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Browsing Tag
freezing
Eating Well on a Budget

Easy Food Preservation to Save Money

Saving money on food

 

So far in this Eating Well on a Budget series, we’ve already covered several ways you can save money on groceries right away – meal planning, buying in bulk, effective couponing, and preventing food waste. Today I’ll share about one of the things I do throughout the year to save money in the future: food preservation. 

This is one of the ways I am able to keep our grocery budget at $100 per week for a family of four. When you preserve delicious in-season produce purchased at rock-bottom prices, you aren’t going to be paying absurdly high prices for sub-par flavorless produce the rest of the year. Each year I spend about $250 on produce to preserve, which would add $4.80 to each week’s budget, though I hope to reduce that by growing a garden next summer. Even without the garden, it’s definitely cheaper than buying fresh (and not as tasty) produce throughout the year.

Start with this post to help you know when to buy the cheapest and most delicious produce en masse. Buy them in boxes from a local farm stand. Start small – you can always adjust the amount next year. Then, decide how you’d like to preserve all that tasty nutrition. We’re going to talk about three easy methods of food preservation: freezing, drying, and canning.

 



 

Freezing

 

how to freeze foods to save money

 

Freezing is the simplest method of food preservation, as it does not require special equipment and takes the least amount of time and preparation. Often, all you need is a freezer bag and a permanent marker. Personally, I choose to freeze berries, jams, corn, and meat. I like the way these foods come out when frozen much better than when they are canned or dried. Applesauce and stock are great frozen as well. For most foods, you can simply place them in a zip-close freezer bag with the date and description written on it until you are ready to use them, though it is much easier if you take a little time to prep them first.

 

  • Berries: Wash berries and remove stem, if there is one. Spread berries one layer thick on baking sheets and freeze for two hours. Remove from sheets and place into labeled freezer bags. Freezing on sheets makes them much easier to separate and use throughout the year.
  • Jams: Prepare according to freezer jam pectin instructions (or try a chia jam recipe like this one – I haven’t done this myself yet, but I plan  to try it…let me know if you have experience with chia jam!) and pour into a labeled freezer-safe container (leave 1” of space for expansion).
  • Corn: Carefully remove corn kernels from cobs with a sharp knife (hold the cob vertically and shave down and away from you). Place kernels in labeled freezer bags.
  • Meat: Place meat in a labeled freezer bag. If you want, you can trim and cut it first, but you don’t need to.
  • Applesauce/stock: Follow the instructions on your favorite applesauce or stock recipe. Pour cooled applesauce/stock into labeled freezer-safe containers (leave 1” of space for expansion).

 

Keep tabs on what’s in your freezer – don’t let perfectly good food sink and sink and sink into the deep-freeze abyss, only to be tossed due to years-old freezerburn. This process is about saving money, not tossing it! Taking quick stock during your budget-driven meal planning is a great way to make sure you’re cycling through things and saving money!

 

Tip: You certainly don’t need one, but a vacuum sealer is a handy tool for freezing, as it removes all of the air from the bags your food is preserved in, saving space and preserving freshness even more!

 



 

Drying/Dehydrating

Also very simple, drying/dehydrating foods can be a great way to preserve nutritious food for meals and snacks 

throughout the year. You can dehydrate some foods in your oven, or you can use a dehydrator. They are about $30-40 online or in most kitchen or home goods stores.

Instructions for dehydration times vary depending on the food and recipe you are using. In general, the steps involve preparing the food you’d like to dehydrate, popping it in your oven or dehydrator, and waiting. It’s pretty much that simple.

For some example recipes, check out how you can make your own banana chips, raisins, beef jerky, or dehydrated meals for backpacking or an emergency kit. The dried food possibilities are pretty endless.

 

Tip: If you’re drying onions or garlic in a dehydrator, place it outside while it’s working. Trust me. Your house will smell like a sulfurous vegetable for days.

 



 

Canning

 

how to can fruit to save money

 

Canning is the most seemingly intimidating method of food preservation, and while it is a little more labor-intensive, it’s typically much easier than most people think! The simplest method is water bath canning, which can be used for high-acid fruits. For water bath canning, all you’ll need are prepared fruit, water or extra-light simple syrup, canning jars with matching rings and lids, a jar lifter, a canning rack,  and a very large stock pot. No pressure gauges, no fancy equipment (though if you can spend a tiny bit on a canning kit like this one it will definitely make it more convenient).

 

Basic steps for water bath canning

These steps are an overview – please check out more detailed instructions before canning to ensure safe results. 🙂

 

  1. While completing remaining steps, heat enough water to boiling in your stock pot to cover all of your canning jars when full.
  2. Place prepared fruit (in most cases, this means removing pits, stems, and peels, but check out the recommendations here) in hot, clean jars, leaving 1/2”-1” space at the top.
  3. Ladle hot syrup over top of fruit, leaving 1/2”-1” space at the top.
  4. Wipe the top rim of the jar with a clean rag to remove any debris or syrup. Place a hot lid on the jar and tighten a ring on top of it.
  5. Place jar gently in stock pot. When all jars are placed in stock pot, cover and bring to a boil. Boil for the recommended processing time for your specific fruit and size of jar.
  6. When processing is complete, gently remove the jars from the pot with your jar lifter. Place on a cooling rack in a non-drafty area and avoiding touching them as they cool. Over the course of the next hour or two, you should hear the satisfying sounds of the jars popping sealed. Congratulations!

 

See? Not so bad! In fact, it’s pretty darn fun, especially if you can with a friend or family member. Many hands makes light work! You can enjoy your home-canned goodies all year round.

