I think of things I used to make for my family for dinner. I worked but still wanted to be a “super wife and mother”. We ate dinner together every night and most nights I cooked that dinner. I wanted healthy food and many of those old (delicious) meals contained canned soups and canned vegetables. Today we know that is full of salt and fats. Funny, no one was overweight. We did grill often but there was always something good coming out of that oven.

Tomato paste is canned (usually) and I think that it's a, "wonder food." But other than that, I prefer fresh.

I'm so glad that the garden is coming along. We now have fresh greens, artichokes and asparagus. My porch railings are covered in seedlings that are waiting to go into the ground. Growing your own takes some work, but it is sooooo worth it! If you don't have the space where you live, there's always a community garden tht will lend some space and give advice.

~ C

Since I can most of my own veggies and fruits I have the knowledge of what is going in the jar as far as additives. My 2 primary daily functions are quilting and canning. When I am not doing one I am doing the other. Yes, the water volume is lower in canned foods. Yes, it does make for quicker preparations. Sometimes using store bought can goods work just as well. I can year round to feed us properly. Just like quilting, it is a lot of work but the end product is well worth the efforts.

I think you nailed it, Julia. My major concern with canned fruits and veggies is the processing. I guess that I'm in the minority, but my local Sprouts has very fresh veggies and there are smaller farm to market concerns that have great local produce delivered daily. It's a bit pricier that way but definitely fresher and cleaner than canned and processed foods.

You are so right. LOL There are many canned foods we like better then fresh such as canned albacore tuna.

I'm not a big fan of canned goods but use some. Can tomatoe's , tomato paste, can tuna for lunch, sometimes can beans and sometimes I cook my own. Can corn makes great corn fritters. Prefer fresh fruit but will eat can also. Depends on taste and budget.

I prefer fresh, but sometimes I don't have the time, so I'll use frozen or canned.