Canning - is it worth the trouble?

[TIAMOMMA]

I've been thinking of starting canning maybe, but I've never done so in the past. Is it worth the effort? Any ideas are appreciated. Thank you!

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Not worth it to me. We'd spend hours doing it when I grew up and about 30% of it would go bad.

I have a funny story for you.

When I was growing up, we canned everything we could. Mom would buy peaches when they were cheap and we'd can them too.

Well one winter, a batch with the peaches and another batch of the pickles went bad. Mom had opened them and then stuck them out on the back porch. This was in winter in MN so we figured they freeze and we could get the stuff out of the jars easier.

The dog freaked out that night and we smelled an awful smell. A skunk had come up to the house to eat the stuff out of the jars. The dog barking in the house scared it. We had that awful skunk smell in the house for weeks.

After that, Mom didn't can anymore. We always made fun of her canning skunk food. Poor Mom.

 

[BuzzPrincessMom]

When I was in Grad school and working fulltime I had a list of things I wanted to do when I was done with school - making jam was on the list. This was in 1997 and I still make jam every year.

NOTHING is better than homemade jam. And I will tell you the smell of raspberry jam cooking on the stove is amazing.

I have branched out to bread and butter pickles.

I have people who beg for their jam and pickles each year.

I only do it for fun, and make as much as we need for the year. I find it somewhat relaxing.

 

[FarmDisney]

If you have your own garden, I think it's definitely worth it! If you were just going to buy produce to can, I probably wouldn't bother. But there is nothing better than homegrown green beans in the middle of winter! Canned rhubarb fruit punch is also fantastic and canned tomato juice and canned tomatos are worth it.

 

[Ashley Kees]

It depends. Canning requires equipment, which can get expensive. If you're just trying to save some extra money, I would suggest drying and/or freezing things. Both can also be healthier than canning, as canning often requires relatively large amounts of salt (for vegetables) and sugar (for fruits). Fruits especially are GREAT frozen (berries are the best and easiest) and dried. You don't need a food dehrydrator, just some parchment, some lemons (for the acid) and your oven. Freezing just requires bags you can re-use.

You can also make refridgerator pickles and things of that nature.

Example: last year the grocery store I shop at had almost a hundred pounds of apples that were slightly overripe. I bought 30 pounds for $6, took them home and made applesauce. It took a few hours, but I had VATS of unsweetened homemade applesauce at the end. a quarter or it went into the fridge, the kids ate it and I used it in place of oil in baking. a quarter went into the freezer to use the next month. Half went into the crock pot with some sugar and things, and the next night I had a gallon of apple butter, which was used as ice cream topping, pancake topping (in lieu of expensive maple syrup) and toast spread for a month.

The same day, the same store also had bell pepper, normally $1 each out here, 4 for $1. I bought 40 peppers for $10 and took them home. I roasted 20 of them, sliced them, and layered them on parchment to freeze. Roasted red pepper, not soaked in oil all year long. The other 20 were halved, stacked inside of each other and frozen in gallon bags. Peppers require no prepping for freezing, don't stick together, and are almost exactly the same consistency as fresh when thawed.

Canning can be great, but can also be dangerous (green beans are easy to do wrong and get botchilism) and expensive (you must buy canning equipment).

 

[pilesoflaundry]

It depends. Pickles aren't any cheaper if you have double coupons in your area (I get them almost free all the time) but they do taste better. My family members raved over my pickles. They are more crisp. I did have one jar go bad but it was way in the back of the cabinet and forgotten about for too long. I knew before I opened it because I could see the mother in the vinegar. (a clumpy, yeasty looking thing)

Buying produce, not worth it. If you have lots of good fresh stuff from your own garden or the farmer's market it might be if you have a long winter and eat a lot of produce. You will save money but not time. If you have a short winter, not worth it at all.

Also make sure you know what you are doing so no one gets sick or you don't waste it all.

 

[Mrs. Bradbury]

One of my most vivid memories is drifting off to sleep at night in the summer, feeling the breeze of the attic fan and listening to the jars of whatever my mom had canned pop! as they sealed. Or was that jelly jars? So much for vivid memories. Man, I was terrified of the pressure canner. I just knew it was going to blow the house up.

