From Deseret News archives:
Can do! If done properly, home canning can help lower grocery bill
Jarden Home Brands reports a 28 percent increase in the company's Ball canning products since 2007. Also, sales of the company's plastic freezing containers have doubled.
In a recent survey of 1,800 visitors to Jarden's Web site, www.freshpreserving.com, more than 70 percent of those who responded said they intend to preserve more foods this year to save money on weekly groceries.
But here's a scary thought: In a 2005 national telephone survey, almost a third of home canners interviewed admitted they deviated from current USDA recommendations, increasing the risk of spoilage and food poisoning. Clearly, there's a need to learn proper canning techniques.
Irene Brock of North Salt Lake has been gardening and canning what she grows for nearly 40 years, since she was 8 years old. Over the years, she has won numerous ribbons from state and county fairs.
But be forewarned: "If you don't like hard work and activity, gardening and canning is not for you," Brock said. "I only can the foods that I'll definitely eat. If not, it's a waste of time."
In fact, if you have to buy all your fruit or vegetables, jars and equipment at regular prices, and factor in wages for your time, you might be better off finding a good case-lot sale, said Teresa Hunsaker, a home economist with Weber County's Utah State University Extension.
However, the jars and equipment are reusable year after year. And if you have fruit trees or a garden, or you're able to get a good deal on tomatoes, then you can save money. Besides, learning to home can is an investment in learning to be more self-reliant, Hunsaker pointed out.
"When the trees are loaded with apricots, and people are giving them away like zucchini, you've got that skill to turn it into syrup or jam and stretch your food dollars," she said.
Also, you can make it a family experience, with everyone working assembly-line style. Turn on the TV, and they can catch a Saturday afternoon football game or a movie while they're peeling and coring.
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