AP Newswire: Canning not just for old ladies any more!
OK, the AP didn’t quite phrase it like that (read the full story on Salon.com), but when I first started canning almost ten years ago in my early twenties, I felt like the only person of my generation who was even interested. I learned much of what I know today about canning from the older generations: my Aunt Amy, my mother-in-law, my fantastic former-neighbor.
So when I used to mention to folks my own age that I was into canning, I think they just thought, “there’s just another quirky thing about Julie.” Since having children, I’ve met up with another couple of moms of my generation (younger, even!) who can, and have discovered a couple of canners through blogging as well!
Not it turns out that we were trend-setters and we didn’t even know it. The Associated press reported today:
As food prices rise and the economy declines, more people are turning to home canning…Retail sales of Ball canning products have increased nearly 30 percent this year, and sales of the company’s plastic freezing containers have doubled over last year, according to market data from Information Resources Inc.
“It fits with what we’ve seen historically from the 1970s and even before then: When people tighten their belts, they focus a little bit less on convenience items and convenience foods and focus a little bit more on staying home and making their own, whether you’re talking about food or fun,” Scherzinger said.
I admit that saving money was not really a factor in my decision to start canning years ago–I just wanted the incredible taste of home-canned grape juice all year long–but it’s an added bonus now that there is economic uncertainty. And I certainly prefer knowing every last ingredient in our food and knowing that most of it came from local farmers I visit every week at the market.
So, now that you know that canning’s not just for old ladies any more, would you like to try it? Check out my series on food preservation:
And watch this space for the next installments on freezing and dehydrating!
August 15th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I canned when you and John were small, but then we got a freezer and it was easier and quicker to freeze things. (Even pickles and strawberry jam!). But I’ve got to admit you can MUCH MORE than I did. I didn’t have a garden and had to buy everything I canned (except for the cucumbers that I used for pickles, I did grow them.) Not many people canned or froze things when I did, so I imagine it’s less now.
August 16th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
thanks for the resources. one of these days i’ll get up the guts to give canning a try.
August 17th, 2008 at 6:42 am
I learned to can pickles when I was a teen. I enjoyed it so much that I bought a hot water canner last year to make jalepeno jelly for my husband. This year we learned to make freezer jam at church. I think I prefer canning to freezing since we don’t have a big freezer (yet).
August 21st, 2008 at 10:27 am
My MIL watched me canning preserves the other night and said “I have no idea why anyone would do that when you can just buy them already canned in the store.” It was one of those times when I just shrugged and couldn’t even begin to explain why.