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We have not had many people preserving home-grown produce and meats over the past decade, but with recent increases, many people think that they can beat rising food prices by growing and preserving food at home. Food preservation may save money for some, but not necessarily everyone.

There can be many reasons for preserving food at home. Some have to do with finding ways to save money, while others may have to do with satisfaction, creativity or family tradition.

The two most common forms of food preservation are canning and freezing. Freezing is a quicker way to prepare food for long-term storage than canning or drying. Frozen produce, if carefully preserved, also tastes more like fresh than other preserving methods. Personal preference comes in to play here as some people prefer their green beans canned rather than frozen, and the exact opposite for their sweet corn.

It costs between 38 and 50 cents a year to maintain a freezer for one pound of food, not including the cost of the produce or the time of the individual(s) getting the food ready to freeze.

In general, chest freezers are less expensive to run, but upright freezers can be more convenient. Better insulated freezers can cost more to purchase, but less to operate. Frost-free freezers cost as much or more to operate than conventional defrost freezers.

Here are some tips to help keep freezing costs down include:

Don’t place your freezer in a warm place like the laundry room near heat-producing appliances. Freezers in warm rooms use more electricity.

Keep the door closed. Opening the door frequently uses more energy to keep the food cold.

Buy the size you need. Large freezers use more electricity.

A full freezer is more efficient and uses less electricity per pound.

Clean condenser coils and defrost freezers as needed.

A well-managed freezer can save time, energy and gas from fewer trips to the store. To get the most out of your home freezer, freeze only foods that the family likes and is willing to eat, and in packaged amounts that can be served at one time.

When freezing foods, be sure to use the proper packaging to protect flavor, color, moisture content and nutritional value from the dry conditions of a home freezer.

Containers for freezing food should be moisture/vapor resistant, durable, leak proof, flexible, crack resistant at low temperatures and easy to seal and mark. Rigid plastic containers can be used for liquids. Freezer bags and wraps are more suitable for dry-pack products that contain little or no liquid.

Vacuum packaging is recommended for dry packages. Be sure to read the manufacturer’s directions carefully if you will be using a packaging machine for wet foods. Vacuum packaging removes the air that can lead to drying, oxidation and off-flavors even at freezer temperatures.

There are also ways to minimize air trapped in other types of packaging. This is an important factor to control in all freezing.

Canning can be a less expensive way of storing food than freezing, but more time and energy are spent to prepare and process the foods. Canning some foods can be difficult for beginners and it requires preserving foods by using methods that keep the food safe when stored at room temperatures.

Food may spoil and can make you sick if reliable canning directions are not followed exactly.

Costs associated with canning, in addition to individual(s) time include the purchase of canners, jar funnels, lifters, jars and lids. The cost of water, fuel and extra ingredients like vinegar, sugar and spices must also be counted.

Canning jars cost $7 to $12 a dozen, but can be used for many years if handled carefully. Lids, however, need to be purchased every year and cost around 12 to 30 cents each when bought in small quantities.

The cost of added ingredients can be minimal with vegetables. Most recipes call for up to one teaspoon of salt per quart jar. But sweeteners for jams and jellies or spices and specialty peppers for pickles and salsas, can add significant costs.

Consumers should also compare the cost of similar food purchased at the grocery store. Try to find economical sources for the food items you want to preserve if you are trying to save money over purchasing them at the grocery store.

There are different preservation methods for many foods. If you plan to preserve your garden produce this summer, choose a method that fits in to your family’s time schedule and produces the form of food they like.

You should follow research-based practices to ensure that the food you preserve is safe for your family to eat. UW-Extension has numerous canning and freezing publications and information available for you to get the most recent processing times and practices at http://learningstore.uwex.edu/Food-Preservation-and-Safety-C60.aspx .

For more information or to make comments on the information contained in Coulee Consumer, write to La Crosse County UW-Extension, Attention: Coulee Consumer, 400 N. Fourth St., La Crosse, WI 54601, or call 785-9593.

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