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Well, it’s that time of year again! Your garden is producing like gang busters & you have way too
much bounty to eat fresh so now what? Now we preserve! We put up the bounty that the Lord
has provided to feed our families homegrown garden goodness well into the dark days of winter.
If you are new to preserving this can seem a daunting task. And make no mistake- it takes hard
work & a definite learning curve but there is so much information readily available these days &
the ability to put up healthy food for your family makes it SO worth it.
Let’s start with why you should put up your own food? Ever read the ingredient list on a can or
jar from the grocery store? You might have over 2 dozen ingredients in something as simple as
a can of chili! If you can your own chili at home you are likely to have less than 10 ingredients &
you will know (and be able to pronounce) each one. Single ingredient items can be just that-a
single ingredient -instead of having mystery ingredients like “natural flavors” or “spices” which in
most cases refer to MSG. MSG is a powerful neurotoxin that tricks your brain into thinking
something tastes better than it does, so you eat more of that something. Many people are
sensitive to MSG & can react badly to exposure to it. In our family that is one of the reasons we
put up so much of our own food, to avoid the sketchy ingredients.
Aside from quality control, if you’ve spent all summer growing beautiful fresh produce you
absolutely don’t want to see it going to waste & the satisfaction & pride you’ll feel seeing row
after row of fresh canned food you grew & preserved to feed your family all winter is a beautiful
thing! One more thing a pantry full of home canned food provides you? Convenience! Those
busy days when you are away from home & have no opportunity to plan or cook dinner? No
problem! Just open a few jars of home preserved goodness or pull some frozen veggies out of
your freezer & you will have a healthy homegrown dinner ready in no time.
What are your preserving options? The main home preservation choices are canning, freezing,
dehydrating & more commonly these days, freeze drying.
Canning is suitable for most of your preserving needs. Veggies, fruit & meat can all be canned
at home with a few exceptions. Freezing is also a viable choice but it does require freezer space
which is often at a premium. Dehydrating is also suitable but a draw back can be long drying
times & most home dehydrators only hold small batches. Freeze driers have become more
common place but they carry a hefty price tag.
Canning is a popular preserving method as it is a relatively simple process & creates a shelf
stable product with long shelf life. Properly canned food can last up to 2 years with no loss of
taste or nutrition. High acid foods such as fruit & tomatoes are the simplest to preserve as they
only require a water bath method, which is essentially boiling the jars in a large pot on your
stove top. Jams & jellies are one of the easiest things to can & an excellent place to start if you
are new to preserving. Low acid foods like meat & most vegetables require pressure canning. A
pressure canner can be intimidating but once you get the hang of it the ability to can soups,
stews & chili really open up the convenience food aspects of preserving.
To get started with canning you need a few things: canning jars, lids & rings (always use new
lids when canning). A large pot suitable for water bath canning, this can be an actual canner
pot or a stock pot large enough to hold your jars & deep enough to completely submerge them in water.
Many places sell “canning kits” which have all of the basics in one package. There are
many gadgets that make canning easier- jar lifters, lid magnet, funnels, racks to hold lids- but
you don’t need those to get started. A good information source such as The Ball Bluebook is a must! The downside to unlimited information on the internet is that there is an
enormous amount of BAD information as well as good. People will share methods & recipes that
are sometimes questionable & other times actually dangerous. It’s best, when first starting out,
to only source your information from established & trusted entities which follow the USDA
guidelines. Improper methods in canning can lead to botulism, a rare but potentially fatal
disease. Following simple, standard guidelines in canning ensures a safe & nutritious product
for your family. Using the proper equipment, keeping everything clean, maintaining proper
temperatures & preserving times are all important & simple steps to canning safely.
A pressure canner, like the All American 1930, costing about $420, or the more economical Presto 01781 Pressure Canner and Cooker, costing about $150, is necessary for preserving low acid foods such as meats, green beans, corn, potatoes etc. A pressure canner is capable of achieving much higher temperatures than a water bath canner. The higher temperatures are necessary to kill the bacteria possible in low acid foods. A waterbath canner, like this one, cannot be used to pressure can, you must have an actual pressure canner NOT a pressure cooker. Pressure canning can be intimidating but todays
canners have multiple safety features built in & once you learn the routine it’s a simple process.
The advantage to the pressure canner is the ability to preserve meat. It is possible to can raw
meat such as beef, pork & chicken & have ready to use meat on your shelf-the ultimate
convenience food! A pressure canner also makes it possible to can full meals such as soups,
stews, & chili. You can have simple, one jar convenience foods ready to go on your shelf without
any of the questionable ingredients found in commercially canned foods.
Freezing is also suitable for most fruits & vegetables. Freezing is simple, only requires basic
equipment & yields a fresh tasting & looking product. As stated, the only real downside to
freezing is the need for freezer space. In order for frozen vegetables to maintain their freshness,
color, & avoid freezer burn most require blanching prior to freezing, Blanching is the process of
plunging the food into boiling water, typically for only a moment or two & then immediately
placing it into ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Each fruit or vegetable has its own
specific timing which can be found in the Ball BueBook or on USDA preserving websites. After
the food is fully cooled. It can be drained & placed into freezer bags & then into your freezer.
Recommended guidelines for how long food lasts in the freezer can also be found online or in
the BlueBook. Most fruits do not require blanching & can simply be washed & cut into slices, or
remain whole in the case of berries, and be placed into freezer bags or containers & put into the
freezer. This is an excellent choice for fruits used to make smoothies-they can go straight from
the freezer into your blender.
Dehydrating is a great choice for more delicate items such as herbs. They can be dried & stored
in jars either whole or powdered. This also works for onions & garlic as well- growing &
preserving your own herbs & spices gives you a superior product to store bought & can save
you considerable money! Those little jars of spices can be pricey! A little trick that our family
does is to save the green onion tops when we harvest our onions & dehydrate & then powder
those. Instant onion powder from something that typically gets tossed on the compost pile!
Another fun thing to make in the dehydrator is fruit leather. You can blend up most fruits with a
little sweetener & pour the slush directly onto dehydrator trays & have a healthy fruit leather with
only 2 or 3 ingredients. It’s also a great way to use up applesauce- my kids love applesauce fruit
leather.
Freeze dryers have become very popular in the last few years. They are a commitment both
financially & that they require a dedicated space & electrical outlet but they are the ultimate in
food preservation. Properly freeze dried & packaged foods can last 30 years & require no
refrigeration. Freeze dried food also maintains the most nutrition of any preserving method. It’s
possible to freeze dry milk & eggs & rehydrate them to use the same as fresh. The list of foods
suitable for freeze drying is extensive, the only thing you really can’t freeze dry are heavy fats
such as butter. Freeze dried food can be packed in mylar bags with oxygen absorbers for long
term storage or simply put into canning jars on the shelf. You can purchase a vacuum sealer to
seal the jars for maximum freshness. It’s also possible to freeze dry full meals, another absolute
convenience food.
Hopefully this article will inspire you to try at least one, if not all, of these preserving methods
with your fall garden bounty. And buying locally grown produce from neighbors & farmers near
you is a wonderful way to fill in the gaps of whatever you may not be able to grow yourself but
still want to preserve & have on your shelves or in your freezer. Learning to preserve is a
worthwhile skill to add to anyone’s resume!
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