Many of us have champagne taste, a desire for the finer things in life. But reality, in the guise of our pocketbooks, limits our accumulation of high quality items. For example, I love Donna Karan’s clothing designs, would love to own an Aston Martin Rapide S, and have great appreciation for original, high end art. But my dresses come from Chico’s or Soft Surroundings, I drive a Suzuki, and my walls are decorated with photos and reproductions.

Tasty, high quality food though, is a reality for any family willing to can and preserve. We food preservers know that our jams and pie fillings are made from the freshest peaches and berries, not the old, mushed stuff that couldn’t be sold for any other use. We know that our dried tomatoes are free of mold spots, because we prepared them ourselves. Our frozen veggies will be nutritious all year long, because we processed them when they were fresh and ripe. With just a little time, we can indulge our champagne taste and enjoy the highest quality foods available.

An added bonus to all this quality is safety. We may have one of the safest food supplies in the world, but there are still sooooooo many food safety issues out there. Everything from E.Coli in our spinach to Salmonella infected eggs to deli meats with Listeria. And those are just the acute illness causing agents. What about errant rocks in bags of frozen peas. Or tomato cans with BHP. Or insects in our produce. (I once found a cockroach in a bagged salad. It was dead, but still…) And then there are all those hidden ingredients; additives and preservatives and emulsifying agents and artificial colors, all potential allergens (see my post of how food additives started me on the preserving path here).

So yes, one of the many reasons I can and preserve (and have my own garden) is that I desire delicious, high quality food that I know is safe for my family to eat. Every little bit helps and is a bonus for your family. What is your favorite food to can/preserve?