History of Food Preservation

The need for food preservation has existed for as long as people have. It has not, however, always been as foolproof as the options available today. To be sure, the road to developing safe, predictable methods of preserving foods is littered with illness, worthless food, and even death. Thankfully, we get to reap the knowledge learned in the past. And if we use this information wisely, we can avoid repeating those mistakes.

Most areas of our world cannot be harvested all year. Nor is it wise to hunt all year even if your chosen prey is available. So, how do we feed ourselves in the “off-season”? We must prepare for these times, as they are most certainly coming. Food planning became more than going over the hill to see if the berry bushes were ripe yet.

Over time people developed ways of preserving food.

Dehydration, it was found, eliminated the moisture content of meats, fruits, herbs, and vegetables. This moisture was, in part, the cause of these foods to rot. Thinly sliced and hung or laid out in the sun to dry was the simplest means of food preservation.

Salting, brining, and smoking followed. All of these methods were inexpensive and simple enough that each household was able to care for its own needs.

As science progressed, bacteria and enzymes, and their effects on foods were discovered; preventions were learned. If food was brought up to a certain temperature, and then sealed in air and moisture resistant containers, removing any air in the container during the process, it could be stored for great periods of time. “Canning,” as this convenience was known, was invented.

Following World War II, as the electrical grid came to even the furthest out-lying farms and ranches, and prices for various metals came down with the increase of industrialization, freezing food became a reliable method of food preservation.

Although the canning process is the most labor intensive procedure, all methods promote a sense of pride, accomplishment, and self-reliance. There’s nothing like opening the pantry or freezer door on a frigid winter’s day, where the snow – already up to the window sills – is coming down so hard you can’t see your mailbox, and finding row upon row of neatly labeled produce and meats and remembering once again that if the world ended outside your door, your family would still eat well.