Canning Foods

Canning foods is a fun, safe and nutritious way to preserve your food and your entire family can get involved. Canning is more work than freezing food, but the resulting food is shelf stable. The canned food does not need to be thawed out or cooked to eat. Just as you should diversify your financial investments, you should diversify your food stocks as well. Check out our food storage page for ideas.

You really do not need very many supplies for canning food. The ones that you do need might be a bit of an investment, but well worth the money you put into them. You need to learn this skill before it will become absolutely necessary in a survival situation. However, as you are learning, you will be filling your pantry with healthy foods that you prepared yourself.

Canning has been done for generations, but has become a lost art in many places because of the convenience of grocery stores. Canning foods is an enjoyable activity and once you learn how to do it, you can have preservative-free vegetables, fruits and juices year round. The four main supplies you will need for canning foods include a canner, jars, lids and rings. We have been able to purchase most of our canning jars at local thrift stores and yard sales, so keep an eye out for them. Lids and rings you must purchase new, but there are places online that you can buy them in bulk. Ebay is one of those places. You will want to start stocking up well on lids and rings because the lids especially can only be used once.

There are two kinds of canners used for different types of foods; pressure canners and water bath canners. Pressure canners are used to can foods at higher temperatures. They are better for lower acid foods like meat, poultry, beans, corn and carrots. Water bath canners work right at the boiling point of water and are better for higher acid foods such as fruits and jellies. When you can food you are heating it to the point where microorganisms are killed and enzymes are inactivated.

Canning must be done properly to avoid making anyone seriously ill. Make sure you find a good book or someone to mentor you in your home canning adventure. We've listed some good books below on the kiosk.

You do not have to grow your own veggies to can, although it is better since you know how they were grown and such, but, buying fresh produce from a farmer’s market or grocery store will work wonderfully for canning. Canning fresh produce will always be better than buying can foods that are high in sodium and preservatives. Have you ever compared a regular canned green bean to freshly cooked beans? The color difference is huge, but the flavor difference is amazing! Green peas out of a can are gray and disgusting, but fresh peas are brilliant green and you can just tell by looking at them that they are full of life-giving nutrients.

As we said before, diversify your food stocks. Have a rotation system for can goods, because regardless of the difference in food quality, it is good to have some on hand for emergencies. Can as much fresh produce in jars and keep them stored in a cool dark place. Have a victory garden Also consider drying some of your fruit. Freeze some as well.

We hope your journey into canning is enjoyable as well as rewarding.

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