Canning, should I do it or not?

[RoughCollie]

I have always wanted to can fruits and vegetables. It is one of those things I daydream about.

 

I know that my vision of what this is like is straight from reading books -- reality does not enter into it very much. This may be like when I wanted to be a farmer until I realized that there are bugs, excrement, and hard labor involved, and that I could not bathe all the animals every day to keep them fresh and clean, and I would probably have to grow their food, and someday, they would get eaten.

 

Is canning cost-effective or will it raise my grocery bill?

 

How do I figure out how many quart jars of everything I will need to make it from fall to summer for a family of 6 adults?

 

I plan to use a pressure canner. I might even try canning meat.

 

I would get the produce from local farmers, and it would cost me about what it would in the grocery store. The farm stands and markets are not cheaper.

 

Originally I thought about having a garden, but my last one yielded a bumper crop of one zucchini and 5 green beans. The lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, etc., never got past the sprouting stage. I don't know why because I did everything the square foot gardening book said to do. Gardening turned out not to be as fun and rewarding as it is in books.

 

So, my vision is that I will have many shelves of quart jars full of beautiful jam, fruits, vegetables, spaghetti sauce, etc., that would sparkle in the sunshine if my basement weren't underground. It is a beautiful sight, in my mind's eye.

 

What about the work part though? My daydream skips from the making a list and buying the supplies part right to the laden shelves.

 

What is the *work* of canning food really like?

[justamouse]

Yes, do it. I have a pressure canner too.

 

Do it, do it, do it.

 

It's addictive.

 

Just do it.

[T'smom]

Well, you could always ask around your friends and see if someone knows how and would come over and teach you. Even if it does end up being hard work, you'd have a day with a friend! (I have a couple of friends that just got together and made strawberry jam and they had a great time.)

[JessicaLady]

I taught myself to can but a friend of mine went to a class (tonight) at a local organic farm and they taught her how to make pickles. They provided her with the ingredients she had to bring her own jars. This would be a great way to start.

 

Teaching myself has had success and failures but I sooooo love it!!!!

 

It's addictive but relaxing. I enjoy every step. They hardest part is keeping little hands out of my stuff during the steps.

[emeraldjoy]

Maybe start out slowly, with some jams and fruits.....to see sort of what you are getting into. I really think you will love it, someone just said it is addicting, I tend to agree....but......it is hard work.

[LaxMom]

Yes, do it! Unless you don't care for canned veggies. Then, canning leads to pantry hostility.

 

Local farmers here do give you a break on bulk produce, but you have to ask for canning tomatoes, a full case of corn, etc. Ours will also give you a better price (or free) if you do the end of season field gleaning.

[UmMusa]

You really cracked me up because you sounded just like me in your first post! Same farm dreams, similarly squashed. Similare aspirations and failures in my garden. Last year I tried, for the first time, to make jelly and can it. I didn't use a pressure canner, just a big pot of boiling water. If you have some mental energy to spare, then give it a shot. I am glad I tried it, but since it was new I know it took more time than it could/should. I'm going to give it a shot again this year with the same fruit (b/c it grows like crazy on my dad's tree) and I'll see if I am better at it.

 

Downside: you need to clear your kitchen of stuff to have room for prepping the food, cooking it, and THEN canning it. You need time and space to clean the jars before you can, then of course after. It takes some time, but why not give it a shot. Ultimately I decided I'm not dedicated enough to do it enough to actually be frugal or efficient. It's just for fun.

[mom4him]

I have always wanted to can fruits and vegetables. It is one of those things I daydream about.

 

I know that my vision of what this is like is straight from reading books -- reality does not enter into it very much. This may be like when I wanted to be a farmer until I realized that there are bugs, excrement, and hard labor involved, and that I could not bathe all the animals every day to keep them fresh and clean, and I would probably have to grow their food, and someday, they would get eaten.

 

Is canning cost-effective or will it raise my grocery bill?

 

How do I figure out how many quart jars of everything I will need to make it from fall to summer for a family of 6 adults?

 

I plan to use a pressure canner. I might even try canning meat.

 

I would get the produce from local farmers, and it would cost me about what it would in the grocery store. The farm stands and markets are not cheaper.

 

Originally I thought about having a garden, but my last one yielded a bumper crop of one zucchini and 5 green beans. The lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, etc., never got past the sprouting stage. I don't know why because I did everything the square foot gardening book said to do. Gardening turned out not to be as fun and rewarding as it is in books.

