Gratitude Day 2

Edited to add:  I posted about home preservation today because I was working on my final batch of jam and starting on making green tomato relish.

 Today I am thankful for my knowledge of home preservation and canning.

I grew up with a grandmother who preserved food.  My mother also preserved food.  As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe in being self-sufficient.  We believe in preparing for a rainy day by staying out of debt, saving money, growing our own food where possible, preserving food, buying staples to store, having supplies of water, clothing and fuel and educating ourselves to provide income through employment.  My paternal grandmother, Ruth, was a Home Economics major at Utah Agricultural College (now Utah State University).  She and my grandfather had quite a homestead.  They  had a huge garden and a mini-orchard.  They also had sheep.  Much of the food they grew they ate but they also preserved a lot of it.  In their basement, they had a small room known to the family as the "fruit room", which was where bottles of canned food were stored.  Some store bought stuff and other things were stored there too.

I grew up in a town only about 10 miles away so we visited frequently and sometimes had dinner with them.  For many of my growing up years, we had Thanksgiving dinner at their home.  Meals with Grandma Ruth were so good--she was a wonderful cook and made a great many things from scratch.  Many times we had dishes made with home-preserved food.

I have always been interested in homemaking arts.  I learned a lot about making bread, cooking, preserving and sewing from my mother and grandmother.  I believe nearly every year that I've been married, I've preserved something.  Some years it was nothing more than a batch of strawberry jam.  One year I had a garden and we had a bountiful harvest of tomatoes.  That year I canned tomatoes, tomato soup, chile sauce, green tomato relish and salsa.  Last year I did pressure canning for the first time and canned green beans and corn.  I haven't had much luck with growing a garden here (I suspect it's lack of enough sun) but we have some great farmers markets so I am still able to buy produce to preserve.

Why do I preserve food?  I don't know that I necessarily save money.  What is more important to me is that I have the knowledge of how to preserve food.  I know what can be canned in a boiling water bath and I know what needs to be pressure canned.  I know how to test for a good seal.  I know how to prep equipment and food.  Now I am learning about dehydrating food.  Last year I bought a dehydrator and did apples, bananas and peach leather.  Yummy!   I also appreciate knowing what is in my food.  So much of what we buy in the stores has added ingredients that I don't see any need for.  I like knowing that my strawberry jam is just fruit, pectin and sugar.  I like knowing my tomato soup is just tomatoes, celery, onions and green peppers.  I like knowing my canned fruit is made with real sugar and not something like high fructose corn syrup.  I have also noticed that home canned food tastes so much better.  Especially fruit.  Last year I bottled a lot of peaches and pears.  I also bought some canned pears and peaches from the store.  We noticed a huge taste difference.  The home canned fruit had a much deeper flavor, and was sweeter, even though I was using the lightest sugar syrup.

There is one thing I can that I do not think I can buy in the store and that is green tomato relish.  It is made with green tomatoes, onions, red pepper, vinegar, sugar and spices.  It tastes similar to the hot dog pickle relish you buy at the store but I think green tomato relish tastes so much better.

I didn't do as much canning this summer as I have done in years past.  I have done strawberry jam, tri-berry jam, salsa and green tomato relish.   Next year I hope to do more.   I also want to make some convenience foods like spaghetti sauce and chicken noodle-less soup.  I would also like to try canning meats and beans.

I will be forever grateful to my mother and my grandmother who taught me about canning.  I will also always be grateful for the knowledge I have, and the additional knowledge I get each year, about canning.