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Growing up, it seemed that we always had a constant supply of canned goodies at home. Mom made the best strawberry jam and her homemade applesauce was great with pork chops or on its own. But the favorite was always the homemade pickles. I will always love seeing the look on someone's face when they bite into their first homemade pickle. I'm not sure what makes them so superior to the grocery store variety, but they certainly are. It could be the recipe, or that they aren't massed produced, or just that they're made with more love. Whatever it is, Mom had it and she put it into every jar of pickles she canned.

My story is probably remarkably similar to millions of Americans. The only difference is that I am only 22 years old. My mother carried on the tradition of food preservation long after so many other Americans had abandoned it. And she did so with good reason! Home canning saves money but it cuts down on the the amount of "mystery ingredients" and chemicals in the food too. It also gives the cook a great deal of pride; there is nothing more rewarding than enjoying perfect apple sauce, jam or pickle and knowing how much hard work went into it.

I imagine that the current economic crisis will encourage more Americans to wipe the cobwebs off their canners and start preserving again. The past several decades have been all about convenience. People didn't care about spending big bucks as long as something was quick and easy. Home preserving definitely went out of style. As our fast paced, money driven culture begins to slow down, more people will have the time, and the thriftiness, to start canning once again.

This year was the first of my adult life that I did any home preserving. Mom helped me make several pints of spicy dill and bread & butter pickles. I canned several jars of marinated onions on my own and I'm also trying my hand at fermenting cabbage for homemade sauerkraut. Home preserving has been a fascinating and fun experience for me this year. I can't wait to give my friends a taste and say "I made this myself!"

posted 4 years, 7 months ago
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