Canning at The Commons

On August 29, the SWF team spent the day learning, sharing, and practicing the wisdom of pickling and canning: two commonly used food preservation techniques. The morning kicked off with a group harvest of fresh produce from the Community Farm, which was followed by an afternoon of preserving. Although food preservation practices have been used for hundreds of years, this was the first time the SWF team began to collectively practice preservation of the abundance of food growing on the farm. Read on to learn more about the first preservation experience at The Commons.

There are various methods to preserve food (pickling, canning, dehydrating, freezing) and different reasons to select a method. On this particular day, the group practiced pickling and canning to preserve cucumbers, garlic, tomatoes, and cabbage from the Community Farm. SWF Resident Chef, Betty Williams (Mama Betty), joined the group and shared her experience with preserving food. She told the story of how, when she was growing up in Alabama, refrigeration was limited, so canning and pickling were methods they used often to save food for the winter months when food was not growing. Mama Betty Has been preserving for more than 50 years! As an expert preserver, she shared her wisdom and guided the group throughout the day.

This was SWF’s first preservation workshop. The entire team plans to continue preserving until the end of the harvest season and we invite you to join us in that process!