The Top 7 Reasons For Preserving Your Own Food

The Top 7 Reasons for Canning and Preserving Your Own Food

Preserving your own food was a way of life for our grandparents and great grandparents. By the 1950s and 60s it became less popular as supermarkets and advances in transportation provided the means for people to purchase their groceries at their convenience.

In the last few years, interest in growing and preserving fruits and vegetables for your family has grown.

What is fueling this newfound interest? There seems to be 7 common reasons people are returning to home canning and preserving their own food.

Here are the top 7 reasons people want to preserve their own food:

1. Control Over Ingredients: The most common reasons cited by the women I talked to was having control over the food they were feeding their families. Unlike store-bought goods, home canning allows you to control how much salt, sugar, and other spices go into the end product. You can avoid unnecessary preservatives and there’s no need for additives you cannot even pronounce. Preserving your own food allows you to know exactly what’s going into your food.

2. Cost Savings: Although saving money is another popular reason for home canning, it can be costly getting started. And, if you must buy the produce you wish to preserve, it may not be as cost effective as you expected. However, once you are set up with the proper equipment there are ways to keep the cost down and even save money in the long run. Using produce from your garden will save on the purchase price of fresh produce. Sharing produce with friends and neighbors is another way to get your hands on free produce that you may not grow in your own garden. Visiting local farmers’ markets or reaching out to local farmers can be more economical than purchasing from the store. Good deals can often be made when buying in bulk during peak season.

3. Reducing Food Waste: When my children lived at home, I couldn’t keep my refrigerator full. With just the two of us, I often find fruits and vegetables on the verge of spoiling. Canning and preserving help extend the shelf life of fruits, vegetables, and herbs. If I am not able can or freeze it directly, I make broths, breads, muffins, etc. that I can freeze. This reduces the amount of food that might otherwise spoil and go to waste.

4. Seasonal Availability: There’s nothing tastier than fresh fruits and vegetables harvested and eaten in season. By preserving food as soon as it’s picked, you can enjoy seasonal produce year-round. It’s possible to have summer berries or peaches for smoothies or pies. And the flavor of garden tomatoes in your soups and sauces beats out any store bought can of tomatoes in the middle of winter.

5. Flavor and Quality: As mentioned in seasonal availability, the flavor of fresh fruit and vegetables is hard to beat. Many people find that home-preserved foods have more quality and better flavor than store-bought versions. One reason is the method of harvesting and preserving quickly with less processing and/or storage of the food. But another reason that flavor and quality may be better in home canned foods is the variety of recipes used. Women often find recipes that suit their families tastes and stick with them. There are numerous recipes for making pickles, combining fruits for jams, or preparing the “syrup” for canning peaches.

6. Self-Sufficiency and Convenience: Many people take pride in being as self-reliant as possible. Canning and preserving your own food offers a way to stock your pantry with homemade goods, reducing reliance on store-bought products. The wonderful thing about a well-stocked pantry is the convenience of having what you need on hand. It reduces trips to the grocery store, saving you time and money.

7. Preserving Tradition and Skills: I mentioned at the beginning of the article that preserving their own food was a way of life for our grandparents and great grandparents. My mother never really got into the idea of canning. But we all benefitted from my grandmother’s hard work. During the summer and fall months, every visit was a lesson in gardening and canning. It made such an impression on me, that I became a gardener and canner as well when I started my own family. My daughters often share stories of snipping beans on the back patio, coming home to the smell of pickled beets taking over the house, and having contests to see who could get the longest peel off an apple using the peeler/corer tool. Canning and preserving techniques and recipes are often passed down through generations. The time working together also offers a connection to heritage. It’s a chance to build memories and the hope of keeping traditional skills alive.

Fruits and vegetables are not the only thing you can preserve. It is also possible to can meat, milk, and butter. Many people like to can their homemade soups, sauces, and condiments. I’ve heard of women canning caramel topping for ice cream! It is possible to can just about anything.

Preserving also includes freezing and dehydrating. So you see, the possibilities are endless. It is important to follow basic guidelines for methods, processing times, etc. Home canning is work, hard work. To avoid spoilage, take the necessary precautions so you don’t have to throw any of your hard work out.

There are lots of websites and Facebook groups dedicated to home canning and preserving. Check them out and find the fit for you. Or if you are lucky enough to have a grandmother or great grandmother skilled in the art of preserving food, let her teach you what she knows.

We should all be so lucky.

Are you a home canner/food preserver? Are you interested in trying it for yourself? What would be your reasons for canning and preserving your own food? I’d love to know!