The Lost Art of Canning

Canned Goods

Canning is a way of preserving your fruits and vegetables after the year’s harvest.   This is a folkloric activity that has been performed for generations, and is thought to be a lost art.  Our family tradition originally began in Sweden where my great-great grandmother canned out of necessity and then brought her techniques to America.  The secret recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, and now my mother has passed them on to me.  These delicious jars full of tomato chunks, tomato juice, pickles, green beans, salsa, beets and jams make wonderful gifts and are always appreciated.

Growing up, the month of August was always the prime canning time for my mother, and this year I joined in on the fun in hopes of keeping the family tradition alive.  I was given a pressure canner and several boxes of jars from my aunt last fall, and looked forward to putting them to use this year.

This season, my mother and I have canned tomato chunks, which makes a great base for chili or vegetable soup, as well as V-12 tomato juice, which makes a flavorful tomato sauce or the perfect bloody mary cocktail.   The tomato juice is wonderful by itself.  My grandfather drank a glass of tomato juice that my grandmother made every morning for 51 years!  All the items used to make these delicious canned goods are grown in our gardens.   Store bought canned products are convenient, however the taste does not compare!

We look forward to preserving more items each weekend throughout the rest of the season.  I relish the time spent with my mother, learning directly from her and look forward to sharing our folkloric tradition with my children some day.  Although I can not share the secret recipe with you just yet (it may be released some day in my cookbook), I will share several recipes throughout the fall/winter months using these products.