Tis the Season for Fresh Fruit and Veggies!

One of the best ways to save money on food is to put up your own. It is even better if you can grow it yourself. But assuming you live in a small space, with no yard and can’t have your own garden, there are still ways of getting fresh fruit and vegetables for a fraction of the cost of supermarkets.

PickYourOwn.org is a website detailing all of the places you can go to pick your own fruits and vegetables. If you have a small freezer space, then canning is probably the route you will want to take. There are tons of canning guides all over the internet, so google the one specific to the type of food you are trying to can. Some foods require a pressure cookers, others just a straight canning pot. The basics are easy – cook up or boil what you are going to can, put it in jars, and boil it in the canner for the set time.

Putting up your own food will be the most cost effective way to save money and have healthy food in the process. Canning may be very intimidating, but once you try it, you will see it isn’t that bad.

Picking your own food will allow you to see the quality and get an appreciation for “real” food. It is also a great activity to do with children. It gives them an understanding of where their food comes from and what it takes to harvest it. It may also get children excited about a food they don’t really care for (like peas) if they have a chance to pick them.

Ball Jar has a great site which will help you determine the best method for preserving. Check it out and see what it takes.