Is canning veggies cost effective?

[bama boy]

Good idea on alittle of each in different freezer. Thanks

truly I think 'certain' things frozen are much better in taste....but again, I had freezer failure and lost TONS of stuff which ticked me off big time...so I am still thinking canning/preserving if you want this 'more safe' vs. possible freezer failure..lol

since I have 3 freezers, I do 'spread the wealth' now vs. putting all of one kind of item in 1 freezer...kinda like a back up system. if one goes down, I lose items, but I have more of that item in another freezer. so that helps lol


LOL GD
my time is always figured into whatever I do in this lifetime.
time is precious to me......so I sure 'use' it where I feel it is used best. I ditched MANY SS type projects because of time involved...I ain't stupid LOL

 

[~gd]

truly I think 'certain' things frozen are much better in taste....but again, I had freezer failure and lost TONS of stuff which ticked me off big time...so I am still thinking canning/preserving if you want this 'more safe' vs. possible freezer failure..lol

since I have 3 freezers, I do 'spread the wealth' now vs. putting all of one kind of item in 1 freezer...kinda like a back up system. if one goes down, I lose items, but I have more of that item in another freezer. so that helps lol


LOL GD
my time is always figured into whatever I do in this lifetime.
time is precious to me......so I sure 'use' it where I feel it is used best. I ditched MANY SS type projects because of time involved...I ain't stupid LOL

Didn' t mean to imply that you are stupid. if you have no great call on your time (i don't) and you enjoy canning (I don't) go to it. I grow only 3 foods tomatoes and sweet corn for the flavor and some forms of onion that are never seen in either stores or farmer markets here.

 

[freemotion]

Pressure canning veggies is not something I'll do....I hate most canned veggies and won't eat them.

That being said....I pressure can literally hundreds of jars of food each year and it saves us a gazillion dollars! And we eat gourmet now, on the cheap. And we do our part to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

I just came in for a break from planting tomatoes....got 24 in so far, a few more do put in, then it is pepper plants. Got 25 of those, cayenne and jalapeno.

I'll be canning diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, chili, pizza sauce, soups and stews, baked beans, plain black beans, meatloaf, various types of meat chunks like beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and who knows what else. Oh, and catfood, of course, 365 pints each year!

It is an enormous help financially, and the jars of prepared food are very helpful on those days when neither of us has the time/energy to cook.

If you just compare the price of, say, a can of tomatoes on sale in the store to a jar of home-canned, it may not be as impressive. If you compare the cost of prepared foods, like soups, stews, spaghetti and pizza sauce, etc, the savings are enormous.

If you grow you own herbs and onions/garlic too, well, the savings continue to climb.

There is a learning curve, so be patient with yourself and stick with it.

 

[me&thegals]

Not if you count your time If you enjoy it, however, definitely! We can all tomato products (sauce, marinara, salsa, tomatoes), pickles, some jams/jellies and beans. Most everything else is frozen. Actual cost (seeds, jars, pectin, salt) are minimal, especially since the most expensive one (jars) can stretch out over decades. The labor is huge, though. But I enjoy it, usually

 

[freemotion]

Remember when you count your time that you are not paying income tax on that time......like you would if you worked and then took that money to the store....then you'd pay sales tax, too, in some cases. For the self-employed, that is a huge savings.

 

[keljonma]

And when you are growing it, processing it, canning/preserving it - you know what went into it the entire step without dependence on someone else.

Personally, we can, root cellar, or dehydrate more than freeze, as power outages are infamous here. The year before last, we were without power for a total of more than 3 weeks - 2 weeks straight and the rest was a day here, two days there. So freezing imo not a good option.

 

[FarmerChick]

Didn' t mean to imply that you are stupid. if you have no great call on your time (i don't) and you enjoy canning (I don't) go to it. I grow only 3 foods tomatoes and sweet corn for the flavor and some forms of onion that are never seen in either stores or farmer markets here.

oh no, not taken as that meaning at all---all cool

I just was saying SS projects can be very time consuming and many I sure don't do because of that.

 

[justusnak]

I guess its just a matter of opinion, and preference. For us...I can everything!!And I do mean everything. Green beans, corn, peas,pickled beets, regular beets,Canned tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, salsa, tomato juice, jellies, jams, apple sauce,fruits,pickles and meats for sure! It is a lot of work, and there are only the 2 of us, however, when I have a good garden year, I fill the pantry with enough home grown and canned foods to last until the next harvest. Sure, I freeze some things...Brussels sprouts,and larger meats. However we have multiple power outages and some last for a week or better. I can't take the chance to lose any of the food I worked hard to grow. With the way the economy is going...I don't want to have to rely on "big brother" to feed me or mine. Sure, the initial start up can be costly. Look at yard sales, auctions, etc. Ask friends..you never know who's mom or grandparent might have some in a garage or closet somewhere. I enjoy working the garden..and am very proud of the harvest, knowing I did that!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

and dont forget all the time money and engery you save by NOT shopping. a 5 minute/$30 shopping trip because you have your own stuff at home is much better (for us) than a 30 minute/$100 trip.

i'm totally sold on canning. i resisted it for a long time but now i love it. i'm with free, tho, mostly its "food" and not necessarily veggies... except i like home canned green beans better than anything else!

my best "score" was canning ground turkey from wow-on-sale frozen turkeys from the store. it was so easy to go and get a can of meat, pop open some home canned salsa, layer it with home canned beans, and thats and easy-peasy supper!

 

[k15n1]

The cost of canning is about 20x lower than the cost of freezing.

The best article I've found is here:

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/08704.html

Because of this article, I was able to introduce new legislation and win a 2/3ds majority on the pruchase of an All American canner, jars, and misc. items