Franklin County

   May 2007
 

The cost of preparing and storing produce

Many people preserve food at home because it allows them to control what goes into their food.  There are approved recipes that allow the home canning of many foods without salt and sugar. However, if you are preserving food at home just to save money, all the costs involved should be considered.

Costs to consider when figuring the economics of food preservation include: 

F   produce and ingredients
F   equipment and supplies
F   fuel consumption
F   capital outlays
F   time and energy and
F   the cost of similar food preserved commercially according to the Colorado State University Extension.

If you have had home canned or frozen foods for many years, the cost may not be a major factor.  Many people prefer the flavor or texture that they are used to in foods preserved at home.

When you grow your own produce, there is usually the desire to save some of the food to enjoy later.  You have already had costs with seeds, watering, pest control, and fertilizer, so it is understandable that you would like to use as much of the food as possible.  Occasionally we have generous family members or neighbors that give their excess produce away, but if you have to buy the produce to preserve it may not be cheaper than purchasing the food in the store.

Many of the expenses associated with preserving food at home will be reasonable if the equipment is used for several years.  Before making big purchases, you may want to ask yourself if this is something that I plan to do for several years.  If you are buying a freezer just to store garden produce, you can estimate that it will last 20 years.  That means that even if the food is “free”, you have the cost of the freezer divided by 20. .  The University of Colorado estimates that it costs $123.27 per year to run a 15 foot frostless freezer at seven cents per kilowatt hour.  A 15 cubic foot conventional defrost chest type freezer will cost approximately $81.37 to operate for the same energy cost.   The amount of energy will be affected by the room temperature, the amount of food in the freezer, and frequency of opening the door.

The next biggest cost is probably going to be packaging.  Reusable containers or jars will cost less when used for several years.  After the cost of purchasing container, the only cost will be cleaning the containers and buying new lids for the jars.

Home canning does not have the storage cost, but has other costs involved.  A new pressure canner costs around $100 dollars, but will last for 15 to 20 years.  A large water-bath canner will be in the $20 to $40 range, if you are only preserving high acid foods.  Jars can also add to the cost, but many times they can be found at auctions or garage sales.  If using old jars, check them carefully for chips or cracks, because you will loose your food if the jar breaks or fails to seal properly.  New lids must be used each year.  Don’t forget to consider the cost of sugar, salt, vinegar and other seasonings when preparing foods for canning.

Drying food may be the most economical way to preserve food.  Dehydrators vary widely in costs.  Drying in the oven can use a lot of energy, so don’t forget to consider that.

For more detailed information on figuring the cost of preserving food, go to  http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/08704.html.

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		University of Missouri Extension Franklin County Site maintained by: Billie Jo Brenner, brennerbj@missouri.edu Last revised: 07/02/08