Why do you prefer home food preservation?

[fairygirl69]

Since we're in the heavy canning, dehydrating, and freezing season, I thought it might be fun to ask everybody. Why do you chose home preserved foods over store bought? I think it's higher quality, better tasting, we're helping the little businesses and, as one person said on the venting thread; it keeps me sane. To me canning isn't just food, it's a work of art. Which is why it's appropriate to give home canned jellys, jams, and butters as a gift but not too many give the store bought variety unless it's very high quality. Like from a gourmet business or an Amish type establishment. Just my two cents.

 

[salt and pepper]

FG,
I make most foods at home. I haven't eaten at Mc Donalds in years. Most everything is homemade. Taste better, I know whats in it, seasoned my way & on & on! Cook at home.

 

[salt and pepper]

Forgot to say that I do can.

 

[Dawgluver]

Had lunch the other day with a couple friends. One is a farm wife and the other is a "first lady" whose husband is a bigwig. Farm wife and I were describing our pickle projects, and First Lady asked, " Can't you just buy pickles? What's different?"

There's something about home canned stuff. My sibs always want my dilly green beans, and call them " sinkies" as they slurp them up over the sink. We all remember Grandma's pickled green beans.

 

[fairygirl69]

Oooh I love home canned green beans! Pickled or otherwise!

 

[CWS4322]

I can control the salt, etc. in what I "put up" as my grandma described canning season. When you can grow your own veggies, it doesn't make sense to buy pickles, canned tomatoes, frozen beans, etc. I do it because otherwise everything would go to waste and what would be the sense in that?

 

[bakechef]

My mom would can lots of vegetables from our garden, but I've never canned vegetables myself.

I have made jam, I really enjoy doing that. To me the stuff in the store is good, but homemade jam just seems to have a "brighter" flavor. Even though I'm putting a ton of sugar into my jam, the fruit flavor is usually a bit more prominent that the sugar flavor, you don't always get that with the store bought stuff.

Our circle of friends are in their 30's and 40's, and tend to be very crafty and interested in making their own foods, which is fairly unusual for our age bracket. I love giving jams as gifts and they really do appreciate them. Our holiday get together usually has lots of knit and homemade things exchanged.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Why? No particular reason beyond the fact it's something I enjoy doing.

 

[Aunt Bea]

When I canned it was more about preserving memories than preserving food.

I still get the urge to "put up" chili sauce, corn relish or bread and butter pickles.

 

[CWS4322]

When I canned it was more about preserving memories than preserving food.

I still get the urge to "put up" chili sauce, corn relish or bread and butter pickles.

+1 Glad to know I'm not the only one who understands the term "put up" to mean spending hours in the garden and kitchen making pickles, etc.

 

[fairygirl69]

Kind of like putting food by?

 

[FrankZ]

We can stuff from the garden cause we can't eat that much in that short time frame.

Makes no sense to grow it if you can eat it before it goes bad.

 

[Addie]

On year my daughter gave me five shopping bags full of fresh ripe peaches. So I went and bought a case of small canning jars. I had a deep pan to place the jars in after the peach jam was done and in the jars. The peach jam was delicious. I bought a small piece of gingham cloth and some raffia. Cut the cloth with pinking shears and tied the cloth over the covers with the raffia. Everyone I knew got two jars for Christmas. I made sure they got them the week before Christmas. A lot of the folks were planning on having a party and put the peach jam out with crackers. It was a big hit with everyone who tasted it.

For the rest of the year, every time I thought of all the work those little jars of peach jam cost me, I also got a nice warm feeling. I knew that the work was so well worth it. It brought a lot of happiness to people I cared about. I only wish I could still do it today.

 

[fairygirl69]

On year my daughter gave me five shopping bags full of fresh ripe peaches. So I went and bought a case of small canning jars. I had a deep pan to place the jars in after the peach jam was done and in the jars. The peach jam was delicious. I bought a small piece of gingham cloth and some raffia. Cut the cloth with pinking shears and tied the cloth over the covers with the raffia. Everyone I knew got two jars for Christmas. I made sure they got them the week before Christmas. A lot of the folks were planning on having a party and put the peach jam out with crackers. It was a big hit with everyone who tasted it.



For the rest of the year, every time I thought of all the work those little jars of peach jam cost me, I also got a nice warm feeling. I knew that the work was so well worth it. It brought a lot of happiness to people I cared about. I only wish I could still do it today.

That's how I feel when I hand out home canned gifts. ?

 

[Addie]

Whether it is a canned jar of food that you put up yourself, or a craft project that you made, it gives the giver a warm sense of expression of love and caring for the recipient. And it is a feeling that stays with the giver for a long time. As a side benefit, it is a means for taking care of one's mental health.

 

[Mad Cook]

Whether it is a canned jar of food that you put up yourself, or a craft project that you made, it gives the giver a warm sense of expression of love and caring for the recipient. And it is a feeling that stays with the giver for a long time. As a side benefit, it is a means for taking care of one's mental health.

I don't can because I don't need to but I bake and make preserves. I sometimes make up hampers of home-made goodies for family Christmas presents and they always go down well. The hampers include a selection based on jams, marmalade, chutneys, pickled onions, fruit cake, shortbread and ginger oatie biscuits, a boozy Christmas pudding, some home-made fruit liqueur and sometimes a game terrine. I wouldn't feel the hampers were the same if I bought all the stuff in the supermarket and it would cost a great deal more.

As you say, it gives me a nice feeling.

 

[Addie]

When my friends get a basket like that for Christmas, they talk about it for days. They don't mention other presents. Just the "most thoughtful lovely gift basket" they got.

 

[taxlady]

When I get enough peaches, I can peaches in brandy.

 

[fairygirl69]

Oh my!

 

[Josie1945]

I can because it is so rewarding. I know what is in it,
better yet what's not in it.
I can lots of veggies, meat, I also can dry beans.
Make pickles and a few jams and jellies.
Freeze corn, peas, okra make sauer kraut.
If you come to visit my house you would be well fed.

Josie