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Introduction

The Garrison Keillor quote on the previous page comes from a March 15, 1997, performance of A Prairie Home Companion performed in Muncie, Indiana. Keillor was playing to his audience with his monologue titled, “Ball Jars.” Muncie is home to the canning icon, Ball Corporation. As he is known to do in his monologues, Keillor waxes both philosophical and sentimental on the topic of food preservation. He playfully makes the statement that, in his (mythical) childhood home of Lake Wobegon, “Home canning was the basis of a whole social order.”

As humorous as his monologue is, there is truth in Keillor’s words. Home food preservation has been a fundamental human activity until more recent generations, when developed societies migrated to industrialized farming and food preparation. Food preservation is as old as civilization. People have always endeavored to devise safe means to extend the useful life of the food that they have found, grown, caught, or killed. During the nineteenth and early twentieth century, many families enjoyed the benefits of home-grown/raised produce and meat, and they preserved them using a variety of familiar methods including canning, drying, salting, smoking, and, later, freezing. The second half of the twentieth century saw the emergence of mega-grocery stores, food warehouses, convenience foods, fast foods, industrial farming, and the wane of home food preservation. Our busy, dual-income, multitasking families embraced convenience and fast foods, while putting Grandma’s canner on a dusty shelf or, more likely, in a tag sale. Times change and so does a society’s perspective. As the twenty-first century enters its second decade, economic issues, concern for food safety and nutrition, and a heightened awareness for global environmental concerns are foremost. Many people are revisiting home food preservation for a variety of reasons—some that are consistent with earlier generations, such as economy and wholesome food, and others that are unique to contemporary needs.

But this renaissance poses a number of questions in the minds of the new would-be preservationist. Mom and Grandma aren’t around to show me how to do this. How can I be sure that I’m doing it right? Is it hard? Could I poison my family? What’s the best method: canning, freezing, or drying? Can city-dwellers get into home food preservation? The stream of questions is almost endless, and the good news/bad news is that the stream of answers is, too. How does the neophyte get started without a PhD-level investment in learning?

Breathe easy. As a Wall Street Journal headline once stated, “Yes, You Can.” Home food preservation is not only possible for the uninitiated, but it’s also fun! This book is intended to bring together old-school basics and today’s need for accurate, easily accessible, and succinct instructions. I’ve designed it so that you can quickly get just the information that you need.

Are you new to home food preservation? Concerned about safety, nutrition, and sustainability? Focus on chapters 1 and 2. You’ll gain an historical perspective, while reviewing the many benefits of home preservation and learning about food safety and spoilage issues. You’ll see that today’s home food-preservation techniques go far beyond the Mason jar. Chapter 2 helps you choose home food-preservation methods that best support your objectives in terms of nutrition, ease, and sustainability. Many folks have strong opinions about what method is best. Bottom line: what is best is whatever works for you and your family.

Equipped with information about the scope of food procurement and preservation, you can choose the chapter that gives you specifics about the method you’re most interested in. Look at chapters 3 through 6 for details on each of the various preservation methods that we cover: freezing, canning (water bath and pressure), making jellies and jams, and pickling and fermenting. This book offers a concise survey of safe preservation methods along with tasty and convenient recipes. Because sustainability is in the forefront of many people’s minds, I offer tips and options that are eco-friendly.

You will also find handy reference information in the appendix, such as conversion charts, techniques, and more. This book is a great first step into the world of home food preservation, and when you’re ready to take bigger steps, you can check out the list of resources I’ve compiled for you at the back of the book.

Enjoy the adventure of home food preservation! It’s a hobby that easily turns into a lifestyle.