2021 Spring Home and Garden

2021 Spring Home & Garden LINCOLN DAILY NEWS April 22, 2021 Page 21 Top 10 Money Saving Crops When growing a garden with plans to have veggies over the winter, you will need to plan how to preserve them. The method is a personal choice and costs vary. Some will say that they would never can corn while others would never want to eat a tomato that’s been frozen. Others will say the only way to go for green beans is a pressure canner, while others prefer frozen because they stay greener and can be preserved without the use of salt. You should also consider your storage space for preserved food. If you don’t have a deep- freezer or large pantry, then where are you going to store the surplus food you grow and preserve? You will need canning jars, rings and lids, and of course a pressure canner and/or hot water bath pot if you are going to can vegetables. Glass quart jars with a ring will cost about $2 per set. The jars and rings are re-usable, but you must buy new lids each canning season. A box of 12 lids will cost about $2.30 this year, and that price could be higher in the coming seasons. If freezing a product with a moderate to high liquid content you should do so in freezer containers with lids. Those containers cost about $2 each for an eight-ounce container and $3 for a 16 ounce container. Freezer bags are much more economical and great for low or no liquid preserving. The bags can be used for green beans, corn, cauliflower, broccoli and much more. They are not reusable, so you must buy new every year. A frozen two to four serving bag of veggies can be purchased for $1 and most one to two serving sized canned veggies can also be purchased for around $1. Year-round access to fruits and veggies from the grocery makes it so you can buy only what you need as you want it, and you have room to store in the short term. When you take these things into consideration, then preserving foods may not actually save you any money. CONTINUED u