Saving a Little Can help a Lot

You'll often hear that saving a little can help a lot when it come to finances, but the same is true for food preparation. During holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, many Americans have a tradition of over- indulging and preparing too much food which often goes to waste. So the question becomes, which is better: Deluding yourself into believing you can finish all of the leftovers or canning some of that food now, so if you can't eat it all you haven't lost anything?

Leftovers of big holiday meals present an excellent opportunity to practice canning, dehydration and/or vacuum sealing, depending on what you have available to you.

If you don't currently have the items that can help you can your own food, don't be afraid to look at second hand stores or ask family or friends, and don't forget the huge sales for "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" happening this weekend. These options will help you to stock up a lot of preparations for surprisingly little money.

Even if you only can two or three items, that will mean you've gained two or three more cans worth of canning experience, plus added two or three cans to your pantry. After all, wouldn't it be great to be able to have your famous turkey and gravy in the middle of March without having to make it all from scratch?

Plenty of information is available online and the United States Department of Agriculture has a nifty P.D.F for those interested which we will link at the end of this. If you have questions, you can find helpful and friendly forums dedicated to the home preservation of food.

Remember: Doing a little now can save you a lot later!

-Bones

https://www.minds.com/LeftOfCenterPrepping

http://homesteadbasics.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/8078550-complete-guide-to-home-canning.pdf