Comments on The Rhetoric of Rhubarb: A Brief Musing About the Canning Cycle

It's funny but my mom's family only canned fruits ...

2009-06-17T20:35:22.954-07:00

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?!!

I really love when an article on canning cites Mar...

2009-06-10T14:30:06.817-07:00

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

Although I grew up in suburbia I remember my grand...

2009-06-04T15:20:37.995-07:00

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 :)

For those in the country canning never went out of...

2009-06-03T07:18:11.808-07:00

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 ;-).

I suspect that in large parts of the country, cann...

2009-06-02T20:31:50.931-07:00

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.