So let's continue talking about food storage.
If in Food Storage 101 you've determined that you are the store it and forget it type, then 102 probably gave you enough info that you are ready for Food Storage 104: What should I store?
For the pantry stocking crowd though, let's talk about canned goods.
There are two types of canned goods - commercially canned and home canned.
If you are just starting out and don't garden or can food at home now, commercially canned items are probably what you'll be looking for. The good news is that they are widely available, and nearly everything has a canned version - meats, fruits, veggies - even breads and cheese! Commercially canned items generally have a very good shelf life provided they are kept dry and at a good temperature, they are relatively inexpensive and widely available. Canned goods also stack much better than home canned jars making storage simpler.
There are, of course, downsides. Many canned goods contain some sort of preservative and/or are fairly high in sodium. The can linings themselves may contain harmful coatings, such as BPA (do your homework on canned food companies BEFORE you buy!) The biggest downside of course, is that with store bought cans you don't control the quality of the ingredients.
Home canning is broken up into two categories - water bath and pressure.
Water bath canning is the best starting place for beginners, and includes things such as jams/jellies, relishes, pickles, fruits, salsas, pie fillings and tomatoes (although there is some debate on tomatoes). The equipment for water batch canning is less expensive to get started than pressure canning, and in my opinion, less stressful in the beginning.
Pressure canning is required for all things that can't be water bathed, such as meat and vegetables. It requires the use of a pressure canner, a very watchful eye and a willingness to follow directions TO THE LETTER.
If you are interested in canning and don't do so already, I would advise you to get a copy of the Complete Ball Guide to Canning. Consider it the holy bible of all things canning and make sure you have a copy of this. I still reference mine every time I can, just to remind myself of the finer points.
So what types of foods should you can or buy canned?
I think this is a personal preference. But here's what I keep in my pantry:
- Tuna - commercially canned
- Ham - commercially canned
- Chicken - both
- Turkey - home canned.
- Venison - home canned
- Beef chunks - home canned
- Pork chunks - home canned
- Applesauce - home canned
- Salsa - both. We like Mexican dishes and use a LOT of salsa.
- Pizza and pasta sauce - both
- Jams & Jellies - home canned
- Relishes - home canned
- Pickles - home canned
- Pie filling - both
- Fruits - both. I have home canned cherries, apples, pears and peaches. Mixed fruits, pineapples, oranges and apricots are commercially canned.
- Sweet potatoes - commercially canned.
- Beans - commercially canned
- Vegetables - both
- Soup, Chilis and Stews - both
- Nut butters - commercially canned.
Why are some things both? Well, in the case of fruits, I buy peaches at the farmers market or fruit stand since my trees are young and not producing well yet. Even on sale, a jar of canned peaches are going to usually come out more expensive than the store sale price, so I usually can up my peaches in other recipes like BBQ sauce, Summer Salsa or pie fillings, and can in syrup whatever is leftover. I then round out what I store of peaches for the year with commercially canned ones. I take this approach with all canned goods.
Commercial cans - are those great big cans really a good deal?
We've all seen the XL can of pork and beans or chili at the store before, whether you were at Sam's, Costco or even just the bulk area of Walmart. Usually (though not always) they have a lower price per once than that of the smaller cans. But does that make them a good deal?
Maybe. I know, I know, what kind of answer is that? Well, I think it all comes down to what it's a can of and how many are in your family (or how many people you may be feeding at a time).
In our household there are just two of us, so the jumbo XL can of Stagg Chili just isn't a good deal for us, no matter the price point. However, I do oftentimes buy the XL cans of tomatoes and tomato sauce, as I can use it in recipes that I later can up such as salsas, spaghetti sauces, and chili sauce.
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