Choosing canning over freezing or dehydrating.

It is different depending on what I am trying to preserve. I like doing all three. We are in the process of getting a nice stockpile of food that we have preserved ourselves. It is more expensive when you are first starting out but once you have all your equipment and grow some of the food you are preserving it is a money saver. Besides in canning you can reuse your jars and rings just have to buy new flats. Also when we are freezing we use a vacuum sealer food stays good much longer. I also use it with some of my dried stuff. I also use the attatchment to the vacuum that vacuum seals wide mouth jars that I have dried products in.

I prefer to dry foods as it uses the least energy to do, and storing is easy. I don't freeze anything, as I don't have a freezer. Outside of America, it is very hard to get hold of the pressure canners that you use there. however, I do bottle things using a water bath method. Last year I did allot of tomato sauces which are great and we are still using. i also bottled figs in syrup, which are delicious. Things which dry well are courgettes (zucchini), onions, tomato, fruits, peppers, , muchrooms, chilli and any flowers or leaves which you use in cooking. And peas and beans of course. I have dried a selection of all my herbs and all my herbal teas. i also have dried nettle to hand in the kitchen as it's great to put a handful into anything which needs a little greens adding. My kids like it best added to scrambled egg. My favourite dried veg is peppers. I sliced them really thinly and they are working really well for us. If I just add them straight to a dish whilst cooking they are reydrated by the time it is cooked.

I eat diffrent types. I don't like some things. I like every time. I enjoy it. But some food are hard.