Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
10
Preserving the Harvest
Since the purpose of a mini-farm is to meet a substantial
portion of your food needs, you should store your food so that
it is available over the course of the year. The four methods of
food preservation that I use and will be explaining in this
chapter are canning, freezing, dehydrating, and root cellaring.
These methods have all been practiced for decades in the
United States and can be undertaken with confidence. Each
method has its strengths and weaknesses, which is why they
are all covered. Advanced techniques that I won't be
explaining in this chapter include cheese making, wine
making, and meat curing.
Canning
Perhaps the most intimidating form of food preservation for
the uninitiated is canning. Stories are everywhere about
people dying from botulism because of improperly canned
foods, so some people conclude that canning is an art like
making fugu (the poisonous Japanese blowfish) in that the
slightest mishap will render canned foods unfit. Fortunately,
these impressions are not accurate. Modern canning methods
are the result of decades of research and can be followed by
anybody with a sixth-grade education. (Yes, I knew
somebody personally with a sixth-grade education who
canned safely.) Those few cases of poorly canned goods
resulting in botulism poisoning in the modern era stem from
people who do not follow the most basic directions on how to
can.
