Comments on: Why does canning seem hard?

By: Jessie K

Jessie K — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:12:17 +0000

Hi Mama JJ: 40 quarts of peaches must have felt like a death. I feel your pain.

By: Mama JJ

Mama JJ — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 21:15:24 +0000

Yeah, things are a lot more uptight then they once used to be. I only glance at the instructions for the length of boiling time (if I look at them at all) and then cut it way back. My aunt taught me to look at how the fruit rises in the jar and use that to determine done-ness rather than any specific amount of time.

…Though I have had my share of canning failures—ie. 40-some quarts of canned peaches down the drain, to name just one…

By: Jessie K

Jessie K — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 17:09:39 +0000

Thanks! And yes, canning does seem to be having a revival. I think it has less to do with the collapse of the world economy (since home preserving isn’t as inexpensive as people think) than people’s fascination with artisanal, hand-crafted food and products. You’re in Europe–give it a go!

By: Michele at A House Called Nut

Michele at A House Called Nut — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 08:43:36 +0000

In addition to relative rarity of canning these days, I think there was some sort of botulism incident in the 90s that led to much stricter guidelines in the US and the unfortunate consequence of scaring people (including me!) off canning. If I hadn’t moved to Europe–where the whole affair is much more relaxed, more people seem to can, and cooks and their families and friends don’t appear to be dropping off like flies–I’m not sure I’d have ever been brave enough to try it myself!

Good luck with your book. It does seem like canning is undergoing a bit of a revival though, doesn’t it?

By: Jessie K

Jessie K — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:33:23 +0000

Stephanie: Such a great point. I can’t imagine developing recipes without friends. I need the feedback. As rewarding as canning can be, there’s still a lot of effort that goes into peeling and coring 10 lbs. of apples. I’m a big proponent of group canning.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:48:07 +0000

I agree — the rules make it seem like you can’t turn your head wrong during preparation or you’ll kill your family. I know I thought pressure canning was hard simply because my mother used to shoo us out of the house in case the canner blew up. But I was present in the kitchen for the other stuff — applesauce, stewed tomatoes, jars and jars of jellies and jams, peaches — so I had an innate knowledge just from being present as a child. I knew it wasn’t as hard as the recipe shows.

It would be interesting for your book or website to be able to set up a way to find a canning mentor. Part of what we are missing in our own home canning is the sense of community. My mom and friends used to can together — share the work and share the results. I remember canning as a fun day full of laughter in the kitchen. Quite a bit different from my solitary preparation of my canned goods.