Can we indulge in local food without thinking about canning?

Wow! Is this a crazy year for seriously local-food or what? Everywhere I go people who've never gardened before are looking for community gardens and/or advice about growing food in Nevada. They can’t believe that at this very moment I (a marginal gardener, at best) can walk into my yard and harvest asparagus, lots of lettuce/greens, mustard, broccoli Raab, parsley, chives, thyme, rosemary, salsify, arugula, daikon radish, carrots, and green garlic. And I haven’t really put in much effort yet.

I received an email the other day that got me thinking that we can't really talk about eating more local food without talking about preserving the tasty bounty. And while we're thinking about that why not spend our money in our own community. Here’s what I’ve been thinking…


I read in Time magazine the other day that canning supply sales increased by 15% last year; preserving is bound to be even more popular this year. So what does the average "never canned in my life" person need to get started preserving?

The very best thing would be to attend Master Canning classes offered by our very own University of Nevada, Cooperative Extension. What you say! UNCE doesn't offer canning classes? Call UNCE at 784-4848, ask for Kerry Seymore and tell her how much you'd love the Cooperative Extension to offer Master Canning classes.

Next best thing, find someone who already knows how to preserve and ask to get in on their next canning party: most canners love to share what they know. Contribute labor and your own cans and produce so you can take some preserved goodies home to your family.

If that won't work do what we did. Get yourself some books and take the self-taught route. Start with the classic books in the field. First, Joy of Cooking All About Canning and Preserving, by Irma S. Rombauer, et al., and Ball Blue Book of Preserving (ISBN 0-9727537-0-2), available at Ace Hardware in Sparks and conveniently located near the canning supplies you'll need to get started.

The other books I’ve found to be tremendously handy are The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard, which has really interesting recipes preserved in small quantities; and Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, edited by Judy Kingry and Lauren Devine.

If you want to use preservation methods other than canning try The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest, 150 recipes for freezing, canning, drying, and pickling fruits and vegetables, by Carol W. Costenbader.

Couple of tips we’ve learned along the way:

Buy canning supplies early and a little at a time. Don’t wait until canning season when everyone will be looking for supplies. Canning supplies can be purchased at Ace Hardware in Sparks, and also at Wal-Mart.

Buy extra lids whenever you think of it even if it’s not even close to canning season. They go bad so you can never have too many.

Buy produce in bulk from local farmers. Most farmers can accommodate a large order so just ask your Nevada farmer the next time you visit a farmers market, or call them on-farm. I’ve purchased from both Lattin Farms @ 775-867-3750 (ask for B. Ann) and Workman Farms @ 775-867-3716. Be sure to ask the questions that are important to you, like organic, sustainable, etc., before you order.

Preserve enough produce to get you through the year. If you’re going to put in the time to preserve it’s better to can too much than too little. Last year we water-bathed about 100 pounds of tomatoes (read the books to learn what that means). At the time I thought I’d lost my mind.....again.....and gone overboard (yes, it happens). But we just used up the last two cans last weekend -- a good two months before fresh tomatoes will come out of our yard. This year we’ll up the poundage. Should you find yourself with too many cans of something give them as gifts or take them to parties. My friends have been thrilled to receive a no-frills jar of seriously tasty preserved tomatoes or a teeny jar of strawberry sun-dried jam. They know it will be tasty, healthy, organic, special, and a labor of love from the people who grew the food (local farmers) and my husband and I.

Okay, I’ll say it…preserving with flame and boiling water in August and September can be a fairly HOT experience. Anything you can do to get around that must be good! Just last year I learned that my smartest canning friend freezes her produce at the peak of the season and then defrosts and cans it when the weather cools. How smart is that?!

Make it a party. Invite your friends, include the kids, listen to some music, talk, share the work, and preserve. Every time you open a jar you’ll think of the afternoon you spent with your friends and family “putting up” the food you’re about to feed your friends and family. Life is good!

This year Mark and I will be trying two new things:

First, I recently started brewing my own beer, with lots of help from my friend James, and now have an enormous propane burner that can be used outside. I figure it will bring a 3-4 gallon pot of water to boil in about 15 minutes, way less time than my stovetop at about 30-35 minutes, and.....I can put it outside on the patio. This could significantly lower the AC needs this year.

Solar food dehydrator with electrical backup (and teeny dog)

Second, we built a solar dehydrator earlier this year and will be experimenting with drying our own herbs and produce. Last year we played around with dehydrating a bit and like the results. We’ve taken to crumbling up our own dehydrated tomato chips and scattering them across a salad or a bowl of pasta. The tomato flavor is really intense and it adds a crunchy texture.

Preserving can sound scary, intense and time consuming, and sometime it’s so. But it is so worth it in the dead of winter, when the weather makes you want to stay inside, and you reach into your pantry and freezer and pull together a delicious pot of soup using great produce you and your family put up last summer. Have I said this yet? Life is good!