 

So, my vision is that I will have many shelves of quart jars full of beautiful jam, fruits, vegetables, spaghetti sauce, etc., that would sparkle in the sunshine if my basement weren't underground. It is a beautiful sight, in my mind's eye.

 

What about the work part though? My daydream skips from the making a list and buying the supplies part right to the laden shelves.

 

What is the *work* of canning food really like?

Well, I did a couple of yrs. I grew tomatoes and peppers and had a friend give me apples. We canned enough tomatoe sause and salsa to last the year and enough apple sauce that lasted about 9 months.

 

If you have the energy go for it, if you are low on energy as I am many days I would not go into it very big.

 

Another one of our problems was everything was ready to be processed right at the time when we were supposed to be settling into our school routine. I simply didn't have the energy to do both. Two yrs was it.

 

I have to admit I loved going down stairs and seeing all of the fruits of our labor. It was very rewarding.

[cjzimmer1]

I've only done canning in water bath and not pressure cooking but here's my thoughts. First if you don't own any canning jars, start asking around, especially older people, check craig's list, freecycle etc. Between my mother and MIL's castoffs, I have more jars than I will ever use. You will have to check for chips in the jars but you would have to do that anyways and it will save you a lot of money over buying new jars. Not many people can anymore so most people are willing to give them to anyone who will take them away.

 

You will need to buy lids and possibly rings but that can be done relatively cheaply.

 

I currently only do applesauce and tomatoes and while I definitely save money on applesauce, I'm not sure I do on tomatoes (since I normally would buy the large 100+ oz cans from Sam's for less than $3.00), however, the taste is so superior to what you would buy in the store that the effort is worth it even if it doesn't save money.

 

The canning itself isn't hard (just time-consuming), the biggest thing is to make sure everything is clean (especially the rims of your jars before putting on the lid so you get a good seal) and that you have good instructions. The Ball canning book is a good place for basic information on lots of different things. Our local library has a copy of it so it's easy to read it now and can a feel for it before you do it for real(just make sure it's a recent copy - say less than 5 years old, since safe practice standards have changed over time). www.pickyourown.org also has lots of up-to date instructions to help someone learning the ropes.

 

Because I hate chopping and pealing my produce, I have one of these

http://www.amazon.com/B2B-Food-Strainer-Sauce-Maker/dp/B000I4Y4PK

It's not necessary but it does save me lots of time. My kids have to take turns "running" it because everyone wants to help with this part of it. The down side is that everything I make is more of a sauce texture but it works for us since that's the texture I want 95% of the time. But you could do chunk tomatoes if you want to cut them up by hand.

 

BUt I would ask around and see if a friend is canning. Watching someone in action the first time is really helpful before stepping out on your own.

[matilda]

Start with something that you know you will love, and is in season when you want to start canning. Jams are an easy thing to start with. I have pressure canned meat and potatoes and it was quite a bit of work, but I love having it one hand. Now, when I don't want to run to the store, I just look at what I have in the pantry.

 

Canning is not cheap. The one time that I calculated the cost of my jars of applesauce, they were $4 per jar. My dh compares it to the $15 tomatoes that I grow in the garden - by the time I buy the plant, the fertilizer, the awesome tomato cage that I just saw . . . they aren't cheap any more.

 

As for how much to store, you could google "food storage" or "food storage calculator" to get an idea of what you need. My favorite general food storage guru is Wendy Dewitt.

[elise1mds]

I see that you live in PA, so this might not be as big a factor, but canning is HOT work. Between the stove being on all day, the boiling water (the canner itself plus any water you need for simmering lids and scalding tomatoes), and the fact that you feel like you never stop moving... I feel like I might as well sit in a sauna!

 

The reward is awesome, though. My kids refuse to eat store salsa any more and hate when we run out of home-canned tomatoes. They look forward to going down to the local peach grower and picking out a bushel so they can help me make preserves and canned peaches. They love helping me pick the blackberries to make jam. I haven't ever done pressure canning, though. I freeze any green beans we don't manage to eat fresh and don't really grow any other veggies that'd be worth canning. :)

[Lovemyblessings]

I can almost everything I safely can get away with. I have saved up jars over the years and every year I buy 2 or 3 dozen new. I keep about 800-1000 jars in my rotation. Canning is fun and inexpensive if you grow your own garden or go to a U-pick farm (which is what we do). We can get every produce item we want from a cluster of farms nearby. Canning is fun- especially pickling. Yum!

