Canning in Appalachia

By Carol Stringer

As the hot summer transitioned to fall and winter, we once again found our gardens overloaded with ripe tomatoes and fresh corn. Thanks to a rich agricultural heritage here in Appalachia, there has long been a tradition of gardening and canning. Just like their grandparents and their parents before them, people here often take the time to “put up” our garden surplus for the winter, in the form of sauces, jellies, relishes, and pickles.

Many people in Eastern Kentucky rely on canning and other forms of preserving, such as salting and drying, to survive through the long winter months. This tradition also serves as a means by which to bring families closer, to pass on recipes, and to create healthy food. For many, breaking beans and shucking corn are always family activities. Personally, I recall as a child helping my mother as she prepped corn, beans, and apples for dinner, and I have been surprised as an adult to discover that others didn’t have the same experience. For folks in Appalachia, sitting on the porch and breaking buckets of green beans, fresh-picked from the garden, and cramming them into quart jars for canning is fairly common. These same beans (and corn, among other things) would reappear at Christmas and Thanksgiving, bringing all their homegrown flavor to the table.

Whether one is looking for an outlet for their own produce or some they’ve picked up at the local farmer’s market, canning can be a great way to have the vibrant flavors of summer linger into winter meals. Few things are more satisfying than to open up a home-processed can in mid-January, when one hasn’t had any truly “fresh” food in months.

When canning, always remember to follow directions, use clean, unchipped jars, and utilize the method of canning appropriate for each particular fruit or vegetable (some things do better in a boiling water bath; others with a pressure canner). There are two main methods of preserving in jars: a water bath, which is a large pot of boiling water, or pressure canning, which uses a specialized pot to force the jars to seal. In general, jams, jellies, tomatoes, and pickles can be processed in a boiling water bath; green beans and corn should be pressure canned.

Below is a recipe for an excellent Strawberry Rhubarb Jam. Because it makes 12 half pint jars, it would make excellent party favors or presents at Christmas.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Ingredients: • 4 cups rhubarb, thinly sliced (we ran ours through a food processor as it is fibrous) • 2 tablespoon lemon juice • 4 cups fresh strawberries, sliced • 10 cups sugar • 2 packages fruit pectin (7 Tbs.) • 1/2 teaspoon butter (keeps jam from getting too foamy)

In a large kettle, combine all ingredients except sugar. Bring mixture to a full boil. Add sugar and keep stirring until sugar is fully dissolved. Return to boil and boil for one minute. Keep stirring. Remove from the burner and skim off the foam with a spoon.

Spoon the hot jam into hot pint or half-pint canning jars using a funnel. Leave 1/4 inch of space at the top. Wipe jar rims clean and screw lids on firmly. Place the jars in boiling-water canner and boil for 5 minutes. Remove the jars from canner and cool on racks or a towel on the counter. Try not to disturb the jars for 24 hours — it takes time to set.

This should make about 12 half-pint jars.