Jam on This: Four Tips to Save Money, Time and the Environment with Homemade Preserves

Lisa Kivirist — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:45:49 +0000

There may be some ironic, redeeming inspiration over the fact that the economy is in the can: the revival of home canning. As headlines lament the downward spiral of retail, the canning industry reports an inspiring increase in sales.

A key reason roots back to probably the same reason why our grandmothers routinely canned: it simply made economic sense. By making fruit preserves as home, you could get a better-tasting, higher quality product much cheaper. Today we can add environmental sense to that equation: home canning enables us to eat more local, organically-raised produce year-round, eliminating the need for fossil fuel based transportation costs.

Despite this rationale manifesto for home canning, getting started can prove to be a discouraging hurdle as the process – from fruit processing to hot-water baths – can seem overtly time-consuming. Not so, according to Linda Amendt, the cape-crusader of home canning. Winner of over 900 awards in state fair culinary competitions and author of two cookbooks, Amendt is on a mission to help people rediscover for themselves the satisfaction and savings of home canning.

“Making a batch of jam is no more complicated than whipping up a batch of cookies,” explains Amendt. “And I promise, nothing off the store shelf will ever compare to what you make in your own kitchen.”

Here are some of her tips to get off to a successful start in homemade preserves, the easiest route for novice canners. While the official growing season is – alas – behind most of us, stockpile these tips till next year and in the meantime use fresh apple cider, which is still available, for a great beginning project (recipe after the jump).

Green Options » jelly recipe

Jam on This: Four Tips to Save Money, Time and the Environment with Homemade Preserves