History of canning food

[ORChick]

I get the feeling sometimes, reading various threads that come up, that some people feel that canning food is "the" method of food prservation - its been around for generations (i.e. "forever"), and what our ancestors did (and survived doing) should be good enough for us.

Well, while it has been generations, it has not been forever. In fact, food canning is one of the newest forms of food preservation - even freezing is older, in the higher latitudes (note that I did not say "freezers"). I was going to say that freeze drying is newer, but I remember reading that potato farmers in the Andes used/use a form of freeze drying for potato storage.

Canning has only been around for 200 years. The peasant from Corsica - Napolean Bonaparte - offered a reward for the person who could find a way to preserve food so that he could feed his troops on long campaigns. Nicolas Appert won the prize, and canning has grown in popularity since, though pressure canning at home is still mostly practiced in North America. My friends in Europe make jams and pickles, but don't know about canning vegetables or meat (or didn't; possibly things have changed in the last few years).

I personally do not pressure can; I don't like the texture of canned vegetables, and don't have access to either meat or fish in sufficient quantity to make it worthwhile. I do use a water bath canner for fruits and tomatoes; I ferment some things; I dehydrate a lot; and I make full use of my freezers. In my opinion, and it is only MY opinion, I think it is unconscionable to risk my family's health by water bath canning those things that research has shown are safest canned under pressure (especially when there are other, safer ways to preserve them). Botulism is rare (thank goodness) but it is very nasty when it occurs. Because it has been done before, "forever", does not make it a safe practice. Because the lid on the jar makes that satisfactory sound - "ping!" - does not mean that the contents are safe. It means that the jar has sealed, yes, but not that the contents were heated to a sufficient temperature to not be harmful.

OK, I'm stepping down from the soapbox now

This is a timeline of the history of canning:

http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Canning/canning-story.html

ETA: Freeze drying in the Andes: http://www.calnative.com/stories/n_incapotato.htm

 

[SKR8PN]

Living here in Ohio, we only have access to free freeze from December to March, so we have to have freezers. We also dehydrate a lot of foods, then vacuum seal them in either bags or jars. We ferment as well as keep a lot of stuff in dry storage, but water bath canning and pressure canning is a very important way to store a lot of food long term and not have to worry about losing power and consequently, the freezers.

Think of pressure canning as one more tool in your food storage arsenal.
Preserving your own food is a hellova lot safer than risking some of the commercially prepared stuff they pass off as food anymore.

 

[Blackbird]

Wait.. Are you trying to discourage me and the 14 y/o jar of jam i opened the other week from meeting over bread and butter? *gasp*. How dare you!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

Living here in Ohio, we only have access to free freeze from December to March

we call this organic refrigeration/freezing. we're gonna find a way to market it and make millions!

ORC - if you're not comfortable with the canning thing...then don't do it. as you said, there are other methods.

i think most folks know the risks and most of us are pretty 'do your own thing' kinda people. have you seen some of the farming/canning sites from europe? they think we are nuts for all the precautions.

personally i think the gal i saw driving down the freeway at 85mph texting on her phone was way more unconscionable than the experienced folks here doing what works for them.

so to each his own, right?

 

[Wifezilla]

I don't pressure can either. I like drying. Saves space BIG TIME! I just got back to water bath canning, but only use it on high acid foods. Being at high altitude I have extra issues. Pressure canning isn't for me either, but that is because I have the attention span of a 2 year old. I can see potential explodiness if I had one...getting distracted and wandering away LOL I know me too well.

Started fermenting earlier this year. LOVE IT!!! Like the freezer and use it often. Trying to fill it again Abi and I massacred some pumpkins last week. I still have 3 more to go.

 

[~gd]

Wait.. Are you trying to discourage me and the 14 y/o jar of jam i opened the other week from meeting over bread and butter? *gasp*. How dare you!

Well do you feel lucky? go ahead and make my day!

 

[Blackbird]

I hadn't had any in a while because of the cleanse that I was doing, but there's not much left. I did have to skim a little mold off the top, but I think if I was to die it would have been when I first had some.

 

[~gd]

Speaking of preserving foods, a national brand of Sauerkraut (Hebrew National) was advertised on sale in a bag. I grew up in a area settled by Germans in western New York and I miss the taste of real 'kraut canned Kraut is off in both taste and texture for me (nothing like a Ruben sandwich to me) Well I searched that store and the more I searched the madder I got. I finally trapped a stockboy that I wouldn't set free until he showed me to it. He said it is right where it always is and he took me to the FROZEN SECTION of the store. There it sat in bags with ice crystals inside but not frozen rock hard either. Got it home and looked it over closely to see where it should be stored. Distributed by ConAgra (I wonder if they "answer to a Higher Authority" as is Hebrew National's motto? On the Front of the bag "IMPORTANT MUST BE KEPT REFRIGERATED TO MAINTAIN SAFETY' "INGREDIENTS CABBAGE WATER SALT SODIUM BENZOATE AND SODIUM BISULFATE added as preseratives"
Does anyone know what I bought? my old German neighbors just kept kraut submerged in a barrel in a celler at about 50F with no preseratives. The fermatition and the salt were supposed to preserve it Frozen and loaded with chemicals doesn't sound like Kr aut to me.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

i'm taking a whack at kraut right now in a crock and everything. i'm pretty sure i'll die from it... but here's to nothing, right?

ha!
;-)

not sure whatcha got there, gd.. probably fermented at some point and now safety sealed or what have you.

 

[Wannabefree]

Speaking of preserving foods, a national brand of Sauerkraut (Hebrew National) was advertised on sale in a bag. I grew up in a area settled by Germans in western New York and I miss the taste of real 'kraut canned Kraut is off in both taste and texture for me (nothing like a Ruben sandwich to me) Well I searched that store and the more I searched the madder I got. I finally trapped a stockboy that I wouldn't set free until he showed me to it. He said it is right where it always is and he took me to the FROZEN SECTION of the store. There it sat in bags with ice crystals inside but not frozen rock hard either. Got it home and looked it over closely to see where it should be stored. Distributed by ConAgra (I wonder if they "answer to a Higher Authority" as is Hebrew National's motto? On the Front of the bag "IMPORTANT MUST BE KEPT REFRIGERATED TO MAINTAIN SAFETY' "INGREDIENTS CABBAGE WATER SALT SODIUM BENZOATE AND SODIUM BISULFATE added as preseratives"
Does anyone know what I bought? my old German neighbors just kept kraut submerged in a barrel in a celler at about 50F with no preseratives. The fermatition and the salt were supposed to preserve it Frozen and loaded with chemicals doesn't sound like Kr aut to me.

It's probably going to be mushy. My mom makes sauerkraut by pouring hot water over the cabbage in canning jars, and adding canning salt, then sealing. So, it's kind of cooked. Mushy. Then it is left to ferment, and it's mushy. That is how the cans at the store are done as well, and I figure how this has been processed before bagging maybe? Mushy. Did I mention it is likely mushy? Like really not cabbage texture at all. Make your own. Ya can't buy the good stuff.