I just spent about 4 hours canning dry goods like beans, rice, wheat, potato flakes, dried apples, quick oatmeal, etc over at the Mormon Cannery on 46th St on the South side of the Boise River. It was a really neat do-it-yourself experience, and if you are inclined to put up some food 'just in case', this is a great way to do it. Each of the things I canned will last for 30 years or more because they are sealed tight and a desiccant pack was thrown into each can. You don't have to be Mormon, and they prefer taking checks for payment. No appt necessary.
When Jim Cramer says to get 6 months of food stored away, it might be a time to rethink your utter reliance on a food system that could have nothing but bare shelves: if there is a panic, or if there is an interruption in fuel supplies. With food prices set to soar, and the dollar set to wither, food might be the very best thing you could invest in right now. An old guy over there confided in me saying, ..."you know, this food is going to be worth a lot of money pretty soon".
If I remember correctly, you can take in dry or wet goods from your own garden and use the cannery facilities.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008352212_canning05m.htmlMormon canneries preserve the spirit of self-relianceIn a sign of these tough economic times, the use of canneries run by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has soared.
By Janet I. Tu
Seattle Times religion reporter
When it comes to having sacred experiences, one probably wouldn't think of a cannery in Kent.
But for about a dozen Mormon church members on a recent day, stirring steaming vats of salsa and wiping sauce from pint-size Mason jars were ways of expressing their faith — not to mention a means of preparing for a recession.
Above the grinding noise of the machines, the church members — hair tucked into hair nets, work gloves snapped neatly into place — chatted about their families while putting salsa-filled jars on a slow-moving conveyor belt.
"I love going to the cannery because there's a great feeling of camaraderie," said Kristen Jenson, 49, a homemaker and technical writer from Bothell. "It's like a little beehive."
Later that afternoon, the canners would each take home several cases of salsa to their families — part of an estimated 400,000 cans of corn, jars of peaches, packages of wheat and other foods the cannery turns out each year.
In these tough economic times, layoffs, longer lines at food banks and other signs of distress are readily apparent. What's less apparent, though also very much a reflection of these anxious times, is what's happening here in Kent and at dozens of other Mormon-run canneries across the country.
The canneries are busier than ever. Their use in Washington and nationwide doubled over the last year.
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are taught to prepare for emergencies by having at least three months' of food, water and money on hand. Now it appears many are intensifying that effort, stocking up in case a family member gets laid off or food prices keep going up. Some of the canneries are also producing goods for the church's vast internal welfare system and for local food banks.
Jenson remembers how scared she was when her husband was laid off years ago.
So she keeps her laundry-room shelves filled with a supply of beans, pasta, rice and sugar. Doing so provides a sense "of peace and confidence," she said, "of knowing we can provide for ourselves during times of financial downturn."
To cannery manager Bill Lawrenson, "putting food in a can — it's a process."
The real meaning, he said, comes from helping those in need and seeing people become more self-reliant.
"Some of the most sacred experiences of my life (are) in this facility."
Volunteer effort
For church members, a session at the cannery works like this: They volunteer their time and labor but pay the cost of the food itself. Many times, it works out cheaper than buying at a store.
The salsa, for instance, ended up costing $19.80 for a case of 12 pint jars — $1.65 a jar.
It's easier — and far faster — than canning a similar amount at home, said Elizabeth Bohon, 36, a Seattle homemaker. Plus, "I like the taste better than store-bought canned...."
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http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008352212_canning05m.html
