Read other letters about this article

• Tuesday, July 7, 2009 09:24 PM

  I do it too

  I make my own jams, relishes, preserves and whatnot. There is an initial start up cost in terms of jars and lids, but if you're willing to take a little time and you know what you're doing, even that isn't so bad. Poke around and you can find cases of jars at garage sales. Lots of people get pulled in by the novelty of canning and realize it's actually hot and time consuming work. Their jars can be had for next to nothing. Late summer/early fall they are on sale at hardware and farm supply stores.

  Putting up food you've grown yourself is the most cost effective but if you are without room for a garden, then do some research. Make deals at the farmers market, buy things as they flood the market. During Door County Cherry season, I have a friend pick up a few 5 gallon buckets of cherries for me while she is on vacation. These are surprisingly cheap. Don't buy your fruit from the regular grocery store, it will never be worth it. Save your citrus peels, they go in marmalades. An overabundance of carrots and green beans from the CSA last year brought us firecracker carrots and beans and some were mixed with the oh so many heads of cabbage for a spicy tart relish.

  My sister has a warehouse market membership and in exchange for some jams she takes me there to buy 25 pound bags of sugar and bulk bags of peppers, mangoes and whatever else they might have.

  The real drawback to canning, the real reason that most people run screaming from it, is that it is HOT work that takes place in the hottest times of the year. Most of my canning gets done in late August and early September. It's too much of a money drain to run the a/c during this time so we open the windows and run some fans and I process batch after batch of whatever I have. Sugar gets insanely hot and I have my share of little blop shaped scars on my forearms from not taking care when stirring the jam.

  I have a pressure canner, but I rarely use it to pressure can things. Most of the stuff that requires pressure canning I prefer to eat from frozen, but I do use it to make beef stock and chicken stock, that gets concentrated and frozen.

  People suggested I sell some of what I make. My peach and clementine jam (Merciful Peaches) and my lemon ginger marmalade are pretty damned good, but it's not worth it. If I sold it for what it was worth taking into account my time and energy, it would only end up with a limited market. That market that gets oh-so-derided here in the letters every so often ;)

  In 1997 I pulled 2 quarts of wild blueberries from the BWCAW and ended up with 7 very coveted jars of jam. You can't really put a price on wild blueberry jam on homemade bread for breakfast.

  —Strawberry Read Strawberry's other letters
  Permalink
  Flag
  Click "Submit Flag" if you feel this post is inappropriate. Explain why below if you wish.

  Cancel