The age-old culinary practice of food canning began to grow in popularity over the pandemic and it continues to be a popular hobby for many reasons.
Winnipegger Stacy Gosman initially began canning as a practical way to preserve freshly harvested produce but she says it’s now turned into an enjoyable hobby.
“I don’t have enough freezer space to store produce and so when I’m picking strawberries or storing tomatoes, how can I preserve those and I don’t have to use up all my freezer space for that? So finding a shelf-stable way is a great option.” Gosman says.
She tells Global News she got into food canning and preservation a few years ago after receiving a free canner. She started with pickles and now she has moved on to other things, such as hot sauces and dehydrated produce.
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“I really enjoy baking for people and cooking for people and having all this fresh produce in the middle of winter ready to go just tastes so much better in the middle of February when you can’t get a tomato that tastes like anything, you have an awesome tomato on the shelf.”
The art and science of food canning is sparking interest in many others and according to professional home economist Getty Stewart, more people are inquiring about how to store and preserve excess food.
“The pandemic had us cooking at home more often and we are continuing to do that. Then they started to garden,” Stewart says. “And that’s where that initial, ‘Hey, maybe I can freeze, can or preserve this in some way.’ All of that is tied in some way to the pandemic and the high cost of food.”
Stewart adds that canning can be environmentally friendly too because of less food packaging.
Gosman loves the hobby and sees many positives to the craft.
“For me, it’s more about the flavor and knowing where my food came from and knowing what’s in it and that fresh taste.”
— with files from Global’s Teagan Rasche