[PeterPan]

You know the problem with canning is that you only do it once a year. So about the time you really get in the swing of whatever you're putting up, you're done for another year, only to forget how you did it. So for me, that's the annoying part, remembering how I did everything, dragging everything out, getting my stuff set-up. But once you're going, it's no biggee. Pressure and waterbath are both good, so don't close your options there. Just get the Blue Book and do whatever it says.

 

I've canned meat and don't bother anymore. I did tomatoes last year, and they were SO much better than store, I definitely want to do that again. I think my FIL, bless his soul, planted 45 tomato plants for us this year! :) And after reading the posts here, I'm thinking we should try pickles. But really, start with one thing. Next year will come again. I personally don't like most things canned (no fruit, no green beans). So I would just can things you already like that way. Jam is fun.

[Sara in AZ]

Canning is so much more fun without babies and toddlers underfoot. Looks to me like you're in the right stage of life for it. Have a blast!

[....]

Hi! I do some canning, too! I've made several batches of strawberry and strawberry-raspberry jam...I've canned some fruit...grapefruit (those can well and are awesome!). I use the old-fashioned water bath method. ;)

 

Canning IS addictive. It's a lot of fun and a good way to preserve fruit you can buy in bulk (like grapefruit-lol). There are tons of recipes and websites online and some stuff on you-tube. Also, some recipes are pectin-free - like strawberry jam, which makes it easier to cook.

 

The jam we've made has been awesome. One batch made 6 jars of jam from a bag of frozen strawberries.

 

This just reminded me, I'm out of lids!!

[MariannNOVA]

I think you should try it. I've never done it. I watched a friend make pickles many many years ago -- it was interesting. I don't see myself doing it, but it intrigues me. I am mmore the 'complicated recipe' type.

 

I am sure you can guess the likelihood that I would ever attempt canning or preserving -- my focus these days is on preserving my face and can. :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

[chickenpatty]

We're in the throes of canning green beans right now. We grow a lot of our own veggies. If I was purchasing the veggies at a normal price, I would not can them - it's not worth the effort. Not that it's all that hard, but there are other things I could be doing instead. Plus, you have the cost of the jars & lids. Now that we've been canning for several years, all we need to buy are lids, so it really is cost effective when we're canning the stuff we grow ourselves. It is very satisfying, too.

[fairfarmhand]

start with jams and jellies to see if you like it.

 

They are pretty easy (just follow the directions on the pectin box, for jelly you don't even have to use fruit, just purchase fruit juice) and you don't have to have a pressure canner for that.

 

(BTW if you have a glass topped stove, research your canner carefully)

[livingnlearning]

I would suggest starting with some fruits and pickles-they're reasonably easy and safe to do and it will give you an idea of what you're getting in to. Pickled green beans, asparagus, cukes, carrots, jams, jellies, syrups (ie-the jelly that didn't set up ;)) are all fun and easy to do.

 

I don't know WHY it's addictive but it is! You never saw such a hot mess in your kitchen as when you're canning... I cook all winter on a wood cook stove, just like the old days, but in the late summer when I'm using the gas stove for canning I sincerely thank God that I don't have to try to CAN on the wood cook stove!

 

I vastly prefer to freeze vegies. Jars are expensive and I think it's cheaper and a better product to freeze the vegies. I also feel just a little safer knowing that pickled and sugared products are less likely to go bad. I've done salsa and it was fine but I get a little paranoid.

[G5052]

Last year I did applesauce and jams in my big stockpot, and we loved it. Once you get the hang of it, it can be a lot of fun.

 

This year I bought a pressure canner and will add beans and tomatoes.

 

We garden and have lots of you-pick-um farms close by, so my canning ends up costing below or close to grocery store prices with much better quality. If I got produce from farmer's markets or the grocery store, it would not be as cost effective for me.

[FaithManor]

It is not cost effective in the first year or two when you incur all of the start-up costs and you will want a pressure canner as many foods are low acid. But, after year number two, the cost just keeps going down because all you have to buy are new lids. You can save the rings so long as they aren't misshappen or too rusted to tighten down.

 

I've been canning for years and I have a presto double stacking canner so I can do 7 qts, 14 pints, or 21 half-pints at one time. It's a time saver! I bought it on Amazon three years ago for $85.00 with free shipping. Previous to that, I was doing a huge amount of canning with a small canner.

