You CAN Pickle That: An Invitation to the World of Food Preservation

We live in an age of mass refrigeration, surrounded by what writer Nicola Twilley calls the artificial cryosphere, the chain of machines that keep food cool from farm to truck to store to table. Before refrigerated semis were a thing, the easiest way to extend food’s life was by mixing it with a combination of sugar, salt, fat, vinegar, or alcohol. (Side note: Food ways of the past were not inherently healthier.)

If fridges and freezers have made food preservation irrelevant, why do it? Because it’s fun! Food preservation connects you to others, from the friends helping you process veggies, to the microbes turning barley-juice into beer. It also teaches you impressive skills, techniques that were once only the purvey of chefs, housewives, or craftsmen. It also immerses you in unique world flavors with recipes like nuka, kimchi, dhosa, or tej.    

New to preserving? Start out with pickles and jams for an easy win. You’ll need a large pot for boiling, a medium pan for mixing the ingredients, a set of tongs for gripping the jars, a funnel (the wider the stem the better), a ruler, a towel, canning jars, lids, and tightening bands. Buy a kit with all these supplies, or just borrow them from an aunt or neighbor.

The good news is that canning a relatively safe activity (unless you’re my mother who insists that pressure canners kill people). The bad news is that sanitation is still an issue. Microbes like people-food, and some of them (like botulinum and listeria) aren’t so kind to our bodies. The canning process, when done correctly, eliminates pathogenic microbes in three ways: first, it heats the food to a temperature that kills many microbes currently in the food; second, it vacuum-seals the food so that it doesn’t come into contact with future microbes; and third, it creates an acidic environment that limits microbial growth. (Vinegar, for instance, is essentially a microbe desert, which is why it’s such an excellent cleaning product.)

Your MO throughout the process should be to keep your hands, utensils, and jars clean. Follow the recipe closely when it comes to vinegar, water, and sugar proportions, as they have been calibrated to maintain a shelf-stable pH. Fridge pickles or jam allow you to be more freewheeling, but they don’t keep as long, which (ahem) defeats the purpose of preserving.

Whatever recipe or method you choose, the important thing is that you enjoy it. Give yourself an afternoon to complete the process. Most importantly, stop drinking out of Mason jars leftover from your hipster wedding, and fill them with delicious food.