Save Summer in a Jar by Learning the Art of Canning and Preserving

What are you going to do with that bumper crop of peaches, tomatoes, or cucumbers you grew this summer? Do as I do and save summer in a jar!

You may have noticed that home canning & preserving is really hot right now. Everywhere we turn there are articles and blog posts about preserving the harvest. To understand what all the fuss is about, it might help to look at the reasons behind canning.

The arts of food preservation go back to civilization's beginnings. In ancient Mesopotamia, families saved their produce for lean times. They dried dates, apples and figs. Their meat might be smoked, dried, or salted meat. Softer fruits could be preserved in honey. Now we have cane sugar, pressure cookers, refrigeration, packaged pectin, and so much more to make the process easier. Preserves and pickles have gone gourmet and exotic with exciting flavor combinations to enjoy and share with others.

Home canning gained popularity through the early part of the 1900’s. It started as just another great way to stretch the dollar. By preserving the harvest, families were able to feed themselves through winter.

But it was during WWII that canning peaked in popularity, and the reason for canning changed. Instead of just “putting food up” to save money, people did it as a form of patriotism and an extension of the Victory Garden. During the war, nearly 20 million Americans were growing and preserving their own food, thereby saving the nation’s food production for the armed forces. After the war, home canning declined, and commercial canning soared. That is, until the 1970s “back to the land” movement when canning was touted as a means to a more simple, self- sufficient lifestyle. But after about ten years, canning declined again.

That was Then, This is Now
Today, any grocery store in America is filled with a large selection of commercially preserved products. Why would anyone want to can or preserve? Well, there are several different reasons.

No gardener wants to let their bumper crop go to waste. Preserve the extra produce by canning!

First, all food preservation (canning, drying, freezing, etc.) is a natural extension of the new “food growing” trend happening right now. As many Americans are now growing their own food, they are looking for ways to preserve those bumper crops so that nothing goes to waste. Why go to all the trouble of growing something from seed only to see it wind up in the compost bin? Preserve it and you reap maximum benefits from that edible garden.

The economy is another reason that some have turned to food preservation. Although there may be an initial investment (of jars and some equipment), food preservation can be a great way to stretch the dollar – if done correctly. We can buy in bulk or get free surplus produce from friends and end up preserving many meals inexpensively.

Canning and preserving are also an important part of the self-reliant and urban homesteading movement that is growing right now. People want to be more responsible for their own survival as well as for the survival of the earth. All food preservation is a part of that. Also, by preserving our own food, we know exactly what is in that food. We can be assured that it is free from preservatives or chemical sprays that may be in commercially produced products.

And then there is the locavore movement. (Eating locally to lower your carbon footprint and support our local farmers/community) Sure we can buy a tomato year-round at the grocery store but at what cost? And even if it is grown locally, a greenhouse tomato in the dead of winter is not the same as a summer, fresh-picked-off-the-vine tomato. BUT, if we can or otherwise preserve that fresh-picked tomato, later we can enjoy it in the dead of winter and STILL be eating locally! We get the benefit of a lower carbon footprint AND delicious flavor. Now, what could be better than that?

In the 1790s, a French confectioner determined that if the food that was sealed in glass jars was heated to a certain temperature that the food inside of the jars was then protected against deterioration. In the 1800s, Nicolas Appert’s methods of canning food were put into practice and provided the French Navy with a better method of feeding their troops. In 1810, an Englishman took the methods that Appert had discovered and started using tin cans versus glass jars. It wasn’t until Louis Pasteur made the discovery between illness and microorganisms, and of course food spoilage, which the actual principles behind Nicolas Appert’s methods were wholly understood. The invention of the pressure canner in 1851 allowed cans to be heated to temperatures that exceeded 220 degrees Fahrenheit and allowed for further advances in food preservation and of course food safety.

For several decades, there was much thought and experimentation about the best method of canning foods to ensure the best seal, the best shelf life, and, of course, the lowest risk for illness. The American Civil War saw a surge in popularity of a two-piece jar lid that included a lid and disposable rubber gaskets; this was, of course, the precursor to the Mason jars that we know and love today. An increased availability and affordability in sugar saw women in the 1880s spending a lot of time canning fresh fruits and jams to be enjoyed throughout the year or to be given as gifts.

Through trial and error, and likely a few cases of botulism, the canning method that is preferred in homes around the world was discovered.
Sterilizing the glass jars and the jar seal in boiling water
Packing the jars with the food that was to be stored, whether jams, jellies, vegetables, or pickles
Sealing the jars with the two-piece lid system
Placing the jars back into a boiling water bath for up to fifteen minutes
Once the jars are removed from their hot soak and allowed to cool on the counter, the lids will start to pop as the vacuum seal is formed. For a home canner, that popping is the sweet sound of canning and preserving success!