 

Since lids cost 14 cents each in our area, I rarely need to replace jars (I have 500 jars most of which were picked up at garage sales and resale stores at a cost of around 35 cents each), we grow a lot of the food or purchase it from a local Amish farmer at very reasonable prices, I'd say that my investment has paid off quite handsomely! So, I no longer figure the cost of the jar or ring into the estimated value of my final product, just the lid. I also do not even attempt to put a price on my time. It is not cost effective if you consider the montetary value of your efforts. It's something you have to do because you want to preserve fresh, healthfully grown food for your family.

 

I can most of my green beans in pints and even if I have a poor green bean crop and have to buy some, it comes down to about 30 cents a pint. I pack my jars tightly. So, I get a far more green beans for my pint than I can purchased in a canned commercial brand.

 

Pinto beans - I don't grow. I buy these organically raised and dried from a Mennonite bulk food store. Cost per pint - 35 cents. Same for navy beans and kidney beans. You'd be surprised how much you get from a bag of dried beans...those things seriously swell up!

 

Tomtatoes - my parents and dh grow all that we need and dad starts the plants from seed so the cost is practically negligible. I'd have to peg it at maybe 15 cents per quart jar since we buy higher end organic, hybrid tomato seeds. I make mine into spaghetti and salsa using a store bought seasoning pack that normally runs less than $3.00 per packet and makes 7-9 pints or 4-5 quarts...actually probably less because for the salsa because we like a mild salsa here and so I double the amount of tomatoes called for....probably comes out to 25 cents per pint. The spaghetti sauce I do similarly only I don't double the tomatoes, I increase by 1/3. I'd have to guess it at around 45 cents a quart.

 

We don't have any peach trees. I buy a bushel at the Amish market for $19.00 and can it in both pints and quarts. If the whole family wants a few peaches with milk/cream, then we open a quart. I get about, depending on the size and quality of the peaches, twelve pints and four quarts from that bushel. I don't make a syrup because I don't like all of that sugar which is essentially being used as a preservative. I put a tsp of honey and hot water in each pint jar or tbsp of honey in each quart. Honey is a natural anti-bacterial so it has worked out fine and the peaches are heavenly.

 

I buy boneless chicken breast, raised without growth hormones and antibiotics as well as humanely, but not organic because I can't afford it, and can it for fast meals. It's divine! It takes a 1/2 lb. - 3/4 lb. chunked and browned to fill the jar and then I put garlic, onion, and one cube of my favorite natural bullion in the jar with the hot water. I can thicken this into gravy and serve over mashed potatoes in the winter and as long as I serve enough veggies and fruits, I can get away with opening only one jar for my family of six...though typically only five are eating it because of dd's bizzare schedule. I pay $1.79 a pound for the chicken if I buy at least 20 lbs. It is much less than any canned chicken at the store.

 

I usually can venison though dh doesn't hunt. We have a friend that does and will get one doe per year for us. He charges us $50.00 and it comes to me chunked in bags and ready to can. I buy a couple of packages of stew beef to mix with it. It gets browned in butter, olive oil, and onion and then mixed with a little bit of the beef. Canning it this way takes all of the game flavor out of it so my family will eat it. It's very cheap if the doe is good sized. If I didn't purchase the stew beef, it would probably come out to less than a $1.00 per pint jar.

 

I also make applesauce. My trees are not yet producing, so I have to purchase apples at $20.00 a bushel. Applesauce really cooks down so it probably isn't cost effective compared to the off brand at the supermarket. But, I am getting premo apples and the trees, though not organic, have not been sprayed with pesticides.

 

That is my list. Everything else I dehydrate because it takes up less space and there is less processing.

 

My dehydration list:

Apple chips

Banana chips

Apricots (if they go one sale - they tend to be expensive)

blueberries

strawberries (trying this for the first time this year)

grape tomatoes

red and green bell pepper - lots and lots of this, we love it!

leeks

onions

celery

and sometimes mushrooms

 

I freeze corn on the cob, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

 

Last year, I did not buy very much in the produce department from harvest until April. My pantry is almost barren and so I'm going to make a super-human effort to do more this season. I loved being able to feed my family off the pantry shelves and knowing that the winter blizzards could come and go and it wouldn't matter. Now that I'm having to buy again, I feel sort of downcast. Our Amish farmer doesn't have his market open yet and so I'm buying from the supermarket...it tastes terrible. The garden is not producing anything yet. I am having a sad produce depression! :lol:

 

Faith

[Ann.without.an.e]

Jams and tomatoes are easy and you don't need a pressure canner for those. You will need a pressure canner for meats and low acid foods (green beans, potatoes, carrots, etc). I bought a bushel of peaches once and those were the most difficult things ever. Do not start with peaches ;) You will surely quit.

