Provident Living...Adventures in Dry Pack Canning!

150 lbs. of Sugar in 45 Minutes!
I've been trying to convince my neighbors and church ladies how easy it is to package bulk foods in #10 cans.  So today I am going to show everyone just how simple it is.

We purchased 150 lbs. of sugar at Costco, joking about it being used as future currency when the country collapses.  (If Glenn Beck says it...it must be so.)  We plan to buy another 150 lbs. next week.

Lindon Home Storage Center
We went to the home storage center to get the cans, lids and boxes.  We figure we will need 48 cans and lids and 8 boxes...each holds 6 cans.  The friendly workers loaded them on a cart for us and we were on our way.  So far, so good.

 This is a dry pack canner for #10 cans, which hold about a gallon in volume.  We have our own, but the Lindon Home Storage Center lends them out for no charge.  They also sell bulk foods like sugar, wheat, beans, nonfat dry milk...several dozen different items.  We bought the canner last year when we decided to help our married children with their emergency food storage.  It's available to any of my neighbors, relatives and friends who want to use it.  It waits patiently on a table in the downstairs kitchen.

Canning the Sugar...
George fills the cans.  One 25 lb. bag of sugar fills 4 cans.  Sugar doesn't require the use of an oxygen absorber, so it is the fastest and easiest item to package.  After the cans are filled, the metal lids are put in place.

Our canner is manual, but there are also electric canners to use at the home storage center. The can is put onto the machine and with only a few turns of the wheel the can is sealed.  Sugar will store for at least 30 years.  We label  and date the cans, then box them up and put them in the store room.  I enjoy seeing the cases of different foods filling up the shelves.  Another time we'll do a post on organizing a store room...it'll make me do a better job on mine.

Cannery Info for Highland 12th Ward...
The four cans on the right took less than 10 minutes to do.  I know you have bags of bulk things sitting in your pantries needing to be packaged.  Here are some things you should know.

1. The Lindon Home Storage Center is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
2. You can check out a canner, or do it at the center.  No appointment is needed. First come, first served.
3. Canners checked out on Tuesday are returned Thursday...but if you check one out on Thursday, you can use it all weekend!
4. Most of the canners go out on Thursday.
5. If you are in the Highland 12th Ward (or one of my relatives) you can borrow my canner.
6. The address of the Lindon Home Storage Center is 940 W. Center Street in Lindon, Utah.
7. Phone is 801-785-0997
8. For bulk items pricing and ordering cans, you can print an order form at providentliving.org

Wasn't this fun and easy?  Yes...it is a rhetorical question.  Have another beautful Fall day!

All is safely gathered in,

Ere the Winter storms begin.