Does Canning Food Save You Money?

I was raised with a large garden and a family who saved money by investing with hard-work in horticulture, harvesting, and canning/freezing everything we grew.

It was definitely the very best tasting food I’ve ever had.

Every dish tasted more rich and flavorful. And our jam seemed to never expire…

(Credit: RealSimple)

Naturally, as an adult, I’m finding it hard to find time to garden. And I don’t always love the constant upkeep. But for me, the advantages of eating out-of-the-garden outweighs the hard stuff.

I didn’t actually have a solid notion of how to do it myself, although I always helped with the gardening and canning. So I had  to have my grandmother and my mom help me out the first time.

We laughed, exhausted, and I learned there is more too it than digging a hole and dropping a seed. I mean I always thought gardening saved money. But this creeping anxiety filled me with each purchase of fertilizer, drip system, etc. I started wondering if I actually was preserving anything with all the work I was putting into it.

So What Does Canning Come Out To Be?

Mason jars, lids, and o-rings don’t cost that much, around .50 per jar once all is said and done (thesimpledollar.com is a great source for seeing the cost all set out for each thing). Or, since I come from a family who cans and I have buddies who can, free (from their extra cans). Bonus, all jars and lids might be used multiple times, so that brings down the complete prices.

You also need a pressure cooker plus a sizeable pot usually (I got both of these from Christmas presents at one point). These are great to simply have because you can use them for much more than only canning.

 

So it’s not overly expensive to get the start-up material.

And then clearly garden veggies are mostly “free It just takes some work and, again, a small startup cost.”

Now here’s the stickler. You definitely save a great deal of cash with your own garden-grown material. But if you’re merely purchasing veggies and fruits in bulk, you going to spend the same sum.

Be Creative If You Don’t Have Room For A Garden

Seriously, I believe there’s always room for a little garden. You merely have to get a little creative with your space.

And in the event you don’t create enough to can, you’ll have some free, fresh veggies and fruits to choose from.

(Credit: left – Relisco, right – OSU)

Go check out my article on making some sweet indoor and veranda herb gardens.

Another amazing thing is the fact that many times, farmers outside in rural areas have a free picking day, where for a small price (normally about $20 my friends tell me) you can pick in their own farms and fields to your hearts content. I got a couple buddies that love to make and can salsa who do this all the time. They go out to a farmer’s field with their babies on their backs and pick for hours—merely these enormous baskets of tomatoes. So that’s a great deal!

Or even farms which have excessive or “second picks” (the ones that don’t look as pretty but are still great) that they sell for a more affordable price.

Help friends and family with some goodies like salsa. I have friends who come prune my fruit trees occasionally in exchange for peaches and apples. (Also Jam and Salsa make great Christmas gifts, which can save even more money) I have another buddy who comes and helps me weed in exchange for snap peas and fresh corn. Don’t be shy. People have been trading their time for goods since the start of the world (I’m a good ol’ merchant now).

Cold Storage

I’d be erroneous if I didn’t mention freezing. I mean, next to canning, it really is super-efficient and simple! I freeze my squash and cucumbers along with my raspberries and strawberries (those I don’t make into jam anyways, and even then I freeze the jams so they’ll keep more).

(Credit: Coupons)

Yes, it does cost to run the freezer, so you can add that into the dislocation that is there for your budget. But it’s way under a dollar per bag of veggies. Freezing is just another great means to go for food storage, though be sure to be aware of the changing durations of time that frozen food is good for.

 

Conclusion—Should You Can, Or Should I Not Can?

(Credit: HomesteadingFreedom)

So for me, with my garden, it helps out my family, friends, and really does save me money.

There are ways around not having your own large garden in your backyard. Any location from going to farms to helping out the neighbors or grandma, there are means to get fresh, no or low cost veggies and fruits. Or, simply keep it simple and save just a little bit with a few indoor plants for a small indoor garden.

Looking at purchasing produce and then canning or freezing? It won’t be saving you money. So there you have it, why I can and why it’s a good idea.