Canning has almost become a dying art, but it is starting to come back.
I think people want to get back to nature. Sixty years ago every housewife canned. It was necessary and a way of preserving food for the winter.
I love canning fruit. It's really so easy. First, go out and pick the fruit you want to can. Bring it into the kitchen, sort, wash, cut and fill sterilized jars with the fruit. Hot syrup is poured over the fruit before the jars are sealed. The jars are then boiled for a specific amount of time, according to the recipe you use and the texture of the fruit.
For fish, meats, and vegetables, it is best to use a pressure cooker, as the boiling time is much shorter, and you can be assured the pressure stays at a constant heat.
Yes, canning can take some time, and you need to be organized, but my greatest pleasure is the reward of being able to go to the cupboard where produce is stored and get a jar for a quick meal in the cold, rainy months of winter. It beats going to the store for food and then having to come home to cook it.
And that's what it is all about.
Bring your finest homecanned produce to A Day at the Farm and enter the Home Canning Contest.
Prizes will be awarded for the finest looking homecanned veggies.
Entries must be at centre stage no later than noon.
Anna Zellweger will be judging the contest.
