Preserving food with family is an age-old practice & there are so many benefits for families doing this together. The main premise is that by using different food preservation methods, families can extend the shelf life of food & reduce food waste. Having more control over the food we eat isn’t bad either. But let’s be real. There’s more reasons to preserve food with family than just food safety. I want to explore how these simple life skills can positively impact family life & why they are worth integrating into yours today.
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Why the movement should return
Knowing how to preserve food at home is such an important concept because of the security it provides. And that goes whether you grew the food yourself or not.
No more having to wonder what you’ll eat or make for dinner is life forreal. But preserving the food is one of the lost traditional skills of our time. Did you know though, every family used to be a preserving family? I’m serious! Before there was a such thing as a commercial food manufacturer, families were providing for themselves!
Their own dairy products, fruit juices, you name it .But now, things are changed. And rather than step into your backyard or grain field, it’s shipped to us from around the globe. “Natural ingredients” or flavors are a cover up for things we don’t really know a lot of time. U.S. food is depleted of nutrients in mass production, but preserving food can help! Preserving food with family prevents the growth of microorganisms that would steal all of what’s left. And when you do it at home you get to skip all the artificial preservatives & high sugar content most commercial canned foods have.
So just point blank period – preserving food with our families needs to be a thing we get back to. Today.
Related blog post: Beginner’s Ultimate Guide to Preserving Food at Home This Year
Practical Benefits of Preserving Food with Family
1. Increase Food Security
This happens as you’re able to viably extend the shelf life of all your favorite foods. (Or soon to be favorites!) And this is perhaps one of the most significant benefits of food preservation.
Techniques such as canning, drying & freezing help prevent food spoilage caused by microbial growth, enzymatic activity, water activity or oxidation of certain parts of food. Each of these things happens on a cellular level that can’t often be seen like pest or rodent damage. So it’s another aspect of protecting your food from spoiling.
By preserving fresh produce & perishable foods means your family can enjoy nutritious food throughout the year without frequent trips to the grocery store. And I don’t know about you but I’m allllll about decreasing the number of trips we make to the store or market for anything. When you start preserving food with your family, you gain access to better or more diverse food ingredients for future use. That means you can also level up your current lifestyle into one that’s more efficient or even convenient!
Comfortably having the food you love when you need it goes a long way.
2. Strengthening Family Bonds
Preserving food with family can be an educational & enjoyable family activity too. And I love it for being able to involve children in meaningful, but engaging ways. Each food preservation process teaches them valuable skills & an appreciation for the science behind it too. It also provides an opportunity to bond as a family, share cultural traditions & just create lasting memories.
Shared activities like this gives your family the opportunity to work together towards a common goal. Whether it’s canning fresh produce, drying herbs, or making fruit jams. And these shared tasks promote teamwork & cooperation.
But at the same time you’re spending quality time together in the kitchen. Which leads to meaningful conversations free from the distractions of modern everyday life yeah. Especially technology. You’ll get to connect with your family on a deeper level even if the first handful of times it’s a little frustrating figuring out the groove.
Food preservation can become a cherished family tradition. For some, it might be seasonal. The annual ritual of canning tomatoes or making apple cider. Something that creates sentimental moments & memories family members look forward to each year. To me, that just reinforces a sense of unity & stability. Although I try to preserve food all year, there are times were it’s increased. And just like how I look forward to the color changes of fall, I love the busyness of preserving in my kitchen with my family near me.
3. Cultural Preservation
Preserving food with family is the perfect chance for parents & grands to pass down their knowledge or special techniques to younger generations. This exchange of information preserves cultural heritage which is so special. It also ensures that traditional recipes & family favorites aren’t lost.
Food is such a significant part of cultural identity. Learning to preserve it is just as much a way to store food as it is maintaining a unique heritage. Implementing a few methods will give you & your family a sense of pride & belonging within the family.
Plus, when family’s preserve food together they also can explore different cultures. Using the same ingredients you know & love in a new way will enrich your family’s culinary repertoire. But it can also be used to build hype around an upcoming family vacation. Or to remember a favorite vacation!
4. Encouraging Self-Sufficiency
Preserving food with family encourages us all to be more self-sufficient. This is huge. Epsecially in a microwave society like today. Everything has to be right here, right now & no one knows how to do things for themselves anymore.
Knowledge is extremely valuable. But imagine having the knowledge before times of food scarcity or economic hardship. Being self-reliant as much as possible will increase your feeling of security & independence.
Preserving food teaches families to be resourceful & how to make the most out of available resources. And girl, this mindset goes beyond the kitchen. Adopt it & start watching the positive impact in other areas of family life!
Preserving your own food, regardless which method of food preservation you use, empowers families to be more self-sufficient. If you understand the basics of Mylar bag storage or salting or freezing you’ll actively take more control of your food supply. And the relationship with food becomes more natural too.
