Cannery- No tin about it.
Canning food for preservation has its roots during the first years of the Napoleonic Wars, when the French government offered a large reward of 12,000 francs to anyone who could create an inexpensive and reliable way to preserve large quantities of food in order to support the vast armies.
So the creative and ingenious mind of Nicolas Appert, a French confectioner and brewer, noticed that food cooked inside a jar (glass) did not spoil. That is if it didn’t have any leaks (exposure to air). Appert developed a method of sealing glass jars in the year of 1809.
With centuries of trial and error and most importantly understanding sterilization and microorganisms, the cannery business was turned from glass jars to tin cans. (Cans can be tin-covered steel or tin-free steel.)
However, canning with glass jars is still preferred by many gardeners and cannery enthusiasts.
Is there any difference in the taste? Glad you asked.
Kathi Comandi is the Cannery operator at the Little Rock Cannery just off of 98 and Citrus Way in Brooksville. She is very passionate about the services the cannery provides.
When canning, Comandi explained that you are saving the season that you are in. “Right now we are in strawberry season, we have so many people making strawberry jam,” said Comandi. Another favorite is strawberry lemonade: fresh strawberries, lemon juice and sugar.
The process of canning is maybe a little complicated for those that are just beginning, but with Comandi guiding you through the steps, you will be hooked and canned right after your first experience.
The longevity of fruits and vegetables as well as meats is suggested to be around 1-3 years. The difference in taste is apparent over cans you purchase in the grocery store in which you can often taste the metallic can. I sampled Kathi’s pineapples. The fresh, sweet tropical flavors of the pineapple are preserved, something that store bought tin cans definitely fall short of. The taste was incredibly delicious. Additionally, often preservatives are added to store bought cans and those cans often contain BPA- a chemical linked to breast cancer.
The cannery building is of historical significance for Hernando County. It was built in the latter half of the 1930’s under the WPA and President Roosevelt for the Hammock Consolidated School. After the class grew, the building became an orphanage. It was used as a cooperative extension site for the Hammock Extension Homemakers and as an extension for the library system called the Rock Cannery Library. Since 1974 the building has been used as a cannery. The Little Rock Cannery is owned by Hernando County and is managed by the Hernando County Recreation Department.
If you are already a kitchen canner, going to the cannery provides an added level of safety as well as higher output. They have the ability to pressure can up to 96 jars at one time, along with a double water bath processor. The cannery states that “High speed commercial food prep equipment and a gas stove/oven allow members to prepare food and fill their jars in a timely, safe, and clean kitchen setting.”
The cannery works with the local farmers, by supplying information about upcoming crops that are ready for pickin’ or at the local fruit-vegetable stands.
“This is my giving back to whoever walks through that door, to teach them a skill where they can feed themselves and their family,” Comandi said.
The cannery offers two memberships. The Associate Membership is $50 per year and gives you unlimited canning. The Limited Day Pass membership is $10/day and limits canning to 200 jars per year.
Fruit and vegetables from farm to table…this is another reason why Hernando County is so great!
For more information visit http://www.hernandocounty.us/cannery/