This post is short but sweet - just a little something to consider. I'm on Summer Break and before I nose dive into the thesis research that will consume it I am taking a week from any real thinking. Still, while reading the New York Times I came across this little piece about home canning. Apparently it's sweeping the nation. People are once again taking part in what used to be a regular, seasonal tradition of food storage. Every single culinary culture on earth had ways of preserving their food for long periods of time.However, when technological and biological advancements occurred in the 1920's this stopped. Mass canning production was initially funded for the purpose of the war efforts so that soldiers could have portable, long lasting food with them on the battlefield. After the great war the technology and production factories turned towards the public for income.
Canned good began to be praised as a way for the everyday woman to save herself hours upon hours of time stocking up fruits and veggies for the year. Indeed it was a time saver that way. Women were liberated from the strain of the kitchen. The food lasted even longer than home cooked. (It is also no surprise that the frozen dinner was invented at this time.)
Tins of food were a godsend. Yet as time went by people began to take more interest into what actually went into these canned good. Shocked and horrified and the quality of the produce used, the vast array of chemicals and procedures, and the underwhelming taste the food focused have begun to turn back to canning.
However, the new canning is different. We're canning and jarring recipes from a wide diversity of culture. Having a jar of kimchi next to your plum jam isn't uncommon. We have clearer understanding of the science of canning making it safer than ever (however, a point to consider, generations of people figured it out without knowing the micro-chemical biology behind it). We have the ability to create new flavors, and tools are more specific than ever. Plenty of books and manuals can be found on the internet so we can teach ourselves.
Cultural patterns and practices in the long term seem to be cyclical in nature. Fads, ideas, thoughts, practices and so on come into fashion then die out only to come back but slightly different than it was before. Raymond Williams in his discussion of Marxist theory calls this the cycle of dominant, emergent, and the residual in the construction of cultural ideas and norms.
However canning seems to occupy all there spheres. The dominant idea of preserving food has sustained. While before the process of doing it at home was, and for the most part still is a residual concept for most of America it is re-emerging with new ideas, concepts and twist with an intense focus on good, clear, fair food.
So will this trend continue? Will we once again tire of it and start turning back to buying canned goods again only this time cleaner and organic?
*The picture you see is from a jar of Seville orange marmalade made by Elise Bauer. Picture by me.
5 comments:
I suspect that in large parts of the country, canning has never gone out of style. It's an economical way to preserve the bounty of the season. What is the trend is that people in urban areas like NYC and SF, who likely do not have their own garden produce, canning what they are getting from farmer's markets. Or maybe it really is a national trend. My grandmother canned, my parents canned, I just think of it as the natural and right thing to do when you have an excess of fruit or things you can pickle.
For those in the country canning never went out of fashion; the abundance of summerfruits screaming for preservation in sugar, in alcohol, or even in vinegar. Drying takes so much more time, and is less alluring, though making sweets from the juice was popular in times gone by. Nowadays I think its a fad that will disappear once crisis is over and the more expensive brands are within reach again. foiste, says the code, and that's what the food industry does ;-).
Although I grew up in suburbia I remember my grandparents canning - probably due to raising a family during the Depression. My mother canned as well but that was more for the culinary experience as she loved to cook all sorts of food. I'm lucky enough to live in a semi-rural area near Sacto. and have a veggie garden and fruit trees...and yes I can and freeze. Cherry chutney, pickles and blackberries are delicious out of season and even more so when you know they're due to your own efforts. Joe Public here in the US seems to be all about trends and gardening and good food seem to be all the rage - which is fine but funny in a way :)
I really love when an article on canning cites Marxist theory. It really makes me smile. I would also just like to mention that canning is good for health in a couple of ways--tin cans are lined with plastics that can cause cancer and mimic sex hormones, disrupting the endocrine system and metabolism. They also are often full of too much sodium and other preservatives. I hope this trend lasts for the health of all of us.
jen
Boda Blog
It's funny but my mom's family only canned fruits whereas my dad's family only canned veggies. The first was from the south, the other from the north. One day when I have nothing on my hand pressing to be done I will go to each region and study that point: was this typical or were my ancestors basically weird?!!
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