Ways to Store Food: Freezing & Canning

Canning preserves fruits and vegetables for use later.

Preserving summer's harvest of vegetables can help you save money on your grocery bill and allows you to enjoy the fruits of your labors all year. Before the widespread availability of electricity, canning was the preferred method of many for preserving food. Canning and freezing allow you to keep most fruits and vegetables and some meats for use later on. A full freezer or a shelf of filled canning jars is a satisfying sight in any home.

Freezing

To freeze vegetables, you first need to wash and cut up the vegetables or otherwise prepare them as you would to cook them. Shell corn and beans, peel carrots and remove the seeds from peppers. Blanch the food by boiling in water then putting in ice water. Blanching helps kill bacteria that could spoil the food or cause it to soften in the freezer. Put the food in sealed freezer bags and store in the freezer. A few vegetables and fruits, such as potatoes and citrus, don't freeze well.

Canning

In canning food, you prepare it as you would for freezing, then pack in clean jars and fill with hot liquid. Then you have to process the food by boiling for a length of time to kill bacteria and prevent the food from spoiling. You can process tomatoes, pickles, jams and jellies in a water bath canner. These foods contain enough acid to inhibit the growth of botulism. Everything else needs to be processed in a special pressure canner.

Pros and Cons

Canned food is shelf stable and will keep even during prolonged power outages. Jars of home-canned produce make an attractive display in the kitchen. To serve canned food, you only have to reheat it. You can preserve your own pasta sauce or soup mix for a quick meal. But canning requires special equipment, heavy pots and a lot of time in the kitchen. Freezing is fast and food can taste close to fresh. Freezers store a lot of food but if the power goes out for a prolonged period you will lose a lot of what you have saved.

Tips

For canning or freezing, consult cookbooks and follow directions. Keep your work space and all utensils, jars and freezer bags very clean. Any contamination could spoil your food or make you sick. Preserve ripe, unbruised vegetables and cut out any bad spots. Label and date everything and eat what you preserve within a year.

References

• University of Nebraska at Lincoln Extension: Freezing Vegetables
• Colorado State University Extension; Cost of Preserving and Storing Food; P. Kendall and L. Payton; August 2008
• National Center for Home Food Preservation: Frequently Asked Canning Questions