New Project No. 1: Canning.

I’ve mentioned the arrival of my new canning system in these pages before, but last weekend I put it to good use for the first time. My friend Denise and I picked up some strawberries at the farmer’s market and tag-teamed our first canning adventures – partly for the extra set of hands, mostly for the emotional support. :) All told, it went very well! Our jar seals stuck, our jam looks like jam, and the first jar tastes great (I’ve been eating it on PBJs this week!). So, a success all the way around.

But as we canned last weekend, we got to talking about how frugal such an endeavor actually was in the long run. When you can go by the Safeway and buy Jelly for $1.99 a jar, how does the homemade version help or hinder the bottom line?

I think the answer depends on two main factors: How the ingredients are procured and what I hope to get from the end result.

Last weekend’s venture was mainly a fact-finding mission. We wanted to buy just enough berries to give the jam a try, thereby limiting our downside if things went awry. To do so, we bought two quarts for $9 ($4.50 apiece) at the market, and I got a big bag of sugar from the Safeway for $1.99, which I think I can stretch to at least two separate jam-making expeditions, and probably more still.

The end result produced two and a half jars of jam. So, by the numbers alone, that leaves us with:

Strawberries: $9.00 ($4.50/jar)

Sugar: $1.99 ($0.67/jar, which is still overstimated)

GRAND TOTAL: $10.99 … or $5.17 per jar.

This is decidedly more than the $1.99 version from the store. But there’s another side to this equation that I haven’t really discussed yet. Beginning next week, our Community Sponsored Agriculture subscription kicks off for the summer, so each week we’ll be getting food we’ve already paid for. Further, with our subscription comes access to the U-pick fields down at Great Country Farms each week, where I can gather more fruits and veggies if I so choose. And once my vegetables begin to pop up in the garden (more on that in an upcoming post!), the ease of gathering my supplies will become lighter still.

Add THAT to the equation, and we’re looking at closer to $3.00 per jar, less once my garden is involved. Still not quite as cheap as the Safeway brand (which is what I’d be buying at the store), but certainly much tastier, and without high-fructose corn syrup besides.

But there’s another side to this canning expedition, as well: the gift value.

Denise and I are already planning on giving some of our creations away as holiday gifts to friends and family (surprise, friends and family!). And let me tell you, $5.00 per gift is certainly much less expensive than what we could buy at a shop somewhere. So for that alone, I’m a staunch believer.

And then, finally, there’s the third factor, which I didn’t mention above: Canning is fun. And also funny, depending on who’s involved. That may not have a direct impact on the bottom line, but it’s certainly a perk!

:)