Achieving a Greener Lifestyle with Home Canning

For scratch cooks and hobby gardeners, nothing beats the taste of home canned produce. This old fashioned way of preserving food is a terrific way of stretching the budget and a much healthier alternative than buying canned produce.

For those of us who try to live a greener lifestyle, home canning is a terrific way of reducing waste while reducing our impact on the environment. How does home canning contribute to greener living?

Quality control

One of the greatest advantages of home canning is the ability to control what goes into the jars. We can control the freshness of the produce that is processed, choose locally grown produce if we prefer, and can insist on chemically free and organically grown produce.

Most home canners have a small vegetable garden and a couple of fruit trees. They may also have access to secluded berry and asparagus patches in the rural areas near their homes. Organically home grown and hand picked produce is better for the environment, and can save a family significant amounts of money on grocery costs without compromising quality.

For those who don't have the room for a vegetable garden, purchasing locally grown produce lowers transportation costs and helps support the local economy. While the cost will be higher than home grown produce, the ability to select organic and fully ripe produce results in a healthier and more nutritious canned food product.

Reusable packaging

A second advantage to home canning is the ability to reuse the glass containers. Unlike commercially processed produce, home canning jars (called "Mason" jars) can be easily sterilized at home and are completely safe to reuse. In fact, almost all the components of home canned goods can be reused except for the lid. Processing food in reusable containers is a terrific way to reduce waste.

Lower carbon footprint