SUMMER IN A JAR

WHETHER YOU GROW YOUR OWN fruits and vegetables, are a dedicated patron of your local farmer’s market, or simply want to capture the best peak-season produce at the lowest prices in the supermarket, there are so many good reasons to can your own food.

FLAVOR. Few things taste better on a cold fall or winter night than a bowl of pasta tossed with tomato sauce simmered from fat, juicy, sweet, and deeply red August tomatoes. Few things brighten the beginning of a gray day in March more than toast slathered with jewel-tone jam made in July from perfectly ripe raspberries. Taste a little of the summer, writes Greg Brown in his song “Canned Goods,” extrolling the pleasures of eating food that has been put up at its peak. My grandma’s put it all in jars.

HEALTHFULNESS. When you can your own food, you control virtually every aspect of what goes into it. Fruits and vegetables are naturally healthful, but you can protect their nutritional integrity and tailor your home-canned products to suit your taste and lifestyle. They can be all-natural or organic, with minimal sugar, salt, or fat, and no preservatives.

ECONOMY. Canning your own food is a great way to save money on the grocery bills—especially if you grow your own produce. After the initial outlay for equipment, each gorgeous jar of food costs just pennies. Great abundance is created with very little in terms of dollars.

EMOTIONAL SATISFACTION. Rows of gleaming, colorful jars of home-canned food on a pantry shelf are good for both body and soul. Not only do you know there are months of good eating at your fingertips, but it is also deeply rewarding to put up your own food. Canning allows you to move through the year with the rhythm of the seasons—a truly healthful way to live.

Whether you are an experienced canner or have never so much as snapped a bean, Better Homes and Gardens® Can It! provides all the information and inspiration you need to stock your pantry with home-canned food. Can It! offers the safest, simplest, and most up-to-date methods to ensure success, and there is something for every taste and occasion. Recipes include classic favorites such as Strawberry Jam and Best-Ever Dill Pickles to more exotic offerings such as Blood Orange and Beaujolais Marmalade and Fire-Roasted Tomato-Ancho Taco Sauce.

Get the water boiling and get canning!