Ever thought about canning? It seems like lots of people are these days. Coming from the south, both sets of my grandparents grew pretty big gardens and canned lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, and beets. They also made lots of jams and jellys.

My parents and their siblings did not can. And my cousins and I never had any interest in it, either. I guess it’s a generational thing. But last year, some of my friends started talking about canning. This year, even more were looking into it.

And in the past few months I’ve read several blog posts and articles about canning and it’s growing popularity. Some cite the rising price of produce and the recession for the rise. Others cite the increase in gardening and slowfood for the cause. My interest stems from a desire to do more things for myself and my family. There’s a sense of accomplishment.

Canning seems like a pretty green practice. Yes, you have to get glass jars, but you can re-use those each season. You do have to replace the flat gum-binder seals each time, though. I have seen Ball jars at several stores this year, and many are selling canning sets.

But you don’t have to get one of those. If you have several large pots and some tongs to pick up the hot glass jars, you should be in business. There are several tomato-canning instructionals online, but I’m thinking about using one from pickyourown.org. It sounds like you have to do a good bit of boiling, but it doesn’t sound hard.

Are you canning this year? What are your reasons? Any suggestions?