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DEDICATION
To Dad, who taught me how to save, and to Mom, who taught me how to preserve.
© 2020 by Jackie Callahan Parente and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.
Except as noted below, content in Canning Essentials was previously included in Can It! (2011), originally published by BowTie Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holders.
Recipes for Kosher Dill Pickles on page 149 and Fiesta Salsa on page 154 provided by Jarden Home Brands, marketers of Ball® and Kerr® fresh preserving products. Jarden Home Brands is a division of Jarden Corporation.
Recipes on pages 168–180 were originally published in Amish Community Cookbook (978-1-56523-878-7, Fox Chapel Publishing).
Shutterstock cover images: Chantal de Bruijne (front cover top background, back cover center background); Elena Ray (front cover center); LaineN (front cover bottom right, front cover bottom center); TDMuldoon (front cover bottom left); Valeriana Y (front cover bottom background, back cover bottom background)
Print ISBN 978-1-4971-0100-5
eISBN 978-1-6076-5811-5
Library of Congress Control Number:2019948125
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This book has been published with the intent to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter within. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the author and publisher expressly disclaim any responsibility for any errors, omissions, or adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained herein.
Contents
FREEZING: FLEXIBLE FOOD PRESERVATION
CANNING: A FRESH TAKE ON A FAVORITE PASTIME
PICKLES, RELISHES, SALSAS, AND SUCH
RECIPES FROM AMISH AND MENNONITE KITCHENS
INTRODUCTION
Home food preservation has been a fundamental human activity until more recent generations, when developed societies migrated to industrialized farming and food preparation. Food preservation is as old as civilization. People have always endeavored to devise safe means to extend the useful life of the food that they have found, grown, caught, or killed. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, many families enjoyed the benefits of homegrown/raised produce and meat, and they preserved them using a variety of familiar methods including canning, drying, salting, smoking, and, later, freezing. The second half of the twentieth century saw the emergence of mega-grocery stores, food warehouses, convenience foods, fast foods, industrial farming, and the wane of home food preservation. Our busy, dual-income, multitasking families embraced convenience and fast foods, while putting Grandma’s canner on a dusty shelf or, more likely, in a yard sale. Times change and so does a society’s perspective. In the twenty-first century, economic issues, concern for food safety and nutrition, and a heightened awareness for global environmental concerns are foremost. Many people are revisiting home food preservation for a variety of reasons—some that are consistent with earlier generations, such as economy and wholesome food, and others that are unique to contemporary needs.
But this renaissance poses a number of questions in the minds of the new would-be preservationist. Mom and Grandma aren’t around to show me how to do this. How can I be sure that I’m doing it right? Is it hard? Could I poison my family? What’s the best method: canning, freezing, or drying? Can city-dwellers get into home food preservation? The stream of questions is almost endless, and the good news/bad news is that the stream of answers is, too. How does the neophyte get started without a PhD-level investment in learning?
Breathe easy. As a Wall Street Journal headline once stated, “Yes, You Can.” Home food preservation is not only possible for the uninitiated, but it’s also fun! This