The boys and I headed out to the local orchard to pick apples. We ended up coming home with Zestars, Ozark Golds and Galas. 

I used to can applesauce every year—pint after pint of it. But I would always end up with quite a few jars still on the shelf the following fall. Turns out none of us are big applesauce eaters. I finally got smart and I only can a small batch these days. 

But in our house, apples are mainly eaten fresh.
It’s funny; I learned how to can from two grandmothers, a mother-in-law, and, like so many, The Ball Blue Book. There was a time when I wanted to can as much as I could and whatever I could. But after several years, I began to realize that it’s only worth the time and effort if it’s things you want to eat and use. 

Even as a kid, I remember preferring the texture and flavor of frozen green beans compared to home-canned green beans. 

These days, quite a bit of my garden preservation goes into a massive chest freezer at The Engineer’s house. Canning is reserved for things like jams, chutneys, pickles, and fruit.  

It’s nice to know these skills in a pinch, but it’s also nice to have the ability to preserve our harvest how we want in a way that works for us. I suppose that’s just another benefit of growing your food. Not only do you get to grow it how you want, but you get to preserve it (or not) how you want, too.  

And, after all, that’s kind of the point of being self-sufficient.