I learned how to preserve food from my mother, sister and mother-in-law. Sadly, just a few years back, canning and preserving had almost become a disappearing ritual due to the busyness of today’s life.
These days, home canning and preserving food is regaining popularity due to the empty grocery shelves that have accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another reason the age-old tradition is returning is that more people are concerned about where their food originates and how it has been handled. My son has taken an interest in canning and plans to join me in “putting up” tomatoes this year. I am happy he will be carrying on a tradition—or at least have the knowledge.
From the moment it is harvested, food is on a death spiral. For centuries people have looked for better and safer ways to keep food around for longer periods without spoilage.
American pioneers and early settlers brought food preservation skills with them from their home countries, and learned even more from Native Americans. In order to survive before and after growing seasons, it became necessary to find ways to keep food from spoiling. Meat, corn, beans, salt, flour, potatoes, beets, carrots and turnips were a few of the essential needs. In those days, if you didn’t know how to preserve food, it would be a long, hard winter.
But attempting to hold onto our harvests is not a new thing engineered by people in this country.
In ancient times, those who lived in cold climates could freeze their harvest on ice, while those who dwelt in more tropical environments often used the warmth of the sun to dry fruits, vegetables, herbs and other edibles. Cool streams and caves were used if available. There is evidence that oriental and Middle East cultures used the sun to dry food for centuries predating Christ.
In this country, large estates would dig and build their own ice houses. These not only stored ice, but food as well. Soon these ice houses became ice boxes. It wasn’t until the 1800s that mechanical refrigeration came to be. It was also during this time period that Clarence Birdseye discovered that quick freezing could ensure better tasting fruits and vegetables.
Fermentation, sugaring, pickling, curing, smoking and burial were popular forms of preservation as well. Harvested potatoes can last for months if covered with lime and stored in a cool, dry place.
Drying is one of the methods of preserving foods that many of us are familiar with. Surprisingly, many people don’t realize that raisins were once grapes, and prunes were once plums. Of course, if life gives you an abundance of grapes, you can always make wine.
When I was a child, I remember watching my mother bend over a sink for hours as she cut every last bite from miniscule apples we gathered off of trees in our backyard. She would slice them razor thin, then lay them out in the sun on window screens to dry.
If there was room, we could bag them and keep them in the freezer. Storing the bags in a cool, dry place, such as our cellar, would work too. If she had time and supplies, she would can them in Mason jars using a water bath canner. The process took days, not hours, was back-breaking, and often carried with it little reward for the amount of apples that had to be peeled and cored.
Waste was unheard of, and we didn’t pull jars out to eat any old time. Canned food was special due to the work that went into the process.
We would also dry green beans, peppers and other vegetables by stringing them onto thread, using a needle and hanging them in the sun until dried. They would later be moved to the cellar for storage. You had to be sure to store them in containers that were difficult for rodents to gnaw through.
Nature often provides food without us lifting a finger. If you grew up in the south, there is a good chance you’ve eaten poke. I ate a lot of the dish as a child, but we never planted it. It came up wild. While delicious when cooked, I don’t recommend harvesting the plant for beginners. It is toxic in some forms, and not easily discernible from other plants.
Canning is actually one of the newest forms of preserving food. The process allows for a vacuum seal which prevents microorganisms from contaminating the food. It was pioneered on the 1790s by Nicolas Appert. It wasn’t until the 1920s that the significance of the method was understood in relation to the prevention of botulism in low acid foods.
We have so many modern conveniences today that aid us in preserving our food, it’s easy to forget that canning is not a new thing. There are ways the process has evolved, but many ways that are similar to the past. We also know more about how bacteria can enter our food and have learned ways to preserve it with safety in mind.
Check with your local Extension agent to see if they are offering any classes to teach the art of preserving food. It isn’t rocket science, but it does take patience, know-how, and practice. With no end in sight from COVID-19, maybe it’s a good time to try your hand at this long-standing tradition.
Of course, if you really want to get back to nature, plow up a small piece of land and plant a garden. If your space is confined, an herb garden can be started in something as small as a couple of jars or a planter. There is little that can compete with the feeling of not only preserving your own food, but growing it as well. And you always know exactly where the food comes from and how it is grown.
Research information taken from articles published by Michigan State University Extension, Mother Earth News and Google.