One art that is slowly dying is canning and preserving food. There are many reasons that people have stopped canning home grown foods. It is certainly a lot easier to buy a can off the shelf. Canning is a lot of work and does involve a great deal of time. It is also usually done in the summer when it is hot, and it can heat up the kitchen if not the whole house. However there are reasons to can food.
You may be interested in canning food if you want to have organic fruits and vegetables throughout the year. You may have recipes that you have passed down over time. It is satisfying to see the jars of food lined up on the shelf and know that you accomplished it. You may have planted a bigger garden than you thought and do not want to let the good food go to waste.
If you have never canned before the task may seem daunting. As you begin make sure that you are only canning foods that your family will eat. You do not want to spend your time canning foods that you will not utilize. You will need to find recipes that give the length of time to process the bottles that you are canning in. You should read information about safe canning procedures. If possible ask someone you know who cans to teach you how. You could find someone at your church or an elderly family member. You may also check to see if a class is offered by a community organization.
Canning is an economical and safe way to preserve food. It is important to make sure that you process all the food that is canned. This can be done using a steam pressure canner or a boiling water bath. The length of time is different for each method. The steam pressure canner is more expensive to purchase, but the processing time is a lot shorter. You can find out more about home canning here.