I spent about 40 minutes on the phone with my mother this morning. I have to admit the call was somewhat inspired by a post by a fellow blogger who had reviewed a company that offers bulk products direct from the growers or farmers. The only caveat to what would be an amazingly great program for any dollar crunching family is that the products are only sold in bulk (40 pounds at a time) and at limited community events. I didn't care, though, it sounded good to me. I am always looking for cheaper ways to provide my family with foods that are closer to nature than the stuff we commonly purchase through our grocery stores. But the sheer quantity that one has to purchase of a single food item is a bit intimidating.
This topic, of course, got Mom and I reminiscing about the "good old days" when Grandma would put up fruit and vegetables in the growing season so we could enjoy the deliciousness of food picked during the best seasons throughout winter and early spring. Canning, a lost art if you asked me. And possibly one we should consider reviving. Just think of how much we spend on products annually that we have NO IDEA of what they actually contain. It would take a degree in chemistry to actually understand the ingredients labels, and an additional one in BioChemistry to understand what those ingredients do to our bodies. Granted the initial expense of setting your kitchen up to Can is intimidating, but it got me thinking. We all have communities of friends, right? And we all have friends who eat, right? What if we were to take a hint from our granparents and work with our communities of friends and loved ones and invest in our families' future health together?
How fun would it be to get a group together to hit the farmer's markets and invest in bulk products, then have Canning Parties?! That way no one person would have to face the entire expense of buying all the ingredients and equipment by themselves, and several people could get together to share the actual work of cutting, prepping, sealing, and separating! I'm starting my group today! Let me know how your group gets going and what you are working on canning. I am thinking that I will probably start with some orange marmalade, cinammon apple sauce, and salsa...mmmm, salsa! Happy Canning!
This topic, of course, got Mom and I reminiscing about the "good old days" when Grandma would put up fruit and vegetables in the growing season so we could enjoy the deliciousness of food picked during the best seasons throughout winter and early spring. Canning, a lost art if you asked me. And possibly one we should consider reviving. Just think of how much we spend on products annually that we have NO IDEA of what they actually contain. It would take a degree in chemistry to actually understand the ingredients labels, and an additional one in BioChemistry to understand what those ingredients do to our bodies. Granted the initial expense of setting your kitchen up to Can is intimidating, but it got me thinking. We all have communities of friends, right? And we all have friends who eat, right? What if we were to take a hint from our granparents and work with our communities of friends and loved ones and invest in our families' future health together?
How fun would it be to get a group together to hit the farmer's markets and invest in bulk products, then have Canning Parties?! That way no one person would have to face the entire expense of buying all the ingredients and equipment by themselves, and several people could get together to share the actual work of cutting, prepping, sealing, and separating! I'm starting my group today! Let me know how your group gets going and what you are working on canning. I am thinking that I will probably start with some orange marmalade, cinammon apple sauce, and salsa...mmmm, salsa! Happy Canning!
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