[MariannNOVA]

<covering my ears> la, la, la, la, la, la

 

 

I am so intrigued -- I SO do not want to even try this, well, I do, but I don't. :leaving:

[MariannNOVA]

Jams and tomatoes are easy and you don't need a pressure canner for those. You will need a pressure canner for meats and low acid foods (green beans, potatoes, carrots, etc). I bought a bushel of peaches once and those were the most difficult things ever. Do not start with peaches ;) You will surely quit.

 

 

:lol::lol::lol: First thing I thought of was PEACHES! Thank you for the advice -- I'll just make peach cobbler.:001_smile:

[Truscifi]

Give it a try! I agree with pp, try jams first, they are pretty simple. Also, some farmer's markets and produce stands give a discount if you buy a case at a time. I buy tomatoes the owner of my produce stand deems flawed, for example, for $8 per 25lb case - they are still good, but may have a soft spot or blemish or be a little overripe. I just plan it so I pick them up in the morning and process them same day. Even including the cost of electricity, lids, jars, etc it is still cheaper to can my own at that price. Plus I know exactly what is in it.

[MariannNOVA]

It is not cost effective in the first year or two when you incur all of the start-up costs and you will want a pressure canner as many foods are low acid. But, after year number two, the cost just keeps going down because all you have to buy are new lids. You can save the rings so long as they aren't misshappen or too rusted to tighten down.

 

I've been canning for years and I have a presto double stacking canner so I can do 7 qts, 14 pints, or 21 half-pints at one time. It's a time saver! I bought it on Amazon three years ago for $85.00 with free shipping. Previous to that, I was doing a huge amount of canning with a small canner.

 

Since lids cost 14 cents each in our area, I rarely need to replace jars (I have 500 jars most of which were picked up at garage sales and resale stores at a cost of around 35 cents each), we grow a lot of the food or purchase it from a local Amish farmer at very reasonable prices, I'd say that my investment has paid off quite handsomely! So, I no longer figure the cost of the jar or ring into the estimated value of my final product, just the lid. I also do not even attempt to put a price on my time. It is not cost effective if you consider the montetary value of your efforts. It's something you have to do because you want to preserve fresh, healthfully grown food for your family.

 

I can most of my green beans in pints and even if I have a poor green bean crop and have to buy some, it comes down to about 30 cents a pint. I pack my jars tightly. So, I get a far more green beans for my pint than I can purchased in a canned commercial brand.

 

Pinto beans - I don't grow. I buy these organically raised and dried from a Mennonite bulk food store. Cost per pint - 35 cents. Same for navy beans and kidney beans. You'd be surprised how much you get from a bag of dried beans...those things seriously swell up!

 

Tomtatoes - my parents and dh grow all that we need and dad starts the plants from seed so the cost is practically negligible. I'd have to peg it at maybe 15 cents per quart jar since we buy higher end organic, hybrid tomato seeds. I make mine into spaghetti and salsa using a store bought seasoning pack that normally runs less than $3.00 per packet and makes 7-9 pints or 4-5 quarts...actually probably less because for the salsa because we like a mild salsa here and so I double the amount of tomatoes called for....probably comes out to 25 cents per pint. The spaghetti sauce I do similarly only I don't double the tomatoes, I increase by 1/3. I'd have to guess it at around 45 cents a quart.

 

We don't have any peach trees. I buy a bushel at the Amish market for $19.00 and can it in both pints and quarts. If the whole family wants a few peaches with milk/cream, then we open a quart. I get about, depending on the size and quality of the peaches, twelve pints and four quarts from that bushel. I don't make a syrup because I don't like all of that sugar which is essentially being used as a preservative. I put a tsp of honey and hot water in each pint jar or tbsp of honey in each quart. Honey is a natural anti-bacterial so it has worked out fine and the peaches are heavenly.

 

I buy boneless chicken breast, raised without growth hormones and antibiotics as well as humanely, but not organic because I can't afford it, and can it for fast meals. It's divine! It takes a 1/2 lb. - 3/4 lb. chunked and browned to fill the jar and then I put garlic, onion, and one cube of my favorite natural bullion in the jar with the hot water. I can thicken this into gravy and serve over mashed potatoes in the winter and as long as I serve enough veggies and fruits, I can get away with opening only one jar for my family of six...though typically only five are eating it because of dd's bizzare schedule. I pay $1.79 a pound for the chicken if I buy at least 20 lbs. It is much less than any canned chicken at the store.

