Canning... the what and how

 

Napoleon is not often remembered for one of his greatest contributions to the world: canning food. Well, technically it wasn't him, but Nicholas Appert who at Napoleon's behest discovered after 15 years of experimentation that if food is sufficiently heated and sealed in an airtight container, it will not spoil. Englishman Peter Durand took it further in the early 1800s by sealing food in airtight tins. It wasn't til much later that Louis Pasteur figured out why canning worked at all: the heat kills those pesky little critters that love to do the backstroke in old food.

There are two types of modern home canning, water bath and pressure. Water bath canning relies on the natural or added acidity (or sugar content) of foods combined with heat to kill harmful toxins in the foods. Little critters don't like acidity.

Pressure canning uses extreme heat to do the same thing and can be used on foods that are not acidic like vegetables and meat. There are far fewer foods that can be water bath canned because of the acidity requirements, but it's an easy way to start. Plus, who doesn't love their own tomato sauce?

I could write all about canning here, but there are already some great resources out there for it. I will, however, recommend my All American pressure canner, since it works amazingly well, and doesn't use rubber seals that can wear out. On the Homestead, it's always important to keep in mind what parts on essential tools cannot be replaced "in the field." If your canner relies on a rubber seal, then that is the weakest link and may seriously shorten the useful life of it someday.

For a general overview on canning principles, I recommend this site that has a lot of good information. When it comes time to do your first water bath canning (start with tomatoes + lemon juice), check this site by Jackie Clay out.

I know that projects like this can seem daunting but I assure you it's not. And, the best part is that once you're done, you have a huge batch that can last you all winter. The cost savings and ability to have completely natural preserved food make it essential to know. Once you begin experimenting with recipes, you'll be amazed at what you can come up with. Later this year, I'll be sharing some of these recipes as we harvest the bounty from our organic backyard garden.