Canning and Freezing Food At Home
The crops have come in from the garden and we have been enjoying fresh fruits and vegetables all summer long. We definitely had a surplus of what we harvested from the garden. So instead of being wasteful, we got busy Canning and Freezing Food at Home.
Now you may have never done any home canning but don’t be intimidated, it’s not as hard as you might think. In fact Learning Canning and Preserving Food is really a matter of giving it a try. Nobody starts out as an expert. Sure you’ll go through a trial and error period but that’s ok. It just shows that you’ve got your gumption up and got started.
More importantly it means that you are learning something new. The motto around here is, “If you learn something today, it’s a good day”! Believe me the benefits of canning your own food at home far outweigh the slight irritation it takes to get started.
Benefits of Canning and Freezing Food
There are certain benefits gained by canning and freezing food at home. Here is the list of the reasons why most people begin the practice:
• Canning saves money by reducing your grocery bill from buying processed foods
• Preserving fresh food gives that same savory flavor from your garden all year long
• Provides healthier foods for your family by knowing what ingredients go into the canning process
• Free from chemical additives and preservatives found in commercial foods
• Canning your own food makes great gifts for family and friends
• Gives you a sense of pride and accomplishment of knowing you created the canned food with your own hands
• Impresses your friends and relatives with your new found talent
Favorite Ways to Preserve Food – Canning and Freezing
Anyone who does home canning has their preferences in which style of canning food to use. My own personal favorite ways of preserving is canning and freezing food.
I use the water bath canning method for a good majority of my food preservation. Our storage cabinet is full of sweet/dill pickles, salsa, spaghetti sauce, jams and jellies and a few other items that were all done in this manner. This is a popular method among home canners and learning water bath canning is not that difficult. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to choose from the variety of canned foods knowing that same great flavor will still be available to use long after the garden has quit producing.
I also like to use the freezing technique for preserving selective foods because it is such a quick and easy approach. This style of food preservation involves blanching the food in boiling water for a short period of time then plunging the blanched food immediately into a cold water bath to stop the enzyme process. The storage for freezing fresh foods can be in freezer bags or plastic/glass containers. Our freezer is quickly being filled with green beans, corn, squash and some other goodies to be enjoyed later.
Whether you choose to use Canning and Freezing Food At Home as your preferred method of preserving your home grown fruits and vegetables is entirely up to you. If you want to get more information about canning and preserving view my post on Learning Canning and Preserving Food by clicking on the link. Whatever technique you decide to attempt ultimately you will be glad you did. Home canning is a fun and rewarding way of providing your family with healthy foods all year long. What are you waiting for, give it a try now!