 

I usually can venison though dh doesn't hunt. We have a friend that does and will get one doe per year for us. He charges us $50.00 and it comes to me chunked in bags and ready to can. I buy a couple of packages of stew beef to mix with it. It gets browned in butter, olive oil, and onion and then mixed with a little bit of the beef. Canning it this way takes all of the game flavor out of it so my family will eat it. It's very cheap if the doe is good sized. If I didn't purchase the stew beef, it would probably come out to less than a $1.00 per pint jar.

 

I also make applesauce. My trees are not yet producing, so I have to purchase apples at $20.00 a bushel. Applesauce really cooks down so it probably isn't cost effective compared to the off brand at the supermarket. But, I am getting premo apples and the trees, though not organic, have not been sprayed with pesticides.

 

That is my list. Everything else I dehydrate because it takes up less space and there is less processing.

 

My dehydration list:

Apple chips

Banana chips

Apricots (if they go one sale - they tend to be expensive)

blueberries

strawberries (trying this for the first time this year)

grape tomatoes

red and green bell pepper - lots and lots of this, we love it!

leeks

onions

celery

and sometimes mushrooms

 

I freeze corn on the cob, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries.

 

Last year, I did not buy very much in the produce department from harvest until April. My pantry is almost barren and so I'm going to make a super-human effort to do more this season. I loved being able to feed my family off the pantry shelves and knowing that the winter blizzards could come and go and it wouldn't matter. Now that I'm having to buy again, I feel sort of downcast. Our Amish farmer doesn't have his market open yet and so I'm buying from the supermarket...it tastes terrible. The garden is not producing anything yet. I am having a sad produce depression! :lol:

 

Faith

 

:svengo: Now, I WILL have to try this. I'm upset with you.:D

[Truscifi]

Jams and tomatoes are easy and you don't need a pressure canner for those. You will need a pressure canner for meats and low acid foods (green beans, potatoes, carrots, etc). I bought a bushel of peaches once and those were the most difficult things ever. Do not start with peaches ;) You will surely quit.

 

Peaches get MUCH easier if you decide they will be okay with the skin on. :lol: It doesn't work for peach jam, but just canning peaches....

[Aspasia]

You really cracked me up because you sounded just like me in your first post! Same farm dreams, similarly squashed. Similare aspirations and failures in my garden. Last year I tried, for the first time, to make jelly and can it. I didn't use a pressure canner, just a big pot of boiling water. If you have some mental energy to spare, then give it a shot. I am glad I tried it, but since it was new I know it took more time than it could/should. I'm going to give it a shot again this year with the same fruit (b/c it grows like crazy on my dad's tree) and I'll see if I am better at it.

 

Downside: you need to clear your kitchen of stuff to have room for prepping the food, cooking it, and THEN canning it. You need time and space to clean the jars before you can, then of course after. It takes some time, but why not give it a shot. Ultimately I decided I'm not dedicated enough to do it enough to actually be frugal or efficient. It's just for fun.

 

I was going to say exactly this.

 

I love canning. I grew up with a hyper-canning mother so it has always been familiar, but it's super simple and you can easily learn it from a book. It's true that it's a lot of hard--HOT--work (I have to mentally gear up for a few days before I know I'm going to do it), but there are very few things as rewarding as a counter full of beautiful, freshly preserved food. I've even been known to take pictures of mine. :lol:

 

I was also going to suggest www.pickyourown.org. I used it to make a sort of you-pick calendar with the timing of the harvest for each food we're interested, along with the local farms that offer it. We love to go pick the food and can it. It's the closest we can get to my farming dream (which you can relate to:thumbup:) while living in a condo with an underwhelming little container garden.

 

Good luck!

[livingnlearning]

My grandma used to make pickled peaches by the half with skin on.. yum!

 

I used to be able to find jars at garage sales or given to me but since the economy tanked I can't find them inexpensively ANYWHERE.

[Aspasia]

Faith, where do you live? Where are these Amish farmers with such amazing prices? Are you in PA?

[MariannNOVA]

I was going to say exactly this.

