There is something deeply rewarding about preserving your own food. It connects us with the traditional skills of our ancestors, it reconnects us with our food and the land and it forces us to slow down, even if just a little.

Preserving your own food is a journey, a very rewarding one which can open the doors to new possibilities and realities. I don't say it lightly when I say that preserving your own food can change your life. I wholeheartedly believe that it is a tool towards a better life.

That's a big statement but I think these words will resonate with anyone who is well on their way with preserving their own food and being more self-sufficient. For those who are at the very beginning and just thinking about starting on this path, this probably sounds like a stretch, a very big one. So, let's explore this concept further and consider the potential for preserving your own food being a gateway to changing your life.

We live in a world where most people feel very time poor. As a society, we are busy and balancing many roles and responsibilities. With this reality, convenience becomes key. So, convenience is sought after in the aisles of a supermarket or at the local drive thru. We don't need to lament about this scenario, it's costly in both our pocket and our overall wellbeing.

We live in a world where we can be very disconnected with our food supply and our current reality in New Zealand (and many countries around the world) is that food is expensive. In fact, the cost of living is out-the-gate right now and not looking to change anytime soon.

For many, a fast paced life is exactly what they want and that's totally fine as life is all about choices. But, if you are here reading this article, chances are that you are not wanting the fast-paced life and you are looking for a different path or have already taken steps along a different track and are looking for your community (welcome!).

How can preserving your own food change your life?

Let me share my story with you.

About 10 years ago, Mike and I started our food preservation journey. Mike started making an old-fashioned tomato sauce from a family recipe and I was making jam from time to time. These were all very basic with no fancy equipment. There was the odd pickle in the mix at that time too. Then it progressed a little further to reduced sugar jams and stewed fruits at which point I set up a simple water bath canner. At this time, I was very focussed on reducing food waste that is typical is today's society so with this we took the time to connect with some local growers to access fruit that was going to waste. 

Fast forward to 2020 and it all got a bit exciting. I purchased a pressure canner and we went all-in with preserving food. Pressure canning opened up a whole new world for me and from that came the ultimate in convenience food. If you don't know the joy of opening a meal-in-a-jar on a busy evening and having dinner ready in about 10 min, you really don't know what truly convenient and healthy family food is all about. There is no reaching for takeaways as we have 1000% better sitting in jars in our pantry.

But preserving your own food isn't just about bottling or canning. We started dehydrating food and getting better with using our freezer to its fullest advantage with freezer meals in various shapes and forms. The key aims being to create more convenience in our lives, reduce food waste and provide ourselves with a buffer for a rainy day.

The outer transformation is obvious because we ended up with a pantry full of delicious food that we had lovingly prepared ourselves. When you can prepare 12 shelf-stable meals in an afternoon, whilst it might seem like a lot of work at the time, you are really saving in the long run when it comes to both your time and mental load. In challenging times or uncertainty and/or rising costs, having many months worth of meals at our fingertips was incredibly reassuring.

The inner transformation requires more reflection but changes come from small actions and really connecting with our food, being conscious of what goes into our bodies and taking the time to make as much of what we eat as possible really does set you off on a different path in life. Let food be thy medicine... and, the food tastes amazing! 

How we prioritised space on our quarter-acre section and in our home changed. We found that we naturally wanted to grow more of what we were preserving so we set up many garden beds and now grow a large amount of our own food. We've cleared decorative gardens and planted fruit trees with more still to do.

Observing nature and being connected with the seasons through growing our own food has to be one of the best things I've ever done. If I feel stressed, I go out in my garden. If I'm wanting quiet solitude, I go out in my garden. If I'm wanting to enjoy the beautiful sunshine, I go out in my garden. Nature is one of our best teachers so there is always lots to observe and constant lessons to be had when you immerse yourself in growing your own food. For me, if we hadn't taken the first step of wanting to make and preserve more of the food we eat, we may not have delved so heavily into growing our own food. I'm so grateful that we made that choice.

Lastly, growing and preserving our own food has been freeing. We have largely stepped away from commercially grown food and try to top up what is lacking from the garden by supporting small local organic growers. We know that in the face of increasing food prices and stretched supply chains, we can enjoy the abundance that we've taken the time to create for ourselves. This is truly freeing and not something to be minimised.

So that is my story and it's still evolving. If you are feeling a little tug or pull to start preserving your own food and be more self-sufficient, I urge you to surrender to that and enjoy all of the blessings that this will bring into your life. Preservers love to share their knowledge and chat foodie things so you will always have community to support you on this journey.

If you are ready to take that leap, sign up to our waitlist so you can join in our next intake, I'd love to be part of this journey with you.