Mennonite Weekly Review

Not that long ago, many people knew how to preserve food. Information about canning, freezing and drying was passed down from generation to generation.

But that’s not the case today, say Susanna Meyer and Mary Clemens Meyer, co-authors of Saving the Seasons: How to Can, Freeze, or Dry Almost Anything, a new book from Herald Press.

“Many younger people today want to preserve food but don’t know how to do it,” said Susanna Meyer, who directs agricultural production at Grow Pittsburgh, a non-profit organization that produces food in the city and helps people create new gardens. “Maybe their grandmother canned, or their mother used to, but that generational knowledge hasn’t been passed down.”

“Many families no longer have a tradition of preserving food,” said Clemens Meyer, Susanna Meyer’s mother. “They have not learned what the more rural population of a century ago knew.”

Passing on tips and ideas for preserving food was one reason why the two decided to create Saving the Seasons.

“It’s especially helpful for those without a farming or gardening tradition,” said Clemens Meyer, who, along with her husband, grows certified organic vegetables and fruit in Fresno, Ohio.

The two note that the book comes along at a time when more people are expressing an interest in eating locally grown and seasonal food.

“More people care about where their food comes from,” said Clemens Meyer. “They want to know who grew it and under what conditions. The easiest way to get those answers is to grow food yourself, or buy direct from the grower.”

They both think that Saving the Seasons will be of particular interest to those who bought Simply in Season, a cookbook from Herald Press that celebrates cooking and eating locally grown seasonal food.

“One of the challenges of cooking seasonally for many in the U.S. and Canada is not having the food you need when it is out of season,” Meyer said. “Preserving food while it’s in season is a great way to make sure you have it later in the year.”