Gaye Levy
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Canning is a blessing and a curse. For seasoned canners, preserving the local bounty not only saves money but is a relaxing and stress-free experience. These same canners giddily prepare fully cooked meals in jars, to be opened and reheated at a moment’s notice.
And everyone else? They suffer a fear of the canning process, botulism, and of blowing themselves up along with their kitchen. Don’t let this canning curse prevent you from learning and benefiting from this important skill. In The Prepper’s Canning Guide, my good friend Daisy Luther teaches you how to can without fear!
Not only that, she shares the latest in safety tips plus tried and true recipes from her own prolific kitchen. These are recipes every prepper will embrace because they were developed by a prepper, for a prepper. Meats, veggies, beans, jams, and pickles – they are all here along with useful hints and tips that will ensure your success.
With that introduction, today I share an interview with Daisy plus I have three copies of her book up for grabs in a giveaway.
An Interview with Daisy Luther, Author of The Prepper’s Canning Guide
This is your sixth Backdoor Survival Prepper Book Festival which speaks to your success as an author in the preparedness and survival niche. That being said, how do you differentiate this book, The Prepper’s Canning Guide, from your previous books?
People who have purchased my original canning book, The Organic Canner, will recognize some of the recipes from that book in the new one. The difference is, the new book is written with preppers in mind. It has lots of “kitchen sink” recipes to help you preserve whatever your garden happens to be overflowing with at the moment.
It has a section on canning off-grid, a section on the supplies a canning aficionado will want to have on hand, and even tips for canning the things in your refrigerator so they don’t spoil during a power outage. There are quite a few new recipes and the book is professionally produced and edited.
If you happen to be new to food preservation, you’ll find all the information you need to help you get started canning with confidence.
Do you ever suffer “prepper burnout” and if so, how do you deal with it?
Definitely, especially with the current climate in the United States right now. There is so much political animosity. We’re so divided. I’ve always spent a great deal of time reading and researching current events, but lately, it is so difficult to get to the truth. All of the sources seem extremely biased, and there’s so much anger in every article. It was really throwing me off my game.
Finally, I decided that the most important thing I could do was focus on the things that I can actually control. For example, I can’t win fruitless arguments on the internet. I can’t change the minds of people who are dead set in their opinions, no matter how much logic and reason I apply.
But there are lots of things that I CAN do. I can learn skills. I can store food. I can grow vegetables. I can read books – there are MANY things we can all control, and we should focus on those.
People seem more stressed than ever before. How can we combat this?
Have fun. I am not on board with the philosophy that prepared people have to be grim and serious all the time.
Take time every day to do something just because it makes you happy. Even though we are all focused on getting prepared, that shouldn’t mean that you exclude the things that make life worth living. Make memories with your loved ones. Travel when you can. Pet baby animals. Lay down and watch the clouds cross the sky on a beautiful day.
Survival shouldn’t just be about existing. It should be about taking every chance you can to find more joy in your life.
What, in your opinion, are the greatest challenges we face going forward?
A lot of people think that the economy has been magically repaired, but it hasn’t. The damage done and debt created over the past years are something that can’t be fixed overnight, and I think our situation is very precarious. The second issue is the current unrest – unless people can find some common ground, I think it’s only going to continue to accelerate.
Some people stopped prepping after Trump won the election and I think that was a big mistake. The problems that existed before the election are still there, and now we’ve added these societal issues. Prepping has never been more important than it is right now.
Two acronyms are bantered about among survival and prepper types. They are SHTF and BOB. How do you feel about these two terms and do you use them yourself?
I don’t use a whole lot of acronyms for the simple reason that jargon can be hard to understand and this can be intimidating for someone who is new to prepping. I prefer to use language that is easy to understand, even if someone hasn’t been at this for decades.
What advice do you have for a young person in their 20s who has shown an interest in preparedness?
When you’re younger, you tend to move more often. Maybe you’re changing jobs, getting transferred, getting married – there are all sorts of reasons you might need to be more mobile.
For someone who isn’t firmly settled, focus on having a couple of months’ worth of food, a water supply, and the skills and tools you need to survive. This is a great time to learn skills – you are young, fit, and a lot more suited to roughing it than someone who is older.
Tell me about your own website. Was is its focus and who is the target audience?
My website is The Organic Prepper. I started it back when I lived in Canada, so the URL ends in “.ca” for that reason.
I write about a pretty wide variety of topics. I’ve always had a strong interest in health and nutrition, and I combined that with my love for preparedness when creating the site. I write about frugality quite a bit too – as a single mom raising two kids, my ability to stretch money has meant a much more stable lifestyle for us.
I like to connect current events with the need for preparedness. For example, in January and February of this year, our area was subject to storms lasting for weeks. This resulted in mudslides, avalanches, floods, and giant sinkholes. Roads were crumbling as people drove over them. From this, I was able to write a lot of content that was applicable to our real-life situation.
Other current events to watch out for are issues with the market, politics, weather events, crises in other parts of the world, and civil unrest. By watching these events unfold, we can learn what to expect if similar events happen where we live. This can show us the things we need to do to prepare for such events, and can also help us to predict what may happen next in our own scenarios.
Can you drop some hints about your next book?
So many books, so little time. I have a few topics in mind and I’m not sure which will come next. One thing I’m considering is writing about specific preps for specific disasters, instead of the broader view.
Other potential topics are frugal yet healthful food, prepping for people with dietary restrictions, and maybe even some fiction.
Do you have some advice or a personal message you would like to pass on to Backdoor Survival readers?
Don’t be discouraged.
There is so much ugliness in the world right now. There are so many people having life-altering financial problems. Serious health issues are on the rise and will affect nearly every family at some point.
