Benefits of Gardening for Food Preservation

I don’t know about you, but the first nice day of this year, which happened to be the first day of spring, I got out in my yard and started to prepare the soil for my garden. I don’ t know if I should actually call it a garden…more like a little patch where I can grow a few plants. One day I WILL have a garden though!

Anyway, the soil is all prepared. I am really excited about what I can plant this year. I’m hoping to put in some tomatoes and probably a couple of green pepper plants. While I’m planting in the little patch, I will be thinking about all the other produce I will grow someday and what I’ll make with them.

My tomatoes and peppers lend themselves nicely to delicious salsas, sauces, and jellies. I love having delicious foods available all year. I just wish I wasn’t limited. But, you do what you can! The options for what can be canned from a big garden are vast and exciting. If you are counting on getting a lot of one item for preservation purposes, it is important to make sure you plant plenty so they will be ripe at the same time.

Canning food that you produce yourself is not only delicious, it is also the most cost effective way to preserve your own foods. Plants are quite an initial investment but at the end of the day, plants, fertilizer, and water are much cheaper than buying produce from the store, farm stand, or farmers markets. So, it is a great idea even if only to augment what you have to buy. Plus, having a little garden is a great way to relax and enjoy the outdoors!

As always, happy canning…and gardening!