My mom's hands were purple most of the summer from blackberry juice. She made the most wonderful blackberry jelly everyone said. She used to take us to the pool and shell whatever beans or peas she picked that morning while we swam. And the ritual of 7 day pickles . . . whew.

My parents always had a garden, and canning, freezing and preserving was just what they did. But would I do it? It's a LOT of work. If you don't process things correctly you can make someone sick or even kill them. Still, the rewards are there, too. If I didn't work full time I might, but only if my husband was as dedicated to it as me. When food is ready to be put up it has to be done RIGHT THEN or it's no better than store bought.

 

[amberlynnhawkins]

It all depends. It can be VERY expensive - and for some foods easy to mess up. HOWEVER, MANY foods taste SO much better - especially if you usually buy store-canned foods. For instance, I never buy canned peas in the store anymore -- my family & I home-can them every year. We can tomatoes for soups and sauces. We also can other kinds of beans. We also put up corn and okra. BUT we get most of this produce from our own gardens. We rarely buy produce.

Just remember all the equipment you'll need: the canner, the jars, the lids (both the flats AND the ones you have to screw on the jars). If you know you'll do it more than once, it'll pay for itself. If you're not sure, it's a lot of expense! Also keep in mind, if you WILL do this more than once, make sure you save the jars and the screw-on lids. Wash & re-use! You WILL have to buy flats each year, though!

 

[Colleen27]

I do more freezing than canning, but I find both to be well worth it. We live in farm country, so between what I grow myself and what I can buy cheap in season from farm stands in our community, I get through the winter on a very small amount of store bought produce.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

I have only ever canned 2 things, applesauce & peach jam.

I didn't do it to save money, but because I just love it! I have never had jam that tasted as good as the peach jam I made last summer. We went peach picking & came home with about 30lbs of peaches.

My Mom & I always did applesauce. I just love it home-made with just the right amount of sugar & cinnamon.

As far as equipment, I got most of what I need at a garage sale & then added to that when my Mom passed away & I took her canning stuff, so not a big outlay of money for the stuff I used.

Christine

 

[ChrisinNJ]

Half went into the crock pot with some sugar and things, and the next night I had a gallon of apple butter, which was used as ice cream topping, pancake topping (in lieu of expensive maple syrup) and toast spread for a month.

Is the only difference between applesauce & apple butter the time spent cooking? I think I tried to make apple butter once, but it just never got that dark color & rich taste.

Cooking it in the crockpot overnight sounds easy enough. Do you have an actual recipe/formula for the amount of sugar to apples. What other spices or "things" do you put in it?

Christine

 

[Inigo]

I get home canned foods with out doing any of the work, and it's so worth it to me. I trade my computer skills to my friends for their home canned produce.

DD can't wait until Barb delivers the green beans I earned by making a DVD of her daughter's graduation pictures.

 

[crisi]

Fruits are easy and don't require the pressure - so does anything pickled. I pickle beets, can applesauce, and make strawberry jam. The strawberry jam is the best. I get about 12 jars of jam from one morning and $10 worth of strawberries (pick them yourself) and $.99 worth of sugar. Sometimes I hide rubarb in it. Apples I get the ugly ones from the farmers market - enough for a dozen jars of applesauce for $3. And beets in the summer are $1 a bunch. I also pickled some cucumbers, they didn't turn out as well.

I've never had anything go bad, but you do have to check the seal, make sure everything is sterile and if it doesn't pop when you open it, don't eat it. I wouldn't do it if you didn't enjoy it - it can make a mess and take a whole afternoon to make a dozen jars of jam.

 

[Jen_in_NH]

I love canning! I think if i had to buy all the equipment, as well as what I was canning, it would probably be too expensive. But I have a huge garden, and my Mom gave me most of her canning stuff when she slowed down how much she did.

If you know someone who cans, have them help you with the first few times you do it. It's so much less intimidating.

