Preservation

For some reason, people are often intimidated by the thought of preservation, but if you’ve ever dried your herbs, that’s what you did, you preserved them using the method of dehydration. Although there are many groups and sub categories of preservation, it’s basically different methods to long time storage. Drying and curing date back to 12,000 BCE in the Middle East, and likely before that. Evidence of fermented beverages dates back to 7,000 BCE in Neolithic China, and depending on regions, like those in the arctic poles, they were freezing foods far before conventional use of freezing was practiced. Pickling began 4,000 years ago in India, and as everything else mentioned, was likely practiced far before it was recorded or ‘remembered’. Canning was invented in 1809 in France as a method of preservation to provide their soldiers with food, and has been a very popular means of preserving ever since, but when were talking about means of survival, canning is a much more modern and convenient way to preserve foods.

Please take your time to study as many resources as you can before you start preserving foods. Although trial and error is a must, you should still educate yourself as much as possible before you start. If you’re anxious like me to learn new things, you’ll search your heart out for days on end. One reason I have a hard time writing out recipes, is because I rarely follow just one. Most of my attempts are a mixture of recipes and methods, I’m so hands on and creative as is, I really do try to make things my own, and fitting for our family.

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