It can make you feel hopeless.
But no matter what is going on in your life, if you face it with a survivor’s attitude, the journey will be easier. Even if it doesn’t result in the outcome you would like, you can alter your path positively. Never lose hope that tomorrow will be better than today.
The Giveaway
Daisy has reserved three copies of her book in this newest Book Festival Giveaway.
A special word about the giveaway question/comment: Please read the question and respond accordingly, even it the answer is “I don’t know”. This week’s question is:
Submit a question about canning or preserving food that you would like answered in a future article.
The deadline is 6:00 PM MST Tuesday with the winners notified by email and announced on the Rafflecopter in the article. Please note that the winners must claim their book within 48 hours or an alternate will be selected.
Note: Due to customs requirements, this giveaway is only open to individuals with a mailing address in the United States.
The Final Word
Before closing let me tell you something about Daisy. She is a mom of the highest order, nurturing two daughters and farm animals which she has named. She is also a blogging colleague, friend, and the nicest person you will ever meet. As busy as she gets, she always has time to help out when needed, even it takes precious time away from her own workday.
Aside from those personal qualities, she is a fantastic author who shuns fluff. Her writing is well researched and often comes from personal experience. Her book, The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide, is a best seller in its own right and must-have for every survival library. I could go on and on, but for now, will just say this: The Preppers Canning Guide along with the Ball Book of Canning and Preserving and the USDA Canning Guide, are the only books you need to set yourself on a path of home-canned goodness.
For more information about the books in this latest book festival, visit Prepper Book Festival 14: Books to Learn, Prepare, and Be Ready for Anything.
If you enjoyed this article, consider subscribing to email updates. When you do, you will receive a free, downloadable copy of our e-Book, The Emergency Food Buyer’s Guide. Also check the Facebook page regularly for links to free or almost free eBooks that we personally review just for you.
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Spotlight: The Prepper’s Canning Guide: Affordably Stockpile a Lifesaving Supply of Nutritious, Delicious, Shelf-Stable Foods
A practical and approachable guide to amassing an emergency food supply filled with your own natural dishes
As the disaster drags on for days, weeks, months or even years, food scarcity and starvation will fuel people’s desperation. Even preppers like you will need more than dried beans and rice to survive. With The Prepper’s Canning Guide, you’ll learn the lifesaving techniques to take your food storage to the next level, including how to:
•Store nutrition-packed foods
•Create delicious MREs
•Can protein-rich meat and poultry
•Make canned produce last longer
•Use time-tested water-bath methods
•Utilize modern pressure canning
From food safety guidelines to grid failure canning tips, this book will guarantee your family stays safe, secure and well-fed.
170 Responses to “Prepper Book Festival: The Preppers Canning Guide”
Does anyone know of where I could purchase a stainless steel canning rack for both my large and small water bath canners? THe ones Hst came with the canners corroded after one season, impossible to clean eve with vinegar. Thanks for any help with this!
They’re available inexpensively on Amazon. Search up “canning supplies” and you should easily find what you’re looking for. 🙂
Thanks, Daisy, for your help. I have a difficult time with canning racks due to our very hard water locally. I’ll search on Amazon (that was a Duh???? moment for me..sometimes I can’t see the forest for the trees). ????
How long can home-canned food stay good? And how do you know if it’s still good?
The USDA suggests that home-canned food be consumed within a year. After that, it may still be safe to eat but the flavor will degrade rapidly.
There are a few obvious signs that the food is spoiled:
– a bad small
– discolored
-jar is not properly sealed
Unfortunately, many of the issues aren’t readily noticeable and there is no test to make sure the food is safe. I generally try to eat the food within the year I canned it.
What foods, when canned, have the longest shelf life? And which ones should be used up quickly?
Fruit and jam have the longest shelf life. Anything containing meat should be used up more quickly.
Last time I pickled cucumbers they came out too salty even though I used the exact amount of pickling salt that the recipe called for. I’m fairly sure that I had enough jars of cucumber as well. Can I reduce the amount of salt in the future or will that cause issues to arise?
You can reduce the salt with no issues. It’s the vinegar that makes it acidic and safe.
My question is about used canners. What should I look for when considering a yard or thrift sale canner? And do you recommend a jiggler or a gauge type if the unit is used?
I prefer the gauge type.
You’ll want to check the gasket and make sure it isn’t cracked or brittle. If it is, a replacement gasket is only about $10 or so.
Make sure there are visible flaws with the canner or the lid.
Regardless of how good it looks, you should always take it to your local extension office and have it tested.
I am getting ready to come into a good deal on citrus fruit and am interested in canning it. I know how to can it but am wondering if anyone has canned it before and what they thought about the taste.
Since I’m in a small household, I’d need to use pint jars instead of quarts. I’ve not pressure canned before, so am unsure how to adapt the recipes I have available.
The smaller jars would be canned at the same pressure but for less time. Many recipes have the time for pint jars and it is generally 15 minutes less. However, if you are doing the “meals in a jar” kind of recipes, those make only 2-4 servings so you may want to consider canning them in quarts.
How can I can peaches using brandy instead of juice?
Also, what do you think about using an inert gas (nitrogen) to displace the oxygen in a container of dry food, like beans or rice?
The instructions would be the same if you’re using alcohol instead of juice.
I am familiar with the nitrogen process but have never done it myself, so I can’t answer that question.
I know nothing at all about canning. What would be the best all around type of canner for someone who is just starting to get involved in canning?
I recommend you start with water bath canning – jams, jellies, and applesauce. Those are easy things to begin with.
Thank you for this information. My wife and sister and mother-in-law used to can years ago. I was always interested in the process but after father-in-law and I help prep what was going in the jars we were shooed out of the kitchen.