Jen

 

[Mrsduck101]

My mom has canned a lot of things over the years, but the one thing she always does is tomatoes. She buys from a local farm by the bushel when they are in season, and they last the whole year. The flavor is so much better, and when you buy from a local farm the price is much better than if you are buying from the grocery store. I also loved the tomato soup she made, although she hasn't made that in a few years. When I was a kid she canned peaches, strawberry jam, pickles, and beets. Maybe more I don't remember My mom is amazing in the kitchen, I need to get her to teach me how to can the tomatoes.

 

[plummer925]

Wow - a lot of you are saying canning is expensive? What's expensive about it? I buy canning jars at yard sales for .10 each or get them free on freecycle. I grow my own veggies and can those.

Someone else mentioned a lot of salt in canned foods - ummm - I do not use hardly any salt - if you pressure can something (we bought our pressure cooker at a yardsale for $25) it will be perfectly safe. Just as safe as a canned veggie from the store.

Like ALL foods, of course do a smell test before consuming - do this whether you can yourself or if you buy storebought canned foods.

I've canned everything from pickles to fruit to applesauce to chicken!!!

Canning does take time but it SAVES my household (of only two!) hundreds of dollars a year!!!

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Even if you buy the jars new, you use them year after year so the cost per use is low.

I don't can now, but I did when I had all my kids at home. One reason I liked it was to have what I wanted. I had my own recipes for spaghetti sauce, salsa and corn relish that I just liked better than anything I could buy in the stores. I also love (for some reason) canned raspberries and I can never find them in the stores, so I'd make those as well. I can't think of anything better than home-canned raspberries over coconut milk ice cream.

Teresa

 

[momejay]

The only thing I can is salsa/picante sauce, but it saves me a ton! My dad eats a jar every day or 2 & puts it on everything.

We grow our own vegetables & I freeze them. If you consider the cost of seed, fertilizer, time to pick & weed them, running the freezer, I am not sure how much I am actually saving. However, my green beans are much better than the store's & I know what they were sprayed with! I even make freezer pickles.

We also have 3 peach trees. I have tried canning the peaches & making jam, but my son eats the peaches faster than I can pick them & can them. I guess it saves me a trip to the grocery store to buy fruit?

We grow strawberries. We have about 18 plants, not much but, I can pick a quart of berries daily right now & have a fresh healthy snack for my kids when they get home from school. I freeze the berries whole when we get too many & my kids use them instead of icecubes in fruit juice. Those 18 plants keep us supplied most of the summer.

I also make my own freeze pops by throwing fruit in a blender & adding a bit of water. (This way they get more liquid)

I dehydrate cantalope, but our climate is moist & about half of it gets too moldy to eat, so I don't recomend it. I am not sure what I am doing wrong.

In my opinion, I am saving money. At least my family isn't eating pesticides & being handled & sneezed on in the grocery store. I think it is worth it!

 

[annsteere]

I freeze everything these days.

My parents had a Michigan vineyard and orchard so I had access to free fruit and many veggies, but canning got to be too hot and too much mess for me.

I buy ziploc bags at the dollar store, put them inside a second, heavy duty freezer ziploc bag that can be reused season after season, and just throw everything into the freezer.

When tomatoes threaten to ovewhelm us, I throw them into the freezer. They can be rough chopped into stews, soups, and casseroles to add nutrition through the winter.

Zucchini gets shredded and then the same treatment.

 

[dyna]

Yes Mom cans using no salt in anything and usually no sugar in her fruits, Her homemade catsup is to die for.... Mom has slowed down on what she cans tomatos for catsup an juice is still at the top of her list tho. Along with blackberry an black raspberry jam several other flavors of jam.

Canning is something I think you have to enjoy doing me I'd rather spend my time in my pool or at the computer lol

I did check into canning a few yrs ago I figured if I had to buy a new canner an jars it was gonna take me about 5 yrs to come out ahead over store bought.

One reason why many cans is because they can control how the food is grown and what goes into the food as it is canned which is very important to some ppl.

One tip you don't need near as many rings as flat lids once the jars are sealed you can take the rings off an reuse them on the jars you can the next day. Mom used to use the lids off mircle whip jars etc when they was metal too which saved her a few dollars.

No one has mentioned the space to store the canning supplys when not in use not just the big canner either but the rings an sometimes pans used only for canning etc.