Some say it’s the continued rise of the local food movement that brought about the return of preserving food. Others claim it’s due to the increased popularity of cooking. And still others claim preserving is back in style simply due to the allure of quality control (i.e., healthier foods, organic produce, etc.).
Any way you look at it, preserving is back; and it’s hotter than ever.
“A lot of what I’ve learned about preserving came from my relatives,” says Amy Love, owner, operator, and farmer of Love Farm Organics. Though Love agrees with all the possible motivators listed, she also thinks people are getting into preserving now because they “want to see if they can create a better flavor than what they can buy.”
Popular foods than can be preserved
Love’s favorite preserved items:
Berry jams and pepper jellies
Plum, pear, and marinara sauces
Pickled dill spears and cucumbers
Fermented kimchi and sauerkraut
Preserving is an age-old tradition, dating back to the 18th century and the days of Napoleon Bonaparte. Although nothing much has changed in the process, more and more people are beginning to opt out of store-bought cans to try their skills at making healthier versions themselves … at home.
Love began taking preserving more seriously when she became a parent. “When I started having children, I didn’t want to have to buy baby food all the time, so I started making my own,” she says. “It’s pretty darn easy to mash up beets and carrots and stuff from my garden to make baby food. And that way there was no added pesticides or sugar.”
Learn how to preserve
Books and websites are great resources to learn how to preserve food and enjoy more contemporary recipes. Still, though, you also want to rely upon a time-honored tradition: Ask older family members, loved ones, and neighbors for their recipes and techniques.
Canning with the community
The other aspect of preserving she loves? Community canning. “I love that sense of home and community,” she says. “I always have friends or family helping me peel or any one of the various processes, so very rarely am I alone in the kitchen.” And Love is seldom short of helping hands; especially since her helpers never go home empty-handed. She loves giving her creations as gifts to friends and neighbors.
Part of the community-building comes also from Love’s farm ventures. She and her husband began offering a community supported agriculture (CSA) program to allow people the chance to buy farm-fresh food and get to know the source of their meals personally. (Find one near you.) For people looking to better control the ingredients of their preserved foods, Love definitely recommends they join a CSA. “That way, you definitely get to know how your food was raised and where it comes from,” Love adds.
The return of preserving food
By Kristy Alpert
Some say it’s the continued rise of the local food movement that brought about the return of preserving food. Others claim it’s due to the increased popularity of cooking. And still others claim preserving is back in style simply due to the allure of quality control (i.e., healthier foods, organic produce, etc.).
Any way you look at it, preserving is back; and it’s hotter than ever.
“A lot of what I’ve learned about preserving came from my relatives,” says Amy Love, owner, operator, and farmer of Love Farm Organics. Though Love agrees with all the possible motivators listed, she also thinks people are getting into preserving now because they “want to see if they can create a better flavor than what they can buy.”
Popular foods than can be preserved
Love’s favorite preserved items:
Preserving is an age-old tradition, dating back to the 18th century and the days of Napoleon Bonaparte. Although nothing much has changed in the process, more and more people are beginning to opt out of store-bought cans to try their skills at making healthier versions themselves … at home.
Love began taking preserving more seriously when she became a parent. “When I started having children, I didn’t want to have to buy baby food all the time, so I started making my own,” she says. “It’s pretty darn easy to mash up beets and carrots and stuff from my garden to make baby food. And that way there was no added pesticides or sugar.”
Learn how to preserve
Books and websites are great resources to learn how to preserve food and enjoy more contemporary recipes. Still, though, you also want to rely upon a time-honored tradition: Ask older family members, loved ones, and neighbors for their recipes and techniques.
Canning with the community
The other aspect of preserving she loves? Community canning. “I love that sense of home and community,” she says. “I always have friends or family helping me peel or any one of the various processes, so very rarely am I alone in the kitchen.” And Love is seldom short of helping hands; especially since her helpers never go home empty-handed. She loves giving her creations as gifts to friends and neighbors.
Part of the community-building comes also from Love’s farm ventures. She and her husband began offering a community supported agriculture (CSA) program to allow people the chance to buy farm-fresh food and get to know the source of their meals personally. (Find one near you.) For people looking to better control the ingredients of their preserved foods, Love definitely recommends they join a CSA. “That way, you definitely get to know how your food was raised and where it comes from,” Love adds.