To can or not to can?

I recently attended a class on preserving and canning. I was looking to create a ‘taste of summer’ by way of canning my homegrown tomato bounty.

Well, I was sure in for a lesson or two. It seems that canning is actually quite a process and requires either a pressure canner or water bath canner depending on the pH of the fruit or veggie you are bottling.

I’m glad I took the class, because if I do decide to take the canning plunge one of these days, I will have some understanding of what to do (or not to do) and I certainly know what I need to buy.

Bottom line, based on the class-size, it’s evident that many people are growing their own food and are looking for ways to extend their harvest. Just imagine… on a cold, snowy February day, you reach into the pantry and open a jar of tomatoes that were grown in your garden and use them to make chili. It warms you twice! How nice.

[Via http://appreciatinglifeupnorth.wordpress.com]