The nice thing about being retired (sort of) is finding the time to do all those things you never have the time or energy to do when punching a clock. Living in the fruit belt of Ontario and with a very good farmers market in Dunnville, there is a host of products to preserve for the winter months.
We no longer have processing plants in Southern Ontario to take the fruit and veggies produced in our area. Big foreign business has taken over and closed them, moving the brand names out of the country or they bring in non-local foreign produce. Our lame Government in their wisdom, see no reason to protect the industry that feeds us or assist this very important industry.
Now it seems the fruit belt is being swallowed up with new houses, industry and highways. The grocery store shelves have a scarcity of “Made in Canada” or “Made in Ontario”, but you can find canned peaches from South Africa! Even when fresh peaches are in season, the stores are carrying peaches of some other country like Peru, USA and Mexico.
So my concern is no only the economic repercussions, but health concerns with sanitation, canning methods not up to Canadian Standards, undeclared ingredients, chemicals used in growing the produce and a lot more.
I found with a little time each week (5 or 6 hours), I can preserve the bounty for the next year of all our favorites! I freeze very little so most produce ends up in bottles. Canning equipment and bottles are the big investment that will give you years of use but pay for themselves in short order. My pressure pot is now 30 years old and I just replaced the rubber rings from our local Home Hardware store.
Frost is expected soon, growing season is finished and now we can look forward to eating healthy while enjoying our own flavorful bounty.
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