Convenience Canning

I'm not going to lie.  Canning involves work.  And time.  And money.  But it also saves work.  And time.  And money. 

It's been so nice this winter to be able to pop open a jar of veggies, heat, and eat.  Big deal, right?  Most people do that on a regular basis.  Except I can tell you the farm where my vegetables came from, and I can control the sodium in them, and they aren't stored in BPA-lined jars.  And I didn't have to spend time wandering the aisles of the grocery store.  My average weekly shopping list this winter has consisted of only a handful of items.  I rarely spend more than 10 minutes in the store.

It's also been nice to pack the kids lunches.  I've been opening a quart of applesauce and dividing it into 4oz canning jars.  Then I pop them in the freezer and every morning I put one in each of the lunches.  By the time lunch rolls around, the applesauce is thawed and everything else has been kept cold.  While their classmates are popping open a cup of Mott's, mine are unscrewing a jar.  A reusable jar that doesn't need to be recycled with a lid that doesn't need to be thrown away.  Applesauce that doesn't contain High Fructose Corn Syrup... or any added sweetener at all, for that matter.

So yes, canning is work.  But the benefits are worth it, and I've been reaping them all winter long.  In another 2 months, it will be Strawberry Season and it will be time to get back to work.  I can't wait.