Can It
jgiuntoli June 29th, 2009
Found today in TrendCentral.Com
Produce preservation is hot
There are many reasons why the time is ripe (pun intended) for the old fashioned domestic art of canning to make a comeback. No longer limited to the trendsetting urban locavores crowding city farmers markets in search of ramps and fiddleheads, the desire for local and sustainable sources of fresh food is becoming common even among the most mainstream consumers. As concerned as they are with health and food safety, they are also paying closer attention to the origins and production processes of the food they eat. Homespun produce gardening, widely publicized by our First Lady, has made grow-your-own an aspirational practice. If you don’t have a yard (or a green thumb, for that matter), land sharing and voluntary harvesting are viable alternatives. In any form, DIY canning not only speaks to the anti-waste movement, but also serves the emerging penny pincher in all of us given the state of our economy.
Pulling all of these factors together, it’s no wonder that stretching the life of fresh produce – from fruits and vegetables to proteins (fish works wonderfully) – by canning is something we’ve seen steadily gain popularity. According to The New York Times, sales of the traditional Ball canning products were up 92% between October of 2007 and October of 2008. AllRecipes.com reported a 109% increase in page views to articles covering pickling, canning, jams, and preserving over the last year. Another reflection of the growing interest in canning is that both community organizers and cooking schools are creating preservation curriculums. San Francisco’s Yes, We Can community canning project gives aspiring homesteaders the opportunity to learn how to can by participating in a work share, starting this month with apricot jam. Similarly, Brooklyn Kitchen has been hosting a canning- and pickling-themed series of workshops throughout June; their pickling classes (taught by hometown pickling icon Bob McClure of McClure’s Pickles), both the vinegar and the fermentation versions, sold out in minutes. We know this firsthand from the fierce competition we faced getting into a class!
Canning holds similar allure to that of baking: It’s relatively easy and inexpensive, and it’s an experience that friends and family can enjoy together while saving money and resources in the long run by utilizing surplus produce. If you have yet to fill a jar with something fresh from the earth to be enjoyed at a later date, the video tutorial below should get you on your way to your own canned goodness. (We promise your yield will bear no likeness to the mushy peas you faced in the elementary school cafeteria.)