Canning and Freezing for One, Two or a Few

We continue to get requests for food preservation information for smaller families. Canning and freezing are both good choices for smaller households.

Having both a pantry and freezer stocked with favorite foods speeds preparation of tasty, healthy meals. When such a meal is easy to prepare, people who live alone are more likely to eat a home-cooked meal, rather than relying on convenience or fast foods which tend to be less desirable nutritionally. Follow these pointers for small quantity food preservation:

•  Determine pantry and/or freezer space available to store preserved foods. Small homes may have limited pantry storage but other cool, dry areas might be considered for canned foods such as a closet or cabinet in a spare bedroom. If your only freezer space is part of your refrigerator, you will not have much room nor will you be able to store foods very long as the temperature does not stay cold enough. A small capacity chest or upright freezer might be a good investment, and can fit in a utility closet.
   

•  An unheated garage where temperatures fluctuate from below freezing to well over 90ºF is not recommended for storing home canned foods or placing a freezer.
   

•  Develop a plan for preserving the amounts and kinds of foods your family likes to eat and will use often and in amounts that will be used within recommended storage times. Home-canned foods should be used within one year. Storage time for frozen foods varies from one month to one year. Consult a freezer storage chart for specific information.
   

•  Use proper canning jars and moisture, vapor-proof freezer containers and wraps to ensure safety and quality of home-canned and frozen foods. Canning jars are available in pint, half-pint and 4-ounce sizes.
   

•  Canning directions for most products are given for pints as well as quarts. Small families will find pints more appropriate. Processing times for jars smaller than pints have not been developed except for some sweet spreads, so follow directions for pint jars. Vegetables, which must be canned in a pressure canner, should be canned in pints rather than smaller jars.
   

•  Keep freezer or pantry organized with similar foods stored or stacked together. Foods with a shorter shelf life should be stored where they are easy to see and reach. Baskets and dividers help keep storage neat and organized.
   

•  An inventory is helpful especially for frozen foods. It can help you plan meals and remind you to use older foods within recommended storage times. Keep it simple and easy to use. For example, set up a grid similar to the one shown below. Use the last column to make tally marks every time you remove an item.
   

•  In general, use the freezer to preserve your favorite recipes. Prepare recipe as usual, then divide into amounts needed for one meal and freeze. A small number of ingredients do not freeze well due to quality concerns. Consult a freezing resource for a list of these foods.
   

•  Use canning to preserve foods for which you find directions in research-based publications from USDA and Extension services. Canning recipes on other Internet sites may not be safe.
   

•  Canning in pressure saucepans is not safe and not recommended. The time required for larger pressure canners to heat up and cool down is considered an essential part of the canning process. Using the smaller pressure saucepans results in under-processing, and thus, an unsafe product.
   

•  Likewise, there are no safe microwave canning procedures or devices, although some safe recipes use the microwave for the initial cooking of fruits, jams or pickling liquid. Jar processing must still be done in a boiling water or pressure canner on the stove top. Oven canning is likewise not a safe method for canning any food.
  
  Other May  2005 Articles:
  Home Food Preservation Appeal to do-it-Yourselfers
  Hot Packing Improves Canning
  Strawberry Rhubarb Jelly