August Activity - Canning 101: Preserving the produce from our bounteous harvests

This month we learned the basics of canning. Sister Arline Law presented on water bath canning, and Sister Shelley Hughes talked about pressure canning. Here are some of their top tips!

General Tips:

--You can purchase all you need online, or at Walmart, True Value, and other grocery stores. You can  often find supplies at thrift stores.
--Never use old lids (the flat part) as they may not seal properly. You can reuse the rings and jars, just make sure they are in good condition.
--It is important to process ALL canned foods.
--Use the "Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving." It is available at almost any grocery store or online. --Always follow a recipe. The pH (acidity level) is very important to preventing spoilage. The Ball book has done a lot of experimenting to get the pH right, and we don't want to poison our families by not processing the food correctly.

Water Bath Canning:
--Water bath canning is for high acid foods like fruits and tomatoes.
--You will need to add time to adjust for our altitude--usually 5 minutes for water bath canning but check the recipe or canning resource to be sure.

Pressure Canning:
--Pressure canning is for vegetables and meats, soups, and stews.
--You will need to adjust the pressure for altitudes above 1000ft.
--You should have your pressure canner checked each year to make sure it will maintain pressure accurately. If it doesn't, the food you preserve may be unsafe to eat.


Click here for places to get your pressure cooker checked, more canning info, and books, and recipes.
This PDF has some quick tips from Ball on canning as well. See the Ball website for more.
Here is a helpful document with info about pressure canners, gauges, and the like.

"Self Reliance" by Sister Miller

In Doctrine and Covenants 43:25 we read:

"How oft have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings, and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms and by the voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by voice of mercy all the day long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!"

We have been warned for many years by prophets to be prepared and to be self-reliant. Our Stake President and our Bishop are concerned that we heed these warnings. On the Church website it gives us principles for self-reliance.

"The Lord has declared, “It is my purpose to provide for my saints” (D&C 104:15). This revelation is a promise that the Lord will provide temporal blessings and open the door of self-reliance. He has also declared that “it must needs be done in [His] way” (D&C 104:16). To receive the blessings of self-reliance, we must accept and live the principles of self-reliance, which include the following:

1. Exercise Faith in Jesus Christ (D&C 104:15)
2. Use Time Wisely (Alma 34:32)
3. Be Obedient (D&C 130:20–21)
4. Manage Money (D&C 104:78)
5. Work: Take Responsibility (D&C 42:42; 2 Nephi 2:16, 26)
6. Solve Problems (Ether 2:18–19, 23; 3:1, 4)
7. Become One, Work Together (Moses 7:18; D&C 104:15–17)
8. Communicate: Petition and Listen (D&C 8:2)
9. Persevere (Hebrews 12:1; D&C 58:4)
10. Show Integrity (Mosiah 4:28; Job 27:5; Articles of Faith 1:13)
11. Seek Learning and Education (D&C 88:118–119)"

I pray that we may all follow these principles and listen to a Prophets voice.  It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.

"Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future."  --Elder W. Don Ladd