Individual Benefits of Preserving Food with Family
5. Educational Opportunities
Preserving food at home is no new thing. It’s rooted in ancient times & carrying it forward in the 21st century connects us to our heritage & traditions. Such knowledge might increase anyone’s appreciation for food after seeing the effort involved in bringing it from farm to table. (Or from market to table.)
For children, it teaches valuable life skills like cooking, measuring, and understanding the science behind food safety. Preserving food with family is also the perfect time to whip out some science! Whether you know it or are learning with your family, understanding the processes in the food preservation technique you choose makes things interesting!
Like how high temperatures in canning kill harmful bacteria or how drying reduces water content to prevent spoilage. It’s these little practical lessons that might seem clearer when demonstrated than not.
6. Health & Nutrition
Did you know that produce starts to lose it’s nutrient content from the moment it’s picked? Some varieties lose as much as half within mere days! Unacceptable.
Unless it’s frozen on the spot, by the time it makes it to your grocery store shelf it’s pretty much dead girl. And even if it’s frozen, it still loses nutrition if stored improperly & for long times.
Preserved foods can help you keep some of those essential nutrients though! That’s a great boost since they’re so valuable for a balanced diet. Methods like drying & canning help preserve the nutritional value of fruits, vegetables & other food items. This is how your family can have access to healthy options throughout the year without feeling like it’s impossible.
Keep in mind though that preserving food can only start with the level you put in. If your food has already reached it’s peak & is on the decline, preserving it will not replenish the vitamins & minerals.
7. Exploring a Variety of Foods
Got picky eaters? I don’t have definite solutions for every scenario as mine have thankfully been very agreeable eaters.
But what I do know is that preserving food with your family opens new worlds to them. You’ll get to explore a variety of foods that might not be available year-round. Especially if you align with the natural growing seasons/cycles for different foods. Preserve food in season for the best flavors, textures & nutritional value.
For example, the canning process preserves food like seasonal fruits & vegetables. And the drying process can maintain the flavors of herbs & spices. This sort of diversity enhances meal planning so you all can enjoy so many other flavors & dishes. Keep it interesting, girl!
What I love about this is that maybe you don’t like canned carrots. Who would compared to fresh? But frozen might not be as bad. Try the same foods in different ways to see if one won’t unlock your picky eater. It might not be the taste they’re opposed to but the texture, or vice versa!
Holistic Benefits of Preserving Food with Family
8. Preserving the Taste and Quality of Food
Nutrition aside, effective methods of food preservation like vacuum packing & freeze-drying help preserve the taste & quality of food. These techniques specifically prevent the chemical changes & oxidation that usually degrade food quality. The theory is maintaining a low/no moisture content environment will prevent microbial growth. And if stuff doesn’t sprout or rot on you, you can enjoy their original flavors & textures.
Related blog post: How to Properly Freeze Food with Vacuum Seal Bags – Part 1 & Part 2
9. Ensuring Food Safety
Foodborne illnesses are a major concern. Most people I talk to about preserving food mention they don’t do it because they’re afraid of poisoning their families. Or making them sick.
You can rest assured that by following authoritative & trusted sources for preserving food at home will result in a product you can trust. For instance, there are a lot of studies on home canning. And the outcome is that some foods requires high temperatures in a pressure canner to kill harmful bacteria & prevent food poisoning.
If you abide by these guidelines & store preserved foods properly, you’ll reduce the risk of food contamination. Meanwhile, you’ll have a food supply that’s safe to consume often times for 10-20+ years!
10. Reducing Food Waste / Save on Groceries
One of the major benefits of food preservation is its ability to reduce food waste. I for one, hate seeing something in my fridge spoiling because I didn’t get to it in time. By processing and preserving excess produce, your family can minimize the amount of food that goes to waste.
Preserving food with family is a practice that not only saves money in this way, but it also eases the burden of food waste as a nation too. So I mean, if your family struggles with this, start preserving surplus fresh foods to stop the bleed!
Techniques like vacuum sealing & freeze drying make use of natural preservatives like citric acid or acetic acid to prolong the freshness of various foods. And vacuum sealing is incredibly easy to get started doing!
11. Using Natural & Chemical Preservatives
Now, speaking of preservatives…
There are natural preservatives like organic acids or lactic acid bacteria. Also chemical preservatives like sodium benzoate or sodium nitrite. Both play a role in food preservation sometimes. While natural preservatives are often preferred for their health benefits & minimal impact on flavor, chemical preservatives are widely used in the food industry for their effectiveness in preventing spoilage & bacterial growth.
Understanding which types of preservatives you’ll use & their applications can help your family make informed choices about your food preservation methods. But either way you go, there’s a better, healthier option than the heavy-chemically laden food of commercial stores these days.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for the most bang for your buck & time, preserving food with family is it. It’s practical & fun in an educational way. A great way to spend time together as a family & then have something amazing to enjoy afterwards in both the feast & conversation years later!
So, next time you find yourself with an abundance of fresh produce, consider preserving it for future use and enjoy some of these many benefits it brings.
You’ve got this lovely!
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If you want to be more self-sufficient, start with your food.
But you don’t have to give up good food to do it!
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