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Have you ever thought of doing your own canning? Does it seem like too much work with little return? I have been canning some of my own food for the past 15 years. I grew up helping my mother but I didn’t start my own canning until I had a family myself. My first product to can was whole tomatoes and I still do them. Over the years I gradually added other things in like dill pickles, pickled beets, peaches, and grape juice. And now my daughters help me and are learning from me what I learned from my mom. The cycle goes on.
Quality and Taste
Many bought canned goods are the bottom of the barrel so to speak. When you can your own fruits or vegetables you can choose the quality you desire. Even the seconds of home grown peaches or tomatoes from my favorite farmer, are much nicer than what is sold in most grocery stores. And when you start with flavorful fresh produce, they continue to be flavorful and delicious canned as well.
Cost
The biggest cost in canning is time. You will save more jar for jar when you can your own produce or even can your own bought produce. I rarely grow enough to can my own vegetables (and I don’t grow any fruit). But I buy seconds for canning and have jars I invested in years ago, so I am saving significantly each year when I do my own canning.
Vitamins
Since I buy fresh produce and can it fairly quickly after purchase, I know that vitamins are being retained in my canning. I don’t know what happens in the commercial situation. Also I don’t have to add the amounts of salt and sugar that many commercial companies add. I have more control over the vitamins and health in my food as a result.
Opportunity for community
I often have canned over the years with friends or family. I learned to can with my mother growing up and have been teaching my daughters as they grow. I also have had opportunity to can with several friends over the years. People often ask me how to can and my answer usually involves coming over to can with me. It is much easier to teach by doing than explain everything, especially if someone has not done it before. Those have been some really fun times with friends.
Satisfaction of doing your own canning
It is such a good feeling to look at your shelves and see these lovely jars of canned goods. The dill pickles are a lovely green, the tomatoes a vibrant red, the peaches a sunny yellow. Standing together on the shelf they are a beautiful sight. Plus there is the good feeling of knowing I have put together healthy tasty produce for my family when it is not available fresh here in Pennsylvania.
Resources for getting started
It is easy to find basic resources for canning. You can buy jars and lids at many hardware stores, Walmart, or online. My favorite canning book is the Ball Book of Canning, which has recipes for everything you could want. I only do waterbath canning (pressure canning is a more complicated option) and had a conventional canner that lasted me 15 years. Recently it got a hole in it so I ordered a stainless steel canner from Amazon which I am very pleased with.
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