Becoming more self-sufficient starts at home.
The additives found in many store bought food products aren’t even meant to be foods.
Some ingredients are synthetic, can be toxic or even cause allergic reactions in some individuals.
By learning to preserve your own foods at home and processing them properly in a canner, you can control the ingredients in your foods.
Food preservation helps you to rely on you.
Instead of relying on someone else (big business, the government, or anyone else for that matter) to tell you that your food is safe to eat, why not consider some good, old-fashioned self-reliance?
Cook and process your own foods and know they are safe because you were the one canning them.
Canning your own food saves money.
When you preserve your own foods, you save money in the long run. Sure, purchases like a quality pressure canner, jars, and other canning supplies will cost you upfront.
But in the end, you’ll be saving money because you get to reuse the jars for countless future harvests.
You’ll also be saving on the cost of gas you’re forced to shell out each time you make a trip to the store.
Less produce goes to waste when you preserve it for later use.
Often times we have leftovers or more produce than we could possibly use up before it goes bad.
Instead of letting it rot away, we save it for future meals by canning the excess.
Canning makes quick and easy meals.
One of my favorite things about canning is that it takes most of the work out of mealtime.
Foods pretty much just need to be heated up and it’s easy to make one pot meals like soups and stews, which are wonderful for those busy days that just get away from you.
Pop a can open, heat on the stove and dinner is served!
Preserving foods at home is healthier than store bought foods.
Many store bought packaging contains questionable or unsafe chemicals, such as BPH.
Instead of risking your health, try canning your own foods at home using glass jars and BPA-safe canning lids.
Canning is a great hobby.
Everyone needs a hobby, and canning is a great one to get into.
Not only is it fun, it is a productive hobby; you always get something out of it!
Food preservation is eco-friendly. Instead of tossing container after container into the landfill after opening disposable metal cans, you can feel good about your role in reducing waste on our planet.
And you’re putting in a vote at the store each time you chose to not make a purchase and bring home store bought canned goods.
Canned food items make great gifts.
For those of us that truly believe that old cliche, “It’s the thought that counts,” when it comes to gift giving season, canning is a fantastic item for anyone on your list.
I can’t think of a single person I know who would be bummed out to receive some tasty, homemade canned treats as gift. Can you?
Canning your own food helps you connect with lost arts.
Living in such a fast paced and hi tech world, many lost arts or old school ways are disappearing. Take the time to connect with the more primitive ways of doing things by learning to preserve your own foods.
You can find a lot of personal satisfaction in canning your harvest.
There’s little that I find more satisfying than a job I’ve been involved in from start to completion. Canning my own food fits perfectly into this category because I get to see the food go from the garden to the shelf to my plate. Food tastes more amazing when you put all that work into it yourself.
Sometimes you just have to preserve your own food.
Sometimes canning food is a need, not a want. It can be for financial reasons or even due to something like a storm that cuts off your power. When you’re able to can your own food, you go from a potential loss to preserving.
Canning helps you stockpile food reserves.
Some of us like to plan, whether it be buying in bulk to stock up on food for a few months to planning for the zombie apocalypse. If you are able to can your own harvest, you can stockpile for years without worry of losing refrigeration or critters chewing through boxes to get to your foods.
Do you have another reason that should be on my list of why you should can your own food?
