[sisteeesmama]

SO I feel like I don't understand if buying canned goods from the store is good or not?
I quit buying Muir glen tomato products because they line atleast some of there cans with this plastic looking stuff that flakes off when you open the can and that grosses me out.
But I chose to do that before I was TF.
Do you know of any other bad things about canned goods besides sodium? Does ALuminum cause any problems?

Also, is canning your own stuff from the garden good TF, ok TF or bad?

Thank ladies

 

[deditus]

Oh yeah - there's bpa (an endocrine disruptor) in the lining of virtually all canned goods.

EWG has several articles on the subject, here's one:

http://www.ewg.org/node/20936

I don't think canning your own food is very traditional, but IRL, it the best option unless you live somewhere you can grow or buy organic produce year round. I personally put most of my energy into tomatoes, as they are easy to grow or buy organic at a reasonable price and they only require a water bath (not a pressure canner). I think drying and lacto-fermenting are more traditional methods of preserving food. I just checked this book out from the library in hopes of expanding my skills!

http://www.amazon.com/Preserving-Foo...9830118&sr=8-1

 

[mamadelbosque]

I try to avoid buying too much stuff in a can due to the issues with BPA. I do still buy canned tuna & salmon, pineapple & coconut milk (I buy native forest since its SUPPOSEDLY BPA free...). But thats about it. I canned all my own tomatoes last year - 98 quarts and 18 odd pints of diced tomatoes. I'm pretty sure I'll have enough to last me through till we're back in tomato season in August/September (I think I have 40 or so odd quarts left). And I did a bunch of applesauce & have been making jams/jellies/butters as I run out of the with frozen fruit.

 

[dogmom327]

I'm using up my tomatoes (bought before I knew about the BPA issue) and then we will be going to my own canning or we co-op Tropical Traditions and they have tomatoes in glass jars. Still buy coconut milk and some canned tuna for DH (goes through a lot) but I did learn to can my own tuna and thankfully it's really easy.

 

[hummingmom]

As a previous poster said, canning is definitely not traditional. It was invented in the early 1800's, to feed Napoleon's soldiers when they were campaigning through Europe. I guess they were like the MRE's of their day.

Canned food is effectively "dead," which is why it can be kept for decades and nothing will grow in it. For most purposes, I think it's preferable to use more traditional methods of preservation, such as low-temperature drying, lacto-fermentation, cold storage in a root cellar, or freezing.

That said, I don't think a moderate amount of canned food is going to do you in. We do keep some on hand, but I try to limit it to things that aren't readily available otherwise (such as sardines), things that are mostly used as garnishes (such as jam), and a few weeks' supply of emergency meals.

 

[moondiapers]

I can tomatoes and jams. I buy canned fish. I will also can excess goat's milk to save for the time of year where we aren't getting any. But we won't drink it without culturing it first.

 

[snowbunny]

I used to can a lot of stuff. Last year we canned carrots, potatoes, asparagus, apricots, sweet cherries, sour cherries, peaches, nectarines, apple sauce, apricot sauce, tomatoes and maybe a few other things. This year I'm not planning on canning anything. Canning really wipes out the texture, taste and nutrient value of foods, and, like pp said, it's not traditional.

This season, I'll be drying, salting and fermenting foods with occasional freezing. Freezing isn't traditional either, but it preserves nutrients to a much better degree than canning.