Putting the garden up

[Bill who putters]

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2010.

National Center for Home Food Preservation [pdf] canning and food preservation is very much alive in parts of the United States, and the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service has canners', picklers', and curers'/smokers' interests at heart.  The Center advises people on how to can foods safely, along with offering recipes for how to make delicious foods.  

The most notable freebie the website offers visitors is "Preserving Food at Home: A Self-Study".  It is a self-paced, online course that teaches "Introduction to Food Preservation", "General Canning", "Canning Acid Foods", and "Canning Low-Acid Foods".  The "Multimedia" section has "Videos", "Slideshows", "Graphics Galleries", and "Tutorials" to make the process of canning, pickling, drying, and freezing come to life.  The "Graphics Galleries" are for those who give presentations, papers, lectures, etc., for educational and not-for-profit purposes.  Some of the galleries include a "Drying Gallery", "Equipment Gallery", "Pickling Gallery", and a "Raw Foods Gallery". [KMG]

[Bill who putters]

I have 5 kids aged 26 to 36 and none have ever preserved anything. I've got all sorts of canning jars some with metal spring lids some ball vacuum seal. Two pressure canners and one just hot water along with a steam extraction juicer. None have been used much in the last 20 years aside from dehydrator. I do not know if they will be used. BUT things can change and we know how to but my children do not know why to or want too. Sometimes I think I post just for myself.

BTW some of those caning jars are green glass and I make up fruit in brandy Christmas gifts which are heirlooms. I'm hoping someone will ask what else can be put up.

Sort of think the late marriage age I see has some thing to do with this.

81 F. today and a get this 42 F. dew point. Sort of a great glitch in the weather . Monday about 100F. :(((((

[balvenieman]

Changing demographics brought about the closure of the vast majority of county-supported community canning centers in my part of Florida long before the presentday budget shortfalls. DW&I pressure-canned for a while, when younger if not prettier, and still have all of the paraphernalia save for serviceable jars: We passed those along to family members who still practice the art. Although, I have no particular fondness for the regional electric utility, nowadays, we freeze or dehydrate whatever "surplus" our garden produces. Thanks for the link. In the day we found the official USDA home canning guide (we found it on the USDA web site) and the "Ball Blue Book" to be the definitive guides and of immense help. The USDA information is updated continuously and it pays someone heavily into food preservation to monitor it frequently. A note about the "Ball Blue Book": DW&I found a later edition at Books-a-Million than the one we received directly from Ball and within a week of receiving it.