A Conversation About Food Preservation, Preparedness and Taking Control of Your Food
Food preservation has always been about more than filling shelves with jars. It gives us choices. Whether we are preserving a garden harvest, taking advantage of seasonal abundance, preparing for an emergency, or simply trying to become less dependent on the grocery store, knowing how to preserve food is an incredibly valuable skill.
I recently had the pleasure of joining Nurse Claire on the Nurse Claire Says podcast for a conversation about food preservation, preparedness, and the many ways families can take greater control over the food they keep in their homes.
What I especially enjoyed about our conversation was Nurse Claire’s genuine curiosity. Rather than approaching preparedness from a place of fear, we talked about practical things people can actually do. We discussed preserving food before prices rise, building a supply of shelf-stable foods for emergencies, planning meals ahead of time, and getting to know your local farmers, growers and meat producers.
Who Is Nurse Claire?
Nurse Claire has created a platform where she can have thoughtful conversations about health, preparedness, self-reliance, and other issues affecting everyday life. Her podcast gives her listeners an opportunity to explore topics they may not encounter in traditional conversations and, more importantly, encourages them to think, ask questions, and continue learning.
That made food preservation a natural fit.
As a nurse, Claire brings her own perspective to the conversation, while I was able to bring more than three decades of experience teaching home canning and food preservation. The result was a relaxed 45-minute conversation covering everything from stocking the pantry and preparing for emergencies to the many resources available for someone who wants to begin preserving food at home.
Food Security Does Not Have to Begin With Fear
One point I continually emphasize is that preparedness doesn’t have to mean expecting the worst.
Food security can be as simple as having enough food in your home that an unexpected event doesn’t immediately become a crisis. It can mean preserving produce while it is plentiful, buying meat when the price is right, growing some of your own food, learning to pressure can, dehydrating or freeze-drying foods, or simply becoming more intentional about what you keep in your pantry.
Every skill you learn gives you another option.
And that is ultimately what Claire and I talked about: giving ourselves more options and becoming better prepared to care for ourselves and the people we love.
Listen to My Conversation With Nurse Claire
Rather than trying to recreate our entire conversation here, I invite you to listen to it. She has also put together a wonderful collection of links and additional resources on the episode page for anyone who wants to continue learning after listening.
Thank you to Nurse Claire for inviting me onto the show and for giving me another opportunity to share something I care deeply about: helping people develop practical food-preservation skills they can use throughout their lives.
About the Author:
Diane Devereaux, The Canning Diva®, is an internationally recognized food preservation expert, author, and educator with over 30 years of home canning experience. She’s the author of multiple top-selling canning books and teaches workshops across the U.S. Learn more at TheCanningDiva.com.