 

I love canning. I grew up with a hyper-canning mother so it has always been familiar, but it's super simple and you can easily learn it from a book. It's true that it's a lot of hard--HOT--work (I have to mentally gear up for a few days before I know I'm going to do it), but there are very few things as rewarding as a counter full of beautiful, freshly preserved food. I've even been known to take pictures of mine. :lol:

 

I was also going to suggest www.pickyourown.org. I used it to make a sort of you-pick calendar with the timing of the harvest for each food we're interested, along with the local farms that offer it. We love to go pick the food and can it. It's the closest we can get to my farming dream (which you can relate to:thumbup:) while living in a condo with an underwhelming little container garden.

 

Good luck!

 

Curious (and I am going to check out that link) -- do you go to the farmers' markets that they have around fairfax county (Oak Marr, Vienna, Reston)?

[jenangelcat]

I don't know what food prices are where you live but I haven't lived anywhere where I could afford to can by buying produce.

 

We'll be doing lots of canning this year because we're farming and have a massive garden so it WILL save us money.

[starwarsmomma]

I havent read the whole thread, but canning is easy.

 

There's more to can than just fruits and veggies though. Meat is great canned. So much better than you can imagine! And it's nice to have when the power goes out you don't have to worry about the meat in the freezer going bad!

 

Soups, stews, meats, pie fillings, jams, jellies, juice, fruits, veggies... wonderful stuff!

 

And when I CAN MY FOOD-- I KNOW WHATS IN THE FOOD. No bizarre chemicals. No unknown foods from china.

[RoughCollie]

Is the reason peaches are hard to can because they are hard to peel?

 

If so, just dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds and then put them into a bowl of cold water. Their skins slip right off.

 

Thank you for all of your replies. I love reading about canning. Next week, I'm going to scout out farms that have peaches, tomatoes and strawberries. I'll probably freeze green beans, bell peppers, and blueberries, as usual. I usually cook and freeze tomatoes for sauce, but not this year! Plus, I'm going to figure out a salsa recipe my kids like and can that -- they go through a lot of salsa, and it is expensive to buy.

 

I won't be pickling anything because no one in my family eats anything pickled.

 

I've got a similarly situated friend, in that she is infatuated with the idea of canning, to do it with me.

 

The cheapest apples I can find at harvest time around here are $1 a pound, which is roughly $45/bushel. I think I'll see about canning apple pie filling, along with chunky applesauce.

 

Infomom, I like that pick your own site, too. I usually go there to daydream. But this year, after my operation in May, I can walk pain-free again and I will be able to actually accomplish the task! My kids will be roped into this, too.

 

So next week, I'll buy the canner and go farm hunting. It is so exciting to have a project that has a definite beginning and end, unlike housecleaning and training the dog.

[starwarsmomma]

I also wanted to comment on what a few people are saying about canning only ONCE A YEAR..

 

WHAT?

 

I can at least a few times a week for the past 3 years... year round.

 

In the winter, I tend to do more meats, stocks, stews, etc... spring, summer and fall I focus on fruits and veggies. But I do it year round.

[cougarmom4]

I agree it is a lot of work, but so worth it! My favorite thing we've canned is vegetable soup--with most of the ingredients from our garden. (potatoes, onions, carrots, seasonings, barley). I can't tell you how awesome it is to have those jars on the shelves--it's my favorite last minute meal. It's healthy and delicious. Sometimes I added browned ground beef or canned chicken.

 

I also love canned chicken. It tastes so much better than the store cans of chicken. I have a friend who helped me--I brought the chicken & jars to her home; we put a little salt in the jar, stuffed the raw chicken in (most pint jars took about a breast and a little more), wiped off the rims, slapped on the lids & rings, and put them in the pressure cooker. It took a few hours and I had 32 pints of chicken. The grocery store gave us a great deal on chicken in such large quantities. The best part is that with this chicken all ready to add to so many recipes it has really simplified meal preparation!

 

Last year didn't have the time to do the whole canning process for a bunch of tomatoes from our garden, so I simply blanched & peeled them and froze them. They make great additions to soups, stews, and spaghetti sauce. And it was much easier than the canning process!

[Carol in Cal.]

So with canning, as with gardening, it's a good idea to start with things that are either really expensive in stores or WAY better if you make them yourself.

 

For gardening, that's fresh herbs, tomatoes, maybe salad greens.