Food items that are high in sugar, brines, or acid can be safely stored for up to six months. This means that ketchup, chutney, pickles, jams, chili sauce, tomato sauces, and other similar food items are all popular and successful canning choices. Green beans, carrots, peas, sweet corn, asparagus, beets, mushrooms, spinach, peppers, cubes of squash, and sweet potatoes are all great choices for canning and will provide you with the ability to readily enjoy your garden’s fresh bounty long into the chilly winter months. Their low acid content, however, means that they must be processed longer to ensure safety.

While many people associate canning with the cans they buy their sodium-soaked corn in from their local grocery store, canning is the process of preserving food in both glass jars and cans. The sterilization and sealing process is very similar for both, as both the jars and cans are heated beyond the boiling point to effectively destroy enzymes and microorganisms that would otherwise lead the food to spoilage. The cans or jars are then allowed to cool before being stored away until they are needed. This heating and cooling process also provides a very effective vacuum seal between the jar and the lid to prevent food from becoming contaminated from other microorganisms present all around us.

While today we can simply pop out to the grocery store and pick up a few steaks or a bag of potatoes, we are also fortunate enough to have access to a steady amount of glass jars and lids that will provide an effective vacuum seal for our garden bounty.

The reason behind preserving comes down to a desire to save today's abundant food on hand to be savored at a later time. Canning and preserving are a great way to extend the “story” of your garden. By passing on a jar of deliciousness to a friend, you are giving a bit of your garden and yourself. And that, my friends, is one of the best benefits of all!

Canning and Preserving Resources:

Food Timeline: Mesopotamia through Shakespeare
www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq3.html

Making Jams, Marmalades, Preserves, and Conserves from the University of Minnesota Extension
www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ1088.html

Sauerkraut at Wikipedia.com
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut

Books for Canning Planning and Preserving the Deserving

Art of Preserving by Jan Berry
Jan Berry combines inventive flavor combinations (Apricot & Cardamom Chutney and Whiskey Tangelo Marmalade, for example) with old-style methods of preservation to produce a cookbook that's a step above the ordinary batch. Good for confident cooks.

The Ball Blue Book of Preserving
There's an old trueism that if you want a really outstanding recipe, check the back of the box. It's true for pecan pie, and it's true here as well. Ball makes many of the jars and lids that are essential for proper preserves. They know about canning in a basic kitchen with basic supplies and also include instructions for pressure canning. This book has been around for generations and is a classic of its kind, filled with preserving recipes.

Better Homes and Gardens Presents America's All-time Favorite Canning & Preserving Recipes
An easy-to-understand book with classic recipes sized for families.

The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader
This book combines mostly basic methods with a wide range of recipes and tips.

The Complete Book of Year-round Small-batch Preserving: Over 300 Delicious Recipes by Ellie Topp & Margaret Howard
Recipes are for stored-on-the-shelf as well as stored-in-the-fridge preserves. Not for beginners or those who want only basic recipes.

The Food Lover's Guide to Canning: Contemporary Recipes & Techniques by Chris Rich, Lucy Clark Crawford
Excellent for nervous beginners, the many illustrations show equipment, what to do and what not to do. Many recipes are for pressure canners.

The Joy of Pickling: 200 Flavor-packed Recipes for All Kinds of Produce from Garden or Market by Linda Ziedrich
A nice combination of basic and unusual pickling recipes using mostly ordinary ingredients.

Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, Preserving, and Drying What You Grow edited by Susan McClure and the staff of the Rodale Food Center
Shows both ultra traditional and very modern ways to preserve food. Lots of good tables and special sections give information on freezing, canning, preserving, pickling, drying, juicing, & root cellaring.

Preserving the Taste by Edon Waycott
This California author sells her gourmet jams and now shares her recipes for preserves that are high in natural virtues and low in added sugar. The recipes are relatively simple but the flavors are intensely interesting.

Quick Pickles: Easy Recipes with Big Flavor by Chris Schlesinger, John Willoughby, and Dan George Not interested in steaming over a hot water bath? Try some quick pickles. These easy recipes have an international as well as a home-grown flair: Mango Pickles with Scorched Mustard Seeds, Pickled Peaches in the Style of India, El Salvadoran Pineapple-Pickled Cabbage, and yes, good Old-Fashioned Bread & Butter Pickles.