Yesterday Vince and I were talking and, since he never knew his grandparents, he didn’t grow up with a big garden and lots of canning going on, but we were wondering if, during the pandemic, a few more people have learned the value of keeping a bit of shelf stable food on hand. My guess is that some will always keep a supply of food on hand and never go back to where they only had food for one or two meals on hand; some won’t change anything and will go back to living life just the way they were before all this . . and then there are some at every point in between.
Vince was talking about how much he loved the plum jam. I told him I would make more. We were talking about how much it will take to get us through next year’s plum crop. A one-half pint jar of jam could last us just one week but we’ll have other jams and we really don’t eat that much jam. 26 jars would mean we could use a jar every two weeks, except I’ll give some of it to Chad so . . do I make 39 jars? No! I’ll make 26 (two batches of 13 jars), give probably 6 or 8 jars to Chad. I’ll probably make some peach jam and I’m going to make jujube jam this year too.
Then we were talking about the onions I’m freeze drying.
Yesterday the freeze dryer finished up a load of onions and squash. It came out to 4 quarts of onions and 2 quarts of squash. I loaded it up again with onions and squash and it will probably be the same thing – 4 quarts of onions and 2 quarts of squash.
Depending on what I cook each week, I’m sure I’ll use at least one pint of onions per week. Of course, I’ll give Chad some of those too. They get some of everything I preserve. So, in theory, 26 quarts of onions would last me a year.
Same with squash. I’d be pretty happy to have enough squash to have it once a week. I doubt I’ll ever get nearly that much from the garden.
The point I’m trying to make (yes, I am trying to make a point) is that when you think about how much food you need from one year’s garden to the next, it’s a LOT! I’m thankful for grocery stores!
We don’t eat out much so I count on cooking every day. Vince asked if I wanted to go somewhere or get food out for my birthday. I though . . maybe . . but then decided no . . I’d rather eat at home.
Dottie says
My grandparents and parents canned produce and I do the same. There’s nothing like opening up a cupboard (or freezer if you’ve frozen your produce) and finding the good stuff you’ve put up. It seems like SO much work at the time, but it’s oh so good to have during the year.
Susan Nixon says
This is why harvest time has always meant days and days of canning jars and jars of food! You are lucky that it’s spread out over several months. I remember my friend canning 57 quarts of ketchup in one weekend! Ugh!
Judy Laquidara says
That’s why I prefer to grow it instead of buy it because often you have a chance to buy . . say green beans . . and you have to buy all you want for the year and get them canned as quickly as possible.
Susan Nixon says
LOL, those WERE from what she grew! She was amazing and had prolific amounts of everything she planted.
Paula Philpot says
You mentioned you won’t use the Aldi jars for canning. Why? Just wondering. I saw that in a Dec post. See I told you I was trying to catch us.
Judy Laquidara says
They’re only for water bath canning – they recommend not using them for pressure canning.
Paula Philpot says
Oh goodness! I wouldn’t have thought to check the box to find that out. Paula in KY
Sara Fridley says
My mom always looked at the shelves of canning jars full of her garden produce and felt such satisfaction. They enjoyed gardening together and mom really enjoyed canning. So I do understand how you feel. I really never enjoyed the process, even as an adult. But I did it anyway on a much smaller scale. And it was so nice to just grab a jar of whatever, and know that I controlled what went into it. But I’ve given up gardening and canning since we moved. My son-in-law shares his home canned salsa and sauce with me. And I don’t even have to share with my picky eater husband.
Sandy Gail says
My parents raised their own beef, pork, turkeys, chickens and guineas. Their gardens covered a couple of acres. They had a large cellar- always full of every vegetable and fruit you could think of. My husband and I were just talking about how our parents didn’t buy very much at grocery stores. I can actually remember the first time that I ever saw a loaf of bread that came from a grocery store. They had a huge orchard, a large strawberry patch. they grew lots of peanuts. They had pecans, black walnuts, my dad caught lots of fish. They milked their own cows for cream and milk, they had their own eggs. You remind me of them with all of your gardening and preserving.
Judy Laquidara says
Mine is a hobby and I don’t produce nearly as much as I’d like to produce. We have the drought, alkaline soil, and every kind of bug you could imagine. I’m sure a lot of our parents and grandparents lived like your parents did but now, most people don’t.
Amy Makson says
Growing up in a suburb of Boston, as did my mother, we really did not garden or can at all. I have a small garden thru the years, but I mean small… maybe 10 feet by 6 being the biggest? But my mother, having grown up during the depression impressed on me to always have some supplies on hand. So while I won’t come close to your larder, I do stock up on canned goods or freezer foods during sales, or just when I am down to one, I always put a couple more on the shopping list. We could survive for a few weeks for sure. I admire all you and many others do with canning and such. Thanks for sharing.
Catherine says
When boneless chicken thighs or breasts are on sale, I buy 20 pounds and pressure can the meat. Same with chunk beef. Canning in small batches is much easier for me than trying to process a large amount. So handy to open a can of meat and add to noodles for a quick supper. I also can cabbage, potatoes, green beans and freeze corn, applesauce, and peaches. Growing up, my brother and I were taught to always keep extra staples like soup, evaporated milk, and paper products in the “pantry”. My pantry is shelves in my basement and not a convenient room off my kitchen, but that’s OK. As long as I have somewhere to keep my staples, I’m happy.
Judy Laquidara says
I understand. I’ve never had a nice pantry in my kitchen either.