You can also can lower-acid foods through a method called pressure canning. This is slightly more involved, but not by a lot. Follow these instructions for safe and simple pressure canning.

Tip: Home-canned fruits and vegetables will ruin you for the store-bought versions. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.

 



 

Related Articles

 

Money-Saving Tip: When Good Produce Goes Bad

3 Easy Steps to get Started Couponing

The Must-Try Meal Planning Hack to Stop Wasting Food and Money

 

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Diet culture is determined to tell you that you have to be miserable to be healthy.

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Becki Parsons, MS, RD, CEP
Are you ready to start dating healthy changes? Pro Are you ready to start dating healthy changes? Prospective clients always want to know what it's like to work with me and what their plan will look like (understandably)! Everyone's plan ends up different, so I can't tell you what your plan will look like beforehand...I haven't gotten to know you yet! But I can tell you that we will work to match your personality, schedule, budget, goals and more to healthy changes so they are streamlined and aligned with your lifestyle. We are looking for a long-term relationship here...but that means dating first! 
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You don't know why they are the weight they are. You don't know why they are the weight they are.

You don't know what struggles they may face.

If you think it's just "eat less, move more," you're missing a big part of the picture.

If you think they are eating more than they "should," keep in mind that you can't know that by observing one meal or even a few.

If you think it might be nice to compliment someone on their weight loss, I totally get it. I love to cheer someone on! But unless you are REALLY informed on their situation, keep in mind that you might be:

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January 2021 I injured my back, causing an extrude January 2021 I injured my back, causing an extruded L5/S1 disc (think REALLY bad bulging disc) that led to sciatica. At the time, I had to stop doing all of my regular workouts including weightlifting, and focus on walking and rest for several months. Sitting, especially for long periods, became very painful. Since a lot of my job involves virtual appointments and computer work that was obviously a big bummer, to say the least.

I've really missed weight lifting over the last year or so, and I could not wait to get back to it. But if you've ever dealt with chronic pain and injury, you know that re-injury is certainly not something anyone is interested in. I waited a very long time to get back to lifting and make sure that I rehabbed my back properly with PT and bodyweight exercises before I started again.

Getting back to it has been awesome, but it certainly has its challenges. I have to choose my core work very carefully and limit my high impact exercises (I avoid jump roping for more than a couple-minute warm up, for example). I'm lifting much lighter weights than I used to, which can feel defeating after I had worked so hard. Prior to my injury, one of the goals I had been working towards was to increase my chin-ups. It was a hard-fought victory to get to three chin-ups, and I was pretty darn sure I was going to be starting again at square one when I got back to it. I put it off trying it for longer than I had to because I didn't want to know...lol. 🙈 I could not believe that over a year later, I'm still able to do two! Thank you body, for having my back. I've got yours too. 😉

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This is one of my favorite things to hear from cli This is one of my favorite things to hear from clients, because it's often when we are focusing elsewhere that the weight loss happens. It is seriously 75% mindset and mental shifts, and 25% habits. It doesn't have to be hard!
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I actually went to school intending to be a crime scene investigator. I had interned at the coroner's office throughout high school and had my eyes set on Eastern Washington University's forensic science program. I think I had known for a while that I was leaning away from that but when you're a senior and everyone is asking about your plans, it's nice to have an answer to give them. 😆

Once I got to @washington_state_university I changed my major to Nutrition and Exercise Physiology. I LOVED that program - the perfect balance of science and serving people. I was shocked to learn how many different settings dietitians work in: food service, workplace wellness, hospitals, clinics, sports teams, schools, military, community health...

Coming out of school I honestly wasn't sure which way I wanted to take my career, but I DID say that I would NEVER want to open a private practice. 😆 I am so grateful to have had the experiences I had that led me to change my mind. Being an entrepreneur is hard and messy and absolutely awesome. 🤩
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It is not my job to: - Tell you what you "shouldn It is not my job to:

- Tell you what you "shouldn't" eat.
- Tell you what you "should" eat.
- To restrict your favorite foods.
- To force you to eat foods you hate.
- To give you a pre-made meal plan that is one-size-fits-almost-none
- To tell you how much exercise you "must do."

Outside of deadly allergies, celiac disease, dangerous addictions, and rare medical situations, there is almost never a food you can never have.

It is my job to tell you:
- How different foods are digested, absorbed, and metabolized, and how that relates to your lived experience, symptoms, or medical conditions.
- That healthy doesn't have to look a certain way.
- To get to know you well enough to recommend healthy strategies that may likely be good fits for you.
- To clear up what research does and does not say about food and exercise and health.

So often people fear RDs as "the food police." I'm sure they are out there, as every profession has their own bad apples, but most of my colleagues are awesome and will partner with you to live your best healthy life. 😊

Have you worried about these things when thinking about trying nutrition counseling?
Some movement is WAY better than none...in fact, r Some movement is WAY better than none...in fact, research shows that going to some movement from none brings the greatest health benefits. Don't expect yourself to show up over and over to do activity you hate - where's the happy in that? 

I am personally a cardio machine hater...they are great tools and an awesome fit for some people! I am not that person. I spend every step watching that stinkin' timer and thinking, "when...can I...get off...this...is so...boring!"

Think outside the box and try something you wouldn't have considered a "workout," but that will keep you coming back because you love it! It's amazing the doors that fun and enjoyable movement can open!

Ever tried geocaching? It's one of my faves! What are your favorite fun movements?
Food is meant to be enjoyed, absorbed, and metabol Food is meant to be enjoyed, absorbed, and metabolized, not obsessed over. That is all! 😁🍓
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  • How Much to Plant in Your Vegetable Garden
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