Why You Should Can Your Own Food

The Food and Agricultural Organization (www.fao.org) published a report in June 2011 showing that worldwide, the price of food jumped 39 percent in the last 12 months. If you are responsible for keeping the pantry stocked in your household, you have probably seen the price of your groceries creeping upwards. In the not too distant past, families such as yours coped with the same issue and had a solution in place: food canning.

Food canning allows you to grow or  purchase as much as you want, even if you can't consume it before it spoils. It also allows you to store food that is only available during its season and use at your convenience.

If you decide to create your own soup stock, tomato sauce, soups or dishes, you will know the exact ingredients that went into the dish. When you preserve these dishes through canning, you won't need to worry about allergies related to dyes and preservatives used in modern food processing. Keep in mind that in canning, you are not limited to fruits and vegetables alone because meats are suitable for canning also.

Another advantage to canning is that there is no electricity requirement to store your food, just a suitable environment. Take a moment to open your refrigerator and see what you have inside. What would perish if your electricity went out for a few hours? How about a few days? Odds are that you would have to consume everything that wasn't frozen right away and then finish the frozen food within the next day or two. Canned foods have been known to last for years and remain as delicious as the day it was canned. 

This scenario outlines an ancillary benefit of food canning, which is a step towards increased self reliance. You will be the owner of skills that will keep your family fed in times of crisis. Depending on the severity of the crisis, these skills might also keep your neighbors going as well. In the event of a long term food shortage/disaster not only will you be fed but also have items to barter with. In this unstable economic climate having a backup is not just smart, it is a survival necessity. 

Commercially canned food has come under increased scrutiny recently and toxic levels of the chemical BPA (bisphenol-A) has been found within these very foods we bring home to our families every day. This toxic chemical is found within the lining of commercially canned goods, and it wasn’t until just recently that researchers from Consumer Reports discovered that it had been leeching into the food from the cans themselves. 
The canned good companies having the highest concentration of BPA were found to be Del Monte Green Beans, Progresso vegetable soup, and Campbell’s condensed chicken noodle soup. Over 100 independent studies have proven BPA to be damaging to the human body. Prostate and breast cancer, diabetes, sexual development, obesity, and adversely effects our learning abilities. All 49 brands tested were leeching BPA into food at some level.

Take control of your food and the health of you and your loved ones. Canning is easy. Do not be intimidated. There are books, videos, and neighborhood classes being held. Roses Ridge Farm recently just held our first and hopefully more to come in the future. If you can boil water, you can can. :-)