Off The Grid Living…Storing Your Own Food: A Quick and Easy Guide to Home Canning

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Storing Your Own Food: A Quick and Easy Guide to Home Canning

Written by: Guest How-To, Off-Grid Foods

By Lee Bellinger
I clearly remember my grandmother’s home canning. It was the stuff of legend in our family – and yes, some teasing because it seemed to be a throwback to the Great Depression.
Yet now, numerous decades later, my grandmother’s ways are making a significant comeback in modern America. In fact, self-reliance skills in general are coming back into vogue as brutal economic realities continue to impoverish millions.
It’s almost as though we are in… well… a depression.

Whether you grow a garden, visit a local farm to pick fresh produce, or jump at a great price in your grocery store, it’s wise to take advantage of the relative affordability and abundance of food.
I want to propose that you consider modifying your approach to getting and storing food – because it’s likely shortages will crop up at some point.
Home Canning is a Great Inflation Hedge for the Budget-Conscious Household

One easy answer that lets you take advantage of locally grown produce or great buys at the store all year round is to start canning your produce at home. And it’s a great inflation hedge as U.S. food prices continue to rise.
Home canning used to be a widely practiced skill until the convenience of the modern supermarket took over. Today’s smart preppers see the need to bring this tradition back to the forefront.
With the right tools, home canning just takes a little patience and preparation. Then you can add your own garden harvest to your food stores and be confident that you can stock up on food no matter the circumstances or situation.
So, let’s take a look at the easiest way to get started with canning…
Step One: Choose Between Water-Bath and Pressure Canning

The first choice you’ll make is whether you want to use a water-bath canning system or a pressure canning system.
Water-bath canning is easier. You just need a deep pot with a lid, a canning rack, and canning jars with sealing lids. The main drawback to water bath canning is that it limits what you are able to can. Water-bath canning works safely with highly acidic foods or foods that you plan to pickle. You can preserve most fruits and any vegetables you want to pickle. But, you can’t safely can anything else with a water-bath system.
Using a pressure canner requires a little more specialized equipment and the ability to closely follow instructions, which makes it somewhat more complex than water bath canning. But, you can safely preserve just about anything with a pressure canner as long as you know the proper recipe, processing pressure, and processing time……..More Here

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