Quantifying My Canning Output

I often get asked if canning is worth it?  Do I really save all that much money?

If you ask me during canning season, when I hate my life and I want to throw all jars in to the road and hope that the garbage truck runs over them, well then, the answer is hell no.

However, this year when the canning started in July, I wanted to keep track of what I produced, to see approximately the financial output vs. savings.  I love excel and all things nerdy, but for this project when I was super busy and staying up until midnight every Friday and Saturday, I decided to go “low tech” for reporting.

A very wrinkled piece of scratch paper that I’ve taped on top of the rubbermaid tub that holds all my canning stuff.

A few things to know about my “math”:

• I’m not including the cost of the jars.  I get a lot at Goodwill, I had a lot on hand, and I did buy a bunch new.  However, since they’re a reusable resource, I’m not including the cost in my estimates.  And I have so many, that next year, I likely won’t have to buy any.  Bwahaaaa, that’s a lie I tell myself every year.
• I’m not including the cost of lids in my math because, well, I forgot to track the ones I purchased!  Also, two years ago, my mom bought me three dozen reusable Tattler lids.
• I didn’t include the cost of spices, vinegar, etc., because again, stupid me, I didn’t think to track the costs.
• I’m not including the cost of my pressure canner, or the toolkit I use.  Those are things I’ve had, and will last years.
• I’m simply guessing at the costs of these equivalent products in stores.  Some estimates might be high, while others might be really low.  It is what it is.  However, assume everything is for the price of an organic store-bought product.

100% completely free items made from plants from my garden, or products from my “urban harvesting“.  And more gleaning!

-Chicken stock (well, I didn’t glean this, but it’s made from scraps that would have been throw in the garbage), I made 25 quarts.  Assuming $2.50 per quart, I “made” $62.50.
–Dill relish. I made 7 half pints.  Assuming $2 per jar, I “made” $14.
-Pickles.  11 pints (I know I made more than this, but I must not have tracked it).  Assuming $3.50 per jar, I “made” $38.50.
-Pickled beets.  I made 6 pints.  Do they even sell these in stores????  I assumed something like $2 a jar, so I “made” $12.
-Plum and blackberry jam.  A total of 19 half pints.  Assuming $3 per jar, I “made” $57.  Can you even believe that we’re down to 2 jars of jam?  It was almost anarchy in our house when that news was announced! It was every jam lover for themselves.
-Blackberry pancake syrup. A total of 15 half pints.  Assuming $3 per jar, I “made” $45.
-Asian Plum Sauce from this book.  15 half pints.  Assuming $4 per jar, I “made” $72.
–Diced tomatoes.  15 pints.  Assuming $3.50 per jar, I “made” $52.50.
-Tomato soup.  19 quarts.  Assuming $3.50 per jar, I “made” $66.50.
–Applesauce.  23 quarts.  Assuming $4 per jar, I “made” $92.
–Diced pumpkin.  16 quarts.  Assuming $2.50 per jar, I “made” $40.
Total amount I “made” by canning free items: $552.00

Stuff I spent money on (I spent a total of $406.70 on produce during the summer.  Part of it was from the fruit CSA ($333), some was from road side stands, and a bit was from a farmer’s market:
-Raspberry jam.  I made 12 half pints.  Assuming $3 per jar, the value of the product is $36.  I spent $20 on the raspberries, for a net profit of $16.
-Applesauce (part of CSA).  I made 15 quarts.  Assuming $4 per quart, the value of the product is $60.
–Apple slices (part of the CSA).  I made 20 quarts.  Assuming $4 per quart, the value of the product is $80.
-Pears (part of the CSA).  I made 20 quarts.  Assuming $4 per quart, the value of the product is $80.
-Pears (purchased from Azure Standard for $43.70).  I made 18 quarts.  Assuming $4 per quart, the value of the product is $72.
-Cherries (part of the CSA).  I made 8 quarts of whole, pitted cherries, and 15 half pints of jam.  Assuming $5 for the quarts, and $3 for the jam, the value of the the product is $85.
-Peaches (part of the CSA).  I made 20 quarts.  Assuming $4 per quart, the value of the product is $80.
Dilly beans (farmer’s market $10).  I made 5 quarts.  Assuming $3 per quart, the value of the product is $15.

So, let’s recap:
By using free produce, I earned myself: $552 worth of canned goods.
By spending $406.70, I earned myself: $508 worth of canned goods.  The net “profit” would be $101.30.
Total amount of “profitable” canning I did from July to December: $653.30.

I don’t even want to estimate the time I spent doing this, and what my “time” is worth.

I showed you the math, and the output.  Financially did it work out for me?  I would say so.  However, in addition to just saving money, I had direct knowledge of what I’m feeding my family.  I don’t have to worry about any national safety recalls, or worry about the quality of the produce that was going in to the product.  The vast majority of my stuff came from within three blocks of the house.  The CSA items came from about 200 miles away.

So…why do I can?  Safety, security, “fresh” summer food in the middle of the winter, and monetary savings are just a few of the reasons that I give to people.

But, let’s be honest.

In the end, it’s all about the view.

There is more on another shelf.  It makes me happy.  I’m a simple soul.

Just like I won’t estimate the time I spent canning, nor will I admit to the amount of time I spent in my basement staring at these beauties.

Just a head’s up, this post contains some Amazon affiliate links.