Canning in the Chaos
Small-batch pantry magic from a beautifully chaotic kitchen.
Origin Story & Identity
How did you get into canning, and what’s the story behind Canning in the Chaos?
I was walking through the state fair and tasted my first pickled green bean and my life has never been the same since. I quickly realized that I couldn’t support my addiction at $10/jar so I would need to learn to make them myself! I’ve always been a great saver and low waste enthusiast, so canning was intriguing to me. I had to twist my mother-in-law’s arm to teach me, but the lessons paid off when we moved and I suddenly had apple and cherry trees to preserve!
I enjoy canning and educating others about it, but one day I was taking some pictures in my kitchen and realized how much work it is to try to get a “Pinterest Perfect” picture in a real, working kitchen! Instead of conforming my life to make canning look pretty, I embraced canning and documenting in my real life. I believe you can reach your goals in the middle of your 9-5 life, even if it’s just another 12 jars of Salted Caramel Whiskey Apple Butter.
Do you have a fun fact, tradition, or personality quirk that makes Canning in the Chaos uniquely “you”?
When I first started canning I lived in a neighborhood that used to be an orchard and everyone around me had fruit trees. It drove me crazy to drive down streets that had overripe fruit all over the ground and I would threaten to hire myself out as a fruit picker. I still have that momentum today as I often look for local produce that owners are unable to pick or use up. While they don’t hire me, I have spent hours picking pears, plums (very memorably with my son in an absolute deluge!), various vegetables and herbs and turning them into jams, jellies, and pickles for my business. It doesn’t get fresher than that! My kitchen and sometimes my house is full of ripening fruit or coolers full of ice and chicken bones or boxes of fresh produce several times throughout the year!
What do you make? How do you source your ingredients?
I make all kinds of jams, jellies, butters, condiments- like hot sauce, relish and mustards, salsa, sauerkraut, bone broth, pickles, and so much more.
We have a home garden and, in a good year, I can the excess from there. I love to source my ingredients from my community and as conscientiously grown as possible, but when it is not economical I purchase ingredients conventionally.
What are you most proud of making?
I’m really most proud of making canners. I have taught 1-2 people almost every year I have canned (11 years now) plus teaching the basics to groups of tweens and teens. I have learned and taught all the ins and outs of canning and gardening so often that my son has taken over the majority of the garden, makes and sells medicinal and culinary herbs, and grows specific plants to supplement the feeding of our rabbits and chickens. But, if you are talking about products, I’m probably most proud of my bone broth. It represented a stumbling block in my learning process that I was intimated by, but I overcame it with help from a dear canning friend.
Shop Canning in the Chaos
Philosophy & Practices
How would you describe your canning or farming/gardening philosophy in your own words?
I want to make the best products I am able that will be used in home kitchens all year long, but are also special enough to stick in a stocking at Christmastime. I love how canning food means I get to control what goes into the jars. No preservatives or stabilizers other than salt and cane sugar and pectin and lemon juice or vinegar. Safe recipes, simple ingredients, but special in the way that fresh peach jam will always taste better than store bought.
How does this reflect in your practices?
Where safety and freshness are my priorities, I go to great lengths to track down recipes and sources to ensure safety, just like I do for my produce. I use tested recipes and methods, however, through much study I have found where substitutions and personalization are allowed. Freshness means I often stay awake canning into the early hours of the morning as once one pear ripens, they all ripen!
What’s something about your practices that most people don’t know — but should?
Canning can feel intimidating, but it is really quite simple. The hardest part is treating it as a balance between an art and a science. The science is where modern day canning means using tested recipes to prevent botulism, using a pressure canner when necessary for items like meat, broth and unpickled vegetables, and adhering to the methods listed for your product. The art is where you can 45 pints of strawberry jam with your sister and then have to re-can them all because they didn’t set. It takes time to learn the signs of readiness in your products.
What’s the biggest challenge of making/preserving food the way you do?
The biggest challenge is affordability. When I look at what I make I want it to reflect what I, myself, would reasonably pay. One time I spent probably 30 hours processing grapes I had the honor of harvesting. It made the best grape jelly and juice I’ve ever had, but after all the work I put into it I'd have to sell each cup for $10 to make it worth it!
Daily Life & Personal Connection to the Work
What’s your favorite part of the work you do every day?
There is a great sense of accomplishment to having a full larder and being able to sell the excess to help send my son to speech and debate tournaments. I love being around my family while accomplishing my work. It is so rewarding to hear a fresh batch of jars sealing while taking a break and eating dinner with my family.
What’s your favorite way to enjoy something you make?
One of our favorite family meals is a simple charcuterie dinner, especially in the summertime. I keep pickled asparagus, green beans, beets, okra and cucumbers on hand for a cold meal and serve them alongside fruit preserves, various sliced meats and cheeses, and crackers. We particularly love smothering a goat cheese log in mango jalapeño jelly!
What are you excited to grow, offer, or dream up for the future of Canning with the Chaos?
I love trying new recipes and selling my excess jars allows me to experiment more! I have offered small kitchen experiences to teaching canning in the past and would love to continue growing my network. I am excited to see more people interested in becoming self-sufficient and learning to can, garden, raise their own meat and eggs and do it with whatever property they have available.
Molasses Bourbon Pear Butter (1/2 Pint)
Molasses Bourbon Pear Butter (1/2 Pint)
$8.00 USD
Sale price
$8.00 USD
Regular price
Slideshow
