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Canning and Pickling

Canning and Pickling are the oldest forms of food preservation.  The links to the right will provide more information about pickling and canning.  If you have additional questions or comments please follow the contact us link above and email our experts.

Did you know?

Sauerkraut (sour cabbage) was first made in China during the building
of the Great Wall 2000 years ago. The Chinese pickled the cabbage by
submerging it in rice wine which preserved it for months. The end
product kept thousands of laborers fed and healthy.

Kimchi is a fermented vegetable product unique to Korea. Its origins
come from the fact that Koreans are an agricultural people with a diet
heavy in vegetables. Unfortunately, the climate of the Korean Peninsula
involves four seasons in which winter is one of them. Developing a
way to preserve their harvest for the winter was necessary but doing so
in a way that preserved the crunchiness of the vegetables is what makes
kimchi unique.

In 2030 B.C., cucumbers native to India were brought to the Tigris
Valley. There, they were first preserved and eaten as pickles. Over the
centuries they spread throughout Europe and by the 17th century made
their way to America. In fact, America is named after Amerigo
Vespucci, a ship’s chandler. He stocked ships with the vitamin C
packed pickles which prevented scurvy among the crew members.