 

For preserving, it's jam. Because you really carefully sort the fruit that you make jam from, homemade is unbelievably better than store bought. You will be addicted. Plus you don't need a pressure canner for it--you can do it in a big kettle using the simple, easy instructions on the pectin package. So I recommend starting with that, and then seeing how you like it, before you make a big investment in equipment.

[FaithManor]

Faith, where do you live? Where are these Amish farmers with such amazing prices? Are you in PA?

 

I am in Mid-Michigan. We are in the third most agriculturally fertile spot in the world. So, bumper crops and EVERYBODY gardens and that means lots of competition which I believe keeps the prices down. We've also seen an increase in the number of people going organic even if they aren't certified so that also drops prices which may bad for some and yet makes healthy produce more available to others. Several Mennonite families run CSA's, and I'd say that just in our town, 1/3 of families put in some level of garden be it containers of tomatoes and lettuces, to my parents 1/3 acre monster. Backyard chickens are also springing up all over the place. Organic eggs are down to $1.50 a dozen for the consumer that doesn't care about the ridiculous expense of certifications.

 

I do think we live in an area of uniquely low prices because of the heavily agricultural influence. Also, the Michigan economy is toast, just roasted to ash, so if prices aren't low, nobody is buying it. If you want to seel fresh produce in my county, you better be reasonable about your price because people who previously wouldn't have purchased a case of off brand canned corn/beans/fruit/ etc. will! Our county has a 15% unemployment rate and when you add underemployment to it and the number of individuals whose benefits ran out and are no longer counted by the government, we are close to 25%. That's one in four adults who would like a job that can pay basic bills, unable to fulfill that very narrow dream. I have actually witnessed people dicker or bargain on the price of a quart of this or a dozen of that at the farmer's market.

 

I know this is off topic, but it has really increased a sense of community. Many gardeners who have an excess of something, not only will drop their prices but they also donate to food banks and they are just out with their Red Flyer Wagons going door to door to see if someone wants something for free. Economic depression here has meant more generosity from those that can afford to give, but it's also meant that more and more individuals are looking at their dependency on the system for food and they don't like what they see. Even the few apartment complexes we have in this county are seeing an awful lot of "balcony" gardens and I think its wonderful. Additionally, two different Chamber of Commerces are offering plots in city parks, abandoned lots, and on the lawns of industrial complexes. If you will take care of it and keep it from looking like a jungle, they will give you a fairly protected space to grow food. Oh, and at the community center in the county seat, the extension office is running classes on gardening, canning, and dehydrating. You can preserve up to 100 quarts with instructors and using community center resources (ie. the pressure canners, food dehydrators, and kitchen); you just provide your jars, lids, rings, or storage containers. People are standing inline for spots in those classes.

 

Probably the last thing that brings prices down is that Meijers, Krogers, and a couple of other chains have pledged to buy as much within Michigan as possible. They even provide lists of the farms, greenhouses, hydroponic facilities, etc. where they purchase from. It gives local producers a solid income and encourages more creative over-winter growing techniques. But, though they pay a fair price for the produce and then mark it up to make a profit, it's still cheaper because they aren't paying exorbitant prices to big ag nor the high shipping costs to get it here from California and other long distances. At nearly $4.00 a gallon for diesel, the cost of refrigeration, etc. the cost of shipped produce has skyrocketed. These chains' committments to buying local or in-state whenever possible, has made local eating, healthier eating, and cheaper produce accessible to more families.

 

These factors make our produce much cheaper than probably any other state in the union. As far as the Midwest is concerned, Michigan is at the bottom economically (though poor Wisconsin looks pretty bad too) and like every dark cloud, it has a glint of a silver lining!

 

Faith

[Tarreymere]

Well, what is your heat tolerance like? Do you have a/c? I haven't canned last year and won't this year because I am at a point in my life where I have zero heat tolerance. We have one small window a/c........when it gets to 80 I have to sit in the bathtub with ice cubes! In the winter these days I can't even be in the same room with our woodstove.

[Belacqua]

I really want to try canning, but I'm a hopeless coward. I read the books that tell me if I do it wrong WE WILL ALL DIE HORRIBLE DEATHS and that just scares the heck out of me. I know I just have to be careful and follow the instructions, but I saw that botulism episode of Quincy at an impressionable age and haven't been able to muster the courage.

[RoughCollie]

Well, what is your heat tolerance like? Do you have a/c?

 

I have a big window a/c downstairs. Before we bought it last summer, I couldn't stand the heat and humidity here. Now I can use the oven in the summer, so canning ought to be okay, too.