How to Save Food and Save Money
In the US, we throw away a lot of food. I know I do. First, I buy too much, as though I’m feeding a family (I live alone), and then, rather than getting around to freezing food, I let too much sit in the fridge until it rots.
The USDA estimates that Americans waste between 30 and 40 percent of the food supply, roughly 133 billion pounds a year. And most of it happens at home, one forgotten bag of spinach and one too-ripe banana at a time. I’ve actually wasted so many bananas I won’t let myself buy them anymore. They’re not my favorite, though, which is why they go bad, but I would buy them thinking they’re healthy…. not if I don’t eat them.
Canning, freezing, dehydrating, vacuum sealing
aren’t new trends
Canning
Canning began in the late 1700s to create a way to preserve food to feed military troops. In 1795, the French government offered a prize of 12,000 francs to anyone who developed a method to preserve food. In 1809, Nicolas Appert, a French confectioner, discovered that boiling food in glass jars sealed with wax delayed spoilage and won the prize. Nicolas Appert is considered the “Father of Canning”. Then, through the 1800s, Robert Ayars, John L. Mason, and The Ball Corporation advanced the process and developed the food canning industry. During WWI and WWII, canning became a patriotic activity for people to help preserve food rations at home. Following WWII, refrigeration became available, and canning was shelved (pun intended), but in the 1970s, with the do-it-yourself and healthy eating trends, canning came back to a global 4 billion dollar market today.
Canning is a practical tool that stretches your grocery dollar, reduces waste, and gives you prepared food that’s easy to use.
Water Bath Canning
Water bath canning works for high-acid foods like tomatoes, fruit jams, pickles, and salsa. You fill sterilized jars*, seal them with lids, and submerge them in boiling water for a set amount of time. The process is simple, just make sure the tools like knives and cutting boards are clean, the jars are sterile, and you process according to the directions.
* Always refer to well-respected groups like the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
Here is a good starter canning kit from Supa Ant Canning Supplies.
And I like using 4 oz jars for jams and hot sauce. They’re perfect for one to two servings. I use Mini Mason Jars 4oz – 8 Pack or the 24 Pack.
Pressure Canning
Pressure canning is a must for low-acid foods like green beans, corn, soups, and meats. Pressure canning scares me, both the process and the product, so it’s not something I do, but many people are successful. These low acid foods need higher temperatures than boiling water can reach, so a pressure canner is crucial. Don’t skip this. Botulism is no joke, and water bath canning low-acid foods is just dangerous. You can’t detect botulism; there is no smell or tell-tale sign.
* Instant pots are not designed for canning low-acid foods. Don’t use one for this purpose.
Freezing
In the early 1900s, Clarence Birdseye, who lived in Labrador, Canada, observed that the Inuit used a method of flash-freezing freshly caught fish in extremely cold air. Before his discovery, people used a slow freeze process, which breaks down the cellular structure of food, resulting in poor texture once thawed. So, in the 1920s, he developed a “multiplate freezer” that pressed food between two refrigerated surfaces, freezing it rapidly – the first mechanical fast freeze – and founded what would eventually become the Birds Eye brand.
Freezing food is my favorite way to preserve stuff from the garden, prepared meals, soup, and broths. For fresh produce, the texture, color, and freshness are better frozen than canned.
Antarctic Star has some nice small freezers.
Dehydrating
The oldest form of food preservation is dehydration. The Middle East and parts of Asia were drying foods as early as 12,000 BCE, utilizing the hot sun and dry wind. By 2,800 BCE, the Ancient Egyptians were masters of drying fish, poultry, figs, dates, and grapes.
French inventors Masson and Chollet developed the first automated drying machine in 1795, allowing consistency and control where the elements did not. I love my dehydrator and use it for tomatoes and fruit. I use dried tomatoes in a lot of dishes, like broken into bits for roasted vegetables and pastas. And when they’re very crisp, I eat them like chips. Dried herbs from your garden or leftover fresh herbs from the
market are more economical than those little grocery store jars. A food dryer is very versatile.
Check out the Excalibur Electric Food Dehydrators. Great brand, great products.
Vacuum Sealing
In the 1940s, the technology for vacuum sealing was first developed to preserve food during World War II. The initial machines were designed for domestic use. Then, in 1963, the German inventor Karl Busch introduced the first industrial-sized vacuum packaging machines, allowing for mass-scale food storage, safer distribution, and longer shelf lives for commercial products.
Today, technology has become easily available for the home kitchen. Vacuum sealers, sometimes called by the brand names Seal-a-Meal or FoodSaver, remove the air from a bag before sealing it. No air means no oxidation, interfering with aerobic bacteria, mold, and yeast, which require oxygen to survive. And it really saves frozen food from freezer burn and saves space.
POTANE Precision Vacuum Sealer, a little higher end – 4.5 stars.
MEGAWISE 2025 Vacuum Sealer a little lower priced – 4.4 stars.
Starting Somewhere
You don’t have to do all of this at once. Most people start with freezing because they already have a freezer, and the learning curve is basically nothing. Vacuum sealing adds another layer. Dehydrating and canning come when you’re ready.
GroceryShare is a community app that helps neighbors split bulk grocery purchases, reduce food waste, and save money together. Learn more at GroceryShare.org.
Any purchases made from product links in this article might provide a small commission, which helps pay for the management of the GroceryShare app.
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