum leave me a little wary. That said, I have a friend who is a canning expert of sorts, and she assures me it is easy as pie. Essentially, you just sterilize the jars, fill them up, wipe them down, and boil them for a certain amount of time. Sounds good to me. Poking around a bit, I ended up at Ball (jar producer) Web site–where I stumbled upon this step-by-step tutorial on home canning. So with that in hand, wish me luck. I am going to buy as many heirloom tomatoes as my totes will tote this weekend and the greenmarket, and hop on this trend before it’s too late (meaning when tomato season is over and I’m crying in my kale and potatoes).
Do any of you have experience in preserving food? I’d love to hear about you adventures in canning–leave your comments below.
For detailed information on canning, including methods and recipes, visit National Center for Food Preservation. The site also has comprehensive information about how to preserve food by freezing, drying, curing and smoking, fermenting, and pickling.
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22 comments
add your comment »I have been canning for most of my life. When I was little, I used to help my grandmother can her summer harvest, and when I grew up I began to can my own spaghetti sauce. I now can not only that but jams and jellies. I have not yet tried pickles, but I plan to this year. I have been collecting canning recipes for many years, and I have recently written an ebook with 120 home canning recipes. You can view it here: http://www.green-living-healthy-home.com/canning-recipes-ebook2.html
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One more comment from Janie.....!!! If anyone lives in the Oxford, Michigan area, I teach 2 classes on canning (Canning 101 and Gourmet Dinner Canning). If you're interested, email me at growinggreen2009-newsletter@yahoo.com and I'll send you the latest newsletter with the class schedule....
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Another comment on the Pressure Cooker (also known as [aka] Pressure Canner) or the boiling method (called a water bath). This varies by food type whether you need to pressure cook or not. Anything with meat MUST be done in a pressure cooker. Most jams and jellies can be done in a hot water bath. Most pickles, resishes and sauces can be done in a hot water bath. Most fruits (including tomatos) can be done in a hot water bath. Most greens (like beans, kale, spinich) need a pressure cooker. The FAR AND AWAY BEST source is from the BALL [jar] company. They have an 8 1/2 x 11 size soft-cover book that is GREAT. It is called the Blue Book and can generally be found near where you buy canning jars at this time of year. I know Meijers has it, Krogers did too (I think). Anyway, it's about $8-9 and is all you'll ever need on the subject. It has recipes, fabulous picture-directions, how-to, when-to, what-to. It also has a small section on Freezing and drying.
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I have been canning for years. It is a very time consuming process (which I think is why people stopped doing it), but it is enjoyable. As long as you practice SAFE canning practices, it's also a very healthy way to preserve food. REMEMBER: When you can, you're not just making ONE meal. You're making things that can last months or even years in some cases, so the time you spend is really negligible in the long run. I can a lot of meals like stews and meaty soups (you have to have pressure cooker for these). Then, on nights when I don't feel like cooking, I open up a large jar of yummy stew and in 10 minutes, dinner is done..... Here again --- the time it takes to do it up front is more than conpensated for with how long you have and can use what you produce.
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I'm new to this. Do you have to have a pressure cooker/canner to can food? If not, how else can I complete the final "Process" stage as described on Ball's Freshpreserving.com site that involves the pressure cooker/canner. For example: http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/all_recipes/215.php?recipe=39&recipID=193&catID=
Thanks!
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I have icanning for most of my life. I started as a child in my Granmother"s kichen. Any one who is just staring, should go to the USDA wbsite and download their complete guide to home canning. I used it as a refresher course when I began home canning again in the 70's and I just downloaded their most recent edition. I also recommend the Ball Blue Book of canning. These two are the best reference material for anyone who wants to can.
http://green-living-health-home.com/home-canning.html
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Sorry for posting twice. I am new and thought it did not post the first time.
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I just started because of an interest in eating healthier. I am concerned that the high heat of the canning process will actually reduce the nutritional (vitamin and mineral) content of the food. Does anyone know?
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I have become interested because of wanting to eat healthier. But I am unsure if the high heat of the canning process ends up reducing the nutritional content of food. Does anyone know?
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My grandmother was a canner although I didn't take up her interest. Too bad for me now because I'm not educated on it. I should have listened to my dear old granny! Those canned peaches look yummy.
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