Our store bought foods have chemicals to increase their shelf life, chemicals to help the food retain its color and flavor (to keep it looking pretty), and more chemicals for firmness and shape retention. Yet, we as consumers continue to buy convenience foods off the supermarket shelves, like lambs to slaughter.

     So what can we do? 

     If you’d like to eat healthier, or need a special diet (diabetic, low-sodium, etc) and have finally realized what you are really eating, preserving your own organically grown food is the answer.  So, grow your own fruits and vegetables, practice organic gardening, have your garden soil tested (make sure your garden site isn’t sitting on a former toxic waste dump, that’s defeating the purpose), learn companion planting for pest and disease control, and reap the rewards of chemical-free food.

     Food preserving cookbooks have come along way over the years, and in most preserving cookbooks, you’ll find sections for convenience foods, special needs diets, small batch canning and even a food gift giving section.  Preserve your own organically grown food and eat healthier until next years garden is ready for harvest.  Start preserving today for a healthier you!

     Growing your own fruits and planting a vegetable garden can really reduce your food expenses.  Preserving your harvest is like money in the bank, an insurance plan, so to speak, for when times are lean.

     The convenience foods that you buy at the supermarket can be made at home with a little forethought and effort.  The satisfaction of seeing a full freezer or a pantry closet filled with jars of your homemade soups, pasta sauces, fruits, relishes, etc… far outweigh the time and effort you put into it.  Jars or bags of dehydrated vegetables on your shelves means that you can make your own cup of soup or meal helper in a jiffy, and for a fraction of the cost.

     Here’s just one example of my cost savings:

     One summer after canning 110 quarts of green beans pick from six 60′ rows, I still had three large garbage bags of beans to give to my neighbors.  My costs: about $2.50 for the seeds, new canning jar lids ($1.89/12), a little bit of canning salt, and a small increase in my electric bill.  If I had saved seeds from the previous years garden I could have saved the $2.50.  I haven’t been to the grocery store to check the price of canned green beans so I’ll let you do the math for your location.  Figure the cost savings:  110 qts=234+, 15-16oz cans

     234 X price in store =                

                 Subtract            $2.50    Seeds

                                       $18.90    120 jar lids

                                         $2.00    Electric

                                                     Cost Savings

     This cost savings can be replayed with everything in your garden.  Don’t have a garden, no problem.  If you buy in bulk through a co-op, farmer’s market, produce market, or even a produce auction, you get a substantial reduction in cost for seasonal produce. 

   Sharing your abundance only works to a point, Then your neighbors no longer answer their door, and your coworkers head the other direction when they see you.  You just can’t give it away.

     You’ve tried your luck marketing your excess harvest to local grocery stores and vegetable stands, to no avail.  When your garden comes in at the same time as everyone else, you’re out of luck.  Well, now you’re in a pickle so to speak, and still holding onto your veggies.

     You could try your own stand at the local Farmer’s Market.  However, unless this is something you truly enjoy, it’s time consuming.  If you’ve put in a large garden and have enough variety in produce, having a booth just might be the answer for you.

     Or you can prepare for the year ahead, by canning, freezing or dehydrating your harvest.  Preserving your harvest is not a complicated process, in fact it’s relatively simple, if you can follow directions.  Download your free copy of the “USDA Complete Guide to Canning” to find out just how simple and rewarding preserving can be.