Recently, I was at Walmart standing in the canned food aisle shocked because almost every can of vegetables, meats, fruits, and just about any other type of canned good you can think of was sold out! The worldwide pandemic had people in a frenzy. At that moment I could not help but wonder, Is a Pressure Canner Worth it?
Owning your own pressure canner can be worth it if you are looking to become more self-reliant, save money over time, you like to choose what goes into your food, and if you like feeling more secure because you have an effective means to preserve your own food. You never know when you’ll need an emergency supply of stored food and the world continues to prove that disasters and global pandemics can and will happen. A pressure canner allows for you to have the peace of mind that if you don’t have preserved food in your pantry than you can pull vegetables from your garden or meat from your freezer and preserve it for years to come by using your own pressure canner.
5 reasons a pressure canner is worth it:
- You never know when grocery store shelves will be empty
- You’ll save money over time
- You’ll know and choose exactly what you’re eating
- Simple planning will always allow you to have preserved food
- Preserving foods through pressure canning at home also promotes a sense of personal satisfaction and accomplishment.
If you truly are interested in pressure canning check out our article How to Use a Pressure Canner for Beginners: A Step-By-Step Guide and also see What Foods Can and Cannot be Pressure Canned.
1. You never know when grocery store shelves will be empty
It is often impossible to predict personal challenges, financial setbacks, natural disasters, worldwide pandemics, or numerous other disasters that could leave you scrambling for food that is not stocked on the shelves at your local grocery store, even if it’s for only a month or two. Most people don’t plan ahead to store their own food for situations or tragedies that they believe won’t happen. Don’t fall into the trap that will someday, if it hasn’t already, leave you worried (sick to your stomach) that you won’t have enough food to keep you and those you care most about from suffering with hunger. I can’t imagine how I would feel if I suddenly couldn’t feed my little boys and wife. Watching them suffer because of a lack of food and water is a serious fear of mine.
2. A Pressure Canner will help you save money
I realize that canned goods at the store aren’t crazy expensive however, spending a little bit more now to get your own pressure canner will make you less dependent and more self reliant. It will also save you money over the long run, especially if you grow your own garden.
I highly encourage both starting a garden (if you haven’t already) and to find and start using a pressure canner to preserve the vegetables that you grow in that garden. These two things together can save you hundreds of dollars throughout a year. Also, there are only so many ways to preserve the harvest that you get from your garden including, freezing, drying, and of course canning! There is only so much room in a freezer and if the power goes out for an extended period of time and you don’t have a generator with plenty of gas you could lose all your frozen goods. Don’t get me wrong I think using a freezer to preserve your food is great (Check out our article How to Freeze Fresh Fruits and Vegetables) but diversifying your food storage is smart. Canning your fresh fruits in a Boiling Water Canner and vegetables in a Pressure Canner will prove invaluable in emergencies.
Example: Buy pork shoulder on sale for $1/lb, pressure cook in the canner for 1 and a quarter hours, with chipotle peppers and onions, and just like that you have Chipotle knockoff carnitas. The canner can pay for itself real quick if measured in chipotle burritos or other foods that you might buy from a restaurant.
3. You Can know and Choose Exactly What You’re Eating
For all those who love knowing and choosing exactly what goes into your food a pressure canner is definitely worth it. If you like your food to have more salt or other spices it is completely up to you!
So the next time you look at a store-bought canned food label and can’t pronounce half of the ingredients? Well, those days are over when you begin canning.
4. Simple planning will always allow you to have preserved food
With just little discipline and a pressure canner, you can plan ahead and position your pantry to be full of safe, preserved food that is just the way that you like it. I understand that this isn’t as easy and just buying canned food in bulk at the grocery store the next time there is a case lot sale. I like to take full advantage of bulk sales and often buy plenty of canned goods because it is easier. However, what would I do when I need to preserve my garden harvest or if the store shelves ran out of food because they weren’t able to receive shipments for whatever reason?
Getting and learning how to use a pressure canner will give you peace of mind and allow you to continue to preserve more food even when shelves at the store are bare.
5. Preserving foods through pressure canning at home also promotes a sense of personal satisfaction and accomplishment
If nothing else, learning new ways to preserve your own food can bring a sense of accomplishment and self-independence. It can build your confidence which will allow you to have peace of mind even amidst great difficulty or even global or local tragedies.
Who Shouldn’t get a Pressure Canner?
If you are satisfied with building up a pantry full of canned foods simply by stocking up from the grocery store and have little interest in doing it yourself then a pressure canner might not be for you. That’s ok, it’s not the only way to be prepared. It is helpful for those who buy canned goods from the store to invest in a canned food organizer. Check this one out on Amazon!
To see our an extensive list of food items to add to your food storage pantry see our article Food Storage Items: What are the BEST foods for long term storage?
Conclusion
Whether you are just someone that likes to put food away for the winter or you consider yourself a prepper, canning is something you can do.
So if you like to be prepared then what better way is there than to grow your own food for pennies, preserve it, and know that it is there whenever you need it?
