When I first got married I had no interest in canning food, nor did I really know too much about it. I later became interested in making some jam, so I followed the recipe on the box of pectin. I tried making some applesauce and canning some tomato puree, which did not end well because I wasn't aware of safe canning practices.
Slowly, over the span of several years, I learned more about the different types of canning (water bath and pressure canning), what foods need what method to be safe, which produce is good for canning and which ends up mushy. I began to experiment with recipe development for low sugar jams and jellies. It was really fun to spend time in the kitchen, canning some fruit (mainly peaches!), tomatoes, and jams; it became a hobby but nothing more. I learned how to distinguish safe recipes online from potentially unsafe, and which sources could be trusted as accurate. I began giving jams and spreads as gifts and people loved it.
In 2020, like some of you perhaps, I began to become more aware of my food supply chain. Since 2013 I had grown vegetables on a small scale, just enough to enjoy fresh and maybe freeze the extra. But I became determined as we moved in summer 2020, to grow even more, with the intent to preserve it. I mainly focused on growing tomatoes to can later, as well as beans to dry or freeze, and cucumbers to pickle. I can't recall how many jars of produce I ended up with, but it felt good to have a little extra stocked up for winter. I also felt a lot of pride, in a good way, although maybe satisfaction is a better word, about being able to eat what I grew! Plus, it was good for the budget since I saved my own seeds to replant, and didn't have to buy as much produce out of season.
When I planned to can more food I decided to store the jars on the bottom 2 shelves of a cabinet in the dining room. Pictured above is 45 of my 100 jar goal, which I set for myself when I turned 30 in 2020. Eventually I outgrew this space and began to use some shelves in my basement. This was August 2022 that I realized I needed more space. I didn't have any idea how much, so I planned to use a shelving unit in the basement for both my canning supplies and finished jars. Pictured below is how the area looked when I realized I would need more space. Up until August 2022 it was enough.
Several years ago I expressed interest in learning to can, so my in laws bought me a wonderful pressure canner. However, I was too scared to use it until 2022. Previously I only used a water bath canner, so I was pretty limited in what I could process. I didn't love the water bath method because it uses so much water and takes a long time. In 2021 I learned about steam canning, which is safe to do for all water bath recipes, and my husband bought me a steam canner for our anniversary in 2021. This allowed me to can all kinds of fruits, juices, and tomatoes in a much faster way.
When I finally began to use my pressure canner, I realized it was not safe to use on my stove top, since it is a glass top. Some pressure canners are safe to use on ceramic or glass top but this one isn't. Thankfully I was able to use an outdoor propane burner and it worked just fine! In August 2022 I pressure canned some homegrown corn and later beans, both of which were grown in my garden. Once I got the hang of pressure canning, I realized I could make so many meals in jars! Soups, stews, chili, even plain meat! My husband surprised me with a new pressure canner that is designed for smooth topped stoves! I was so excited because that meant I could can any time of day, in any weather, because I didn't have to go outside. Canning outdoors in the heat or wind is not ideal for me, so my gift has allowed me to be canning all year long! Pictured below is the basement area I started to claim for food storage. Previously it was mainly for miscellaneous items, but I needed the space! This is November 2022, with 187 jars of food.
Honestly, it is a lot of work to plant a lot of vegetable seeds, tend to the gardens, harvest everything, and then can it for later. It's also a lot of work and time consuming to watch the grocery store flyers for sales on seasonal produce that I can't grow (such as pineapple, peaches, and cranberries), but want to buy and preserve. Many, many times I've complained to my husband how it doesn't seem worth the effort. Why am I spending all day cooking and canning 4 litres worth of beef chili? Why did I purchase so many pounds of peaches, and can 25 litres when I could just buy frozen any time of year? I answered these questions for myself recently...first of all, having ready made meals was so amazing when I was very sick this past fall season. I felt awful and had no energy for most of October and November, but thankfully we had lots of delicious meals my husband could quickly open and heat up after work. Speaking of peaches specifically: they are one of my favourite fruits but the growing season is pretty short. We can't grow them in my area but when they are shipped up from Southern Ontario I make sure to buy lots because the price is really good. I have been drinking more smoothies lately and am so thankful to have litres and litres of canned peaches ready to use.
My husband and I try to eat seasonally as much as possible, and to only buy produce that is grown in Canada (preferably Ontario). Of course, some things like oranges will never grow here so if we want them, we buy them any time of year. Being able to can strawberries in July, peaches in August, and pineapple in the winter gives us a much more varied diet.
At times I wonder if it's really cost effective to be canning so much. When my friends and family began to comment on rising grocery prices I decided to start saving my receipts from each of my trips to compare with prices in the future. Honestly, I didn't really notice an increase on the items I was buying, although butter was getting pricey. I did however realize that I was actually spending less on groceries when others were facing higher and higher costs. How can this be? Well, I truly believe it is because we had so much home canned food to eat, so we didn't need to purchase as much! Of course, I spend a fair bit up front for the seasonal produce but we budget for me to be able to do that.
In addition to having food security and saving money, canning is just a fun thing I enjoy doing! There is a real sense of accomplishment looking at my jars of food. When I want to make a meal I can go down to my basement, into my little grocery store. I fill up my basket with jars, be that chicken soup or several jars of different vegetables to compliment some game meat my husband has in his freezer. The food tastes better and is more enjoyable too. In the photo down below you can see I did take over all the shelves! Right now I use a few for other kitchen tools not related to canning but those will be moved soon. I took this photo in February 2024, after reorganizing from date to type of food in the jars. This is a much better system for us! It looks like it is kind of sparse, but that is because we have been eating from the jars all winter!
Let me close by saying I'm, not an expert or a pro or anything like that. I'm still learning, and I'm open to instruction and advice from others who have more experience. If you have been wanting to start canning but are afraid, or don't know where to start, my suggestion is to just go for it. Check out some canning books from the library, or find some trusted sources online (I'll link my faves below). Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I hope you are encouraged by it!
Bernardin
Ball
Healthy Canning
Melissa K Norris
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