Good evening, welcome to our Food Holidays: February 2022. Did you know February is Canned Food Month? I don’t know about you, but our Pantry is full of Canned Goods, and I can’t seem to go Grocery Shopping without picking up more Canned Goods. Do you do the same thing? If so, what is your favorite canned food and why? Charlie’s is Mexican Corn. I love Beets and Black-Eyed Peas while I don’t think David has a favorite. But I will ask him.
Canned Food Month
There’s plenty of myths surrounding canned goods, and to help debunk them The Canned Food Information Council declared February to be National Canned Food Month. That’s right, a whole month dedicated to canned food. Our kitchen life and cooking just got a whole lot easier. This modern form of food preservation began in the early 1800s and canned foods remains a popular way to donate extra food to those in need. They help us save money in your own household and canned foods keep cooking time down with pre-made favorites.
HISTORY OF CANNED FOOD MONTH
In the dark cold of February, when few Fruits and Vegetables grow, we’re grateful for Canned Food Month. Before canning, the four main ways of food preservation were Salting, Drying, Sugaring, and Smoking. But Napoleon wanted to develop a better way. In response to a contest laid out by the French government in 1809, French inventor Nicholas Appert developed the first process that involved hermetically sealing and heat-sterilizing food storage containers. Rudimentary Canning was born.
Appert wrote a book on his invention that inspired many and set the canning ball rolling. Soon thereafter, an English businessman adopted the invention idea and began to create a business based on tin-canned foods. As opposed to the glass cans that Appert used. This businessman was named Peter Durand, and in 1810 Peter Durand patented the use of Tin Cans. By 1820, his crafty food-storage creation fed the Royal Navy in massive proportions.
Canneries began to experiment with specific different materials and methods for packaging their food. The cans were originally composed of tin-plated iron, but over time they were shifted to be steel with tinplate, and eventually aluminum. Aluminum is lighter and does not rust, and Aluminum is commonly used today to package Sodas.
The 19th Century saw a canning boom. Companies like Campbell Soup, Heinz, and Borden were selling off cans of food at lightning speed after the end of the Economic Depression in 1873. In 1903, Alexander Kerr invented the wide mouth canning jar, for which Alexander Kerr would later patent the famous lid. Which is a metal disc and gasket held in place with a ring. Another name in the 19th-Century canning industry was the Ball brothers, led by William Charles Ball. The Ball brothers bought up many smaller Canneries and led the industry after duplicating Kerr’s invention.
Today, canned foods are still incredibly popular and the technology that surrounds them is still being developed. Commercially canned goods are used by nearly all populations, and by all types of people. Including private citizens to militaries to food banks. Canned goods are a beloved cheap dietary staple for many of us.
HOW TO CELEBRATE CANNED FOOD MONTH
- Canned foods last for quite a while, but if you haven’t eaten those Beans in a long time, they’re still good, and it’s likely a family in need would make much better use of these canned goods just drop a box of canned goods off at a local food bank or shelter.
- Think of this as your Top Chef moment: how can you turn canned Carrots, Beans, or Pineapple into a gourmet meal? With over 1500 types of canned foods, you’re sure to make a hit dinner.
- Want to stretch the monthly food budget a little further? Don’t think you’re going to eat that vat of Chili in one sitting? Save time and money by trying out your own canning process.
5 FACTS ABOUT CANNED FOODS
- Food cans are the most recycled packaging in the United States, proving that canned foods can be environmentally friendly.
- Though many people believe that canned foods contain higher levels of Sodium, they are not proven to be a top source of extra Sodium – but you can still decrease the extra Salt in the can by draining and rinsing the canned foods.
- Did you know that fresh Green Beans cost more than 5 times the cost of canned Green Beans? Buying canned foods is a great way to stretch the monthly food budget.
- Those 128,000 Americans who are yearly hospitalized with a foodborne illness must not have eaten canned foods, because the high heat canning process canned foods go through prevents the growth of dangerous microorganisms.
- There are more than 1,500 different types of canned foods, so it’s never boring to eat from the can!
WHY PEOPLE LOVE CANNED FOOD MONTH
- From being environmentally friendly to being the best donatable food to families in need, canned foods have only a positive impact on the world. We love any safe food packaging that cuts down on plastic and can be recycled into another can when it’s used. Food banks always can use more canned food donations, and the cheap price of canned goods helps stretch the monthly budget of families in need.
- Not many people can their own foods these days, making canning a lost art. Anyone can go to the store and pick up a can of something, but canning foods yourself, you realize the work that goes into making these goods safe, long-lasting, and delicious. Trying to can your own food is a fun adventure that makes you appreciate all the canned goods in your pantry!
- Besides saving precious fridge space, canned goods make life in the kitchen so much easier. In many cases, canned goods come pre-chopped, pre-cooked, and pre-prepared. If you’re in a hurry to make dinner, or simply not feel like slaving over a stove for a few hours, all you have to do is open a can.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
