JUST THINKING ON THIS LAST DAY OF AUGUST 2015

COMMON SENSE HOME CANNING

TRIED AND TRUE FOOD PRESERVATION

It is time for you to stock your pantry following the tried and true canning techniques and recipes of many home canners like yourself.

I had the privilege of growing up in a semi country setting. My grandparents had a little home place with a farming atmosphere. They raised cattle, sheep, chickens, guineas and other livestock. We had fresh eggs and fresh meat on the table at all times. My grandparents planted large amounts of peas and corn, that they would sell, put up for them and their family. They planted vegetables for the fall, spring and summer gardening seasons. One thing I remember was they had so many fruit trees. As a grandchild I often helped them and the many different family members in their fields, gardens and fruit trees.

My family lived about nine or so miles from my grandparents. At our little home place we also raised our own vegetables, and we had chickens and other livestock as well. At a very young age I learned to work and work we did.

It was during those young years of my growing up that I learned how to freeze and can by water bath certain things that we raised. Now understand all of that is in my long ago distant past. I got married, left home and my gardening, freezing and canning became part of my past. I did not even like to cook during the next 30-40 years.

But on August 28 – August 29, 2005, Mississippi was hit by hurricane Katrina. I must confess I had not prepared for this devastation. My wife and I stayed home during this terrific storm. Even though we were not prepared we did have enough supplies to get us through a few days, but the people around us, many of them had not prepared at all an people quickly became desperate.

I began to work like a trooper and got, water, food supplies, generators, gasoline and diesel brought in to keep our church group and some in our communities supplied.

After Katrina, I started keeping me a decent supply of bottled water, and canned goods. I had generators, propane and such that I kept ready. My wife and I worked hard to keep our shelves stocked for about four to five years after Katrina. But we were dependent on the local grocery stores and I did not like this idea at all. First of all I do not like many of the foods that are sold to us in our grocery stores. I surely do not trust the USDA to keep our food supplies safe, so I began to do some thinking and observing.

I have a Brother-in-law, Dr. Steve Bennett that was pastoring a Baptist Church in the South Haven, Mississippi area in 2009. My wife and would go visit and stay in their home on numerous occasions and I began to notice he was canning soups, gumbo, beef, chicken and all kinds of vegetables. I began to question him about the process he was using and he began to talk to me about pressure canning. I was only familiar with water bath canning, like we had done when I was a teenager growing up. I then went back to my home and began to study and research pressure canning. I must confess there are so many negatives online about pressure canning, because people are allowing themselves to be dumbed down by the USDA, the FDA and other government agencies that do not want us to be prepared for disasters. The government and its agencies want us to be dependent on them.

My Brother-in-law came and visited with my wife and I for three days to teach me the basics of Pressure canning this was at the end of 2009. I have been pressure canning ever since. I have basically read, studied and versed myself in this art of pressure canning. I by no means am an expert canner, but I am not the least bit fearful or afraid to try things that others have said cannot be canned.

“I do believe in practicing safe canning, but I also believe that canners have been dumbed down by our USDA and FDA to believe we can not longer can as our parents and grandparents did. They tell us that they are the only ones that can certify our recipes and practices. I tell you this is pure HOGWASH, I have proven them wrong on so many different occasions and I must confess I am not a scientist nor do I have a degree in the culinary arts. But it does not take a rocket scientist to understand the USDA and the FDA are not looking out for our well being they are lining their coffers with money from big business and large money making corporations to sell you and I food stuffs and drugs that will eventually take our lives. I am not against our Federal Government by any means, but I will stand against the government agencies that are in control of our foods and drugs because they are not looking out for you and I they looking out for the coffers of their agency.

I challenge canners to wake up and learn things for themselves, observe the things other people are doing and venture out beyond where they are. I will tell you there are some things that I will not can even if others do, simply because I do not feel good about them. There are some canning practices and processes that I will not try because I do not feel comfortable doing them. But just because I do not do some of the things that others do does not make me right and make them wrong, I just have not proven them for myself. I advise all canners to only practice the things that you feel comfortable with as you continue and observe the things that others are doing.

I am a pressure canner only guy. I do not use a water bath at all. If the process or recipe calls for water bath, I figure out a formula to pressure can instead.

I have learned that people that are new to pressure canning often approach food preservation with fear, anxiety, uneasiness and much apprehension and they do not have a brother-in-law that can help them like I did. Remember this one thing about food preservation and home canning all it takes to be a success is to follow the “COMMON SENSE” approach.

The “COMMON SENSE” approach is very simple; use a good simple recipe and follow safe canning processes, and you will be able to have a cupboard full of all types of food in a jar. Just a few hours of energy will reward you with months of meals on your shelves to feed your whole family.

Let me quote Dr. Steve Bennett:

“When you home can is like putting money in the bank.”

Let me add this quote,

“Pressure canned foods on my shelves give me the sense of lasting security no matter what the emergency is and also a sense of lasting wealth.”

I feel that I am now an experienced “Home Pressure Canner” I now have six full years of canning experienced the hard way.

In the past six years I have canned some things that I do not like at all. I have used some recipes from others that I really do not care for the taste, the texture or the flavor.

I have been given fruits and vegetables that came from fruit stand and farmers market that were getting overly ripe and I have worked my self down so as not to loose this produce and therefore I ended up with over abundance of some things now in jars that I really do not use often.

But one thing I believe and I teach is that we should never waste or throw anything away that can be used. I follow the old English Proverb of 1772,

“Waste not, want not. The less we waste the less we lack in the future.”