After I wrote this post, I changed the title of it to reflect more of what this post actually is. Also, staging this picture gave me minor heart palpitations. Don’t try it at home.
I have mentioned canning in the past and I try not to beat dead horses with these posts but I realized I haven’t really written a post for folks who are on the fence about whether or not to do it; addressing some of their concerns. So if you happen to be one of those fence-sitters, let me talk for a minute about why you should let go of those fears and take the leap.
1) You won’t kill anyone. (as long as you follow the directions) This was the biggest hurdle for me. Coming from a family of anxious females in the medical field, it was in my mind that because there was a slight risk of botulism if not done correctly, I shouldn’t attempt it at all. Turns out, it’s easily avoided if you just follow canning instructions.
2) You don’t need a degree or certification to do it. If you can read instructions, measure out ingredients, bring water to a boil and prep fruits and veggies, you can can.
3) DON’T can “all the things.” I’ve read so many blogs that are like, “Can all the things!” and my thoughts for you are don’t. do. that. Just simply start by canning one thing. Something you love to eat but at some point in the year, have to buy in packaging because it’s not in season. THAT is thing you should can. And once you see how easy it is you will want to can a few more foods you love.
4) It’s not magic. I seriously thought there might be a little of that involved, but turns out, it’s just science.
5) Start with something easy. Jam is super easy and you don’t need any fancy equipment and the risk level is extremely low. You basically mash up berries, add some sugar and pectin, put them in jars, and then put them in boiling water for 10 minutes. So simple! Give it a shot!
6) Or start with something more challenging that will make jams seem like a breeze. That’s what I did. I started with pressure canning tomatoes. I did 50 pounds, we ate all of them and no one died from botulism.
7) It allows you to store food without taking up precious freezer space. YESSSS!
8) Yes, it takes time and effort to do but 2 days spent canning got us through TWO SEASONS of enjoying fresh picked tomatoes.
9) Gifts. Heading to someone’s house for dinner? Grab a jar of strawberry jam as a host gift. Going to your sister’s for Thanksgiving holiday? Grab a quart or 2 of your tomatoes and attach the recipe for homemade tomato soup.
10) It tastes so frickin good! I should have led with this one.
Did this assuage some of your fears? My point is that there is no reason you shouldn’t can something this summer. So get out there this weekend, pick some fruits and veggies at the farm or buy some from the farmer’s market and get to it!
Side note, to get 50 pounds of tomatoes from a local farmer at a great price, I contacted a friend who I knew had done it before, she gave me her farmer contact who I then got in touch with. He happily packed up my bulk tomatoes and had them waiting for me at the farmer’s market on a Saturday morning. If you are wanting to do a lot of pounds of one particular food that isn’t “u pick”, I would recommend doing this to get better prices than what you would find otherwise.