There’s nothing quite like the taste of a homegrown tomato — sun-ripened, juicy, and full of flavor. At The Farm Life Inc., we know the joy of harvesting fruits and vegetables from our own soil. But what happens when the harvest is abundant and the baskets overflow?
That’s where canning comes in — a time-honored, sustainable way to preserve the flavors of summer and reduce food waste.
🌿 Why Canning Matters
Canning isn’t just about saving extra tomatoes or cucumbers. It’s about food security, self-sufficiency, and honoring the harvest. It gives us the ability to enjoy garden-fresh food all year long — even in the dead of winter.
For families and communities focused on sustainability and healthy living, canning is a beautiful way to stretch your harvest, share with neighbors, and cut back on grocery costs.
🍅 From Garden to Jar: What You Can Can
Some of our favorite crops to preserve from the garden include:
- Tomatoes – for sauce, salsa, or stewed tomatoes
- Green beans – safely pressure canned for crispness
- Pickling cucumbers – for classic dill or sweet pickles
- Peppers – roasted and canned or added to salsa
- Fruit – like peaches, plums, and berries for jams or preserves
- Herbs – turned into herbed vinegars or infused oils
With proper technique, you can enjoy the literal fruits of your labor well beyond harvest season.
🧂 How We Teach Canning at The Farm Life Inc.
Through our hands-on workshops and seasonal demos, we help our community learn:
- The difference between water bath and pressure canning
- How to safely sterilize jars and avoid spoilage
- Simple, family-friendly recipes to try at home
- How to label, store, and gift your canned creations
We love watching neighbors gather around the canning table, swapping stories and recipes as jars fill with colorful goodness. It’s more than food prep — it’s tradition, connection, and celebration.
🌼 The Heart of Homesteading
Canning connects us to the land and to the generations that came before us. It teaches patience, resourcefulness, and gratitude — all values we strive to nurture at The Farm Life Inc.
Plus, there’s something incredibly satisfying about opening a jar of home-canned tomatoes in January and remembering the sunshine of July.
🍓 Ready to Start Canning?
Join one of our upcoming Canning 101 workshops, or stop by the farm stand for surplus produce and starter canning kits.
👉 [Sign up for a workshop] – COMING SOON!
👉 [Volunteer to help prep produce or jars]
👉 [Check out our garden calendar to see what’s in season]
Grow it. Harvest it. Preserve it.
Canning is just one more way we grow resilience — one jar at a time. 🫙🌱
Founder/CEO –At Harvesting Change & The Farm Life, our mission is to sow real seeds of change by nurturing a hands-on, inclusive learning environment rooted in sustainable farming, community connection, and traditional wisdom rooted in equity, sustainability, and social justice. We cultivate more than just gardens—we grow knowledge, resilience, and relationships that nourish people of all races, genders, and ages and the land alike.