A ping or a pop. For the home canner, there are few noises more satisfying than the characteristic sound of a jar of freshly canned goods sealing shut.
“You start to love the ping,” says Peterborough community member and canning aficionado, Chantilly McKinnon, who discovered her passion for home canning after attending a Nourish workshop two years ago. “It becomes your favourite sound in the world when the lid pops.”
McKinnon isn’t exactly new to canning. Having grown up on a hobby farm where her parents grew and preserved much of their own food, she was exposed to home-canning techniques from a young age. Yet, at the time, she was unable to appreciate the true value of the craft, and her interest would not emerge until much later in life.
“My mom and dad grew a lot of our produce and I absolutely hated it. Because, you know, what kid wants to be out picking rocks and pulling potato bugs, and that sort of thing?”
All of this would shift substantially after getting connected to Nourish. Attending her first workshop was a “huge motivator” in terms of rediscovering canning and other opportunities around food, she explains.
“One of the biggest differences for me is that with having two kids and being a pretty extreme introvert myself, I think that workshop was the beginning of a drive to feel more connected to my community.”
Since that time, she has become actively involved with a wide range of community food initiatives, demonstrating how an initial interest in cooking, growing, and preserving your own food can open up previously unforeseen opportunities and help build new connections.
McKinnon is now a regular in the local community garden circuit and volunteers frequently with the Peterborough Gleaning Network, each of which help feed her expanding canning habit by increasing her ability to access fresh, healthy food.
Having mastered beans, corn, and soups, McKinnon will turn this summer to perfecting the art of fermentation. “I make a lot of pickles. We really like our pickles. Sour dills are my absolute favourite and so it’s going to be our first year trying that,” she says.
Interest in home canning has grown considerably in recent years amidst rising food prices and increasing concern over the safety and security of our domestic and international food supply.
While people come to canning for different reasons, McKinnon argues that the outcome, delicious canned food, and knowing your own role in making that happen, can be a truly empowering experience.
Home-canning in Peterborough is becoming even easier this summer and into future with the addition of Nourish’s Canning Library, a free community resource that makes home canning equipment accessible to everyone.
“Even if you don’t feel that you have the resources to can you can go to the Canning Library and borrow a canner. You don’t have to have a lot of money, and you don’t necessarily need to have a lot of time. You can make pickles after your kids go to bed one night, and you’ll have them for the rest of the year.”
When asked what she would say to others who are just getting started with canning, or who may be a bit hesitant to try it out, McKinnon offered the following sage advice:
“You can totally do it! It’s not hard, and you can start simple. There is support in the community, and there are people to ask for help. “
We whole-heartedly agree! For plenty of advice, resources, and workshops on safe canning techniques, explore our website or please get in touch.
