Before Ayurveda, I canned many things from the garden to use during the fall and winter. Home canning tomato sauce & soup, fruit in grape juice, jellies, and jams salsa and pickles were a big part of my late summer weekend agenda. I shopped off my cellar shelves during the fall and winter, excited to start my seeds sprouting in the spring. Ayurveda teaches that canned foods lack prana (life force energy); this created a conflict for me.

My mom bottled fruits and veggies, so I grew up with the tradition. We even made our own soda pop well before those home soda machines. One of our jobs as kids was to turn the soda bottles so the yeast wouldn’t settle. Later I continued the cook from scratch and bottling traditions in my kitchen. I have gifted home jarred apple sauce for years and taught basic canning classes to gardeners and herbalists. Apple butter is one of my favorite recipes to teach because it is full of spices and tastes.

Ayurveda Is All About Seasonal & Fresh 

My study of Ayurveda cemented my belief in the importance of local organic fresh foods. I believe in living foods and have felt the difference in prana from freshly harvested food cooked within a couple of hours of picking and fresh food purchased at the supermarket. It is a taste treat to decide what to prepare from my CSA (consumer supported agriculture group) on pick up day. I know what we eat was alive and growing that morning.

So I eat fresh vegetables to fuel prana and cultivate sattva (balanced high energy). The difference in color, taste, and prana between canned and fresh is concrete.  The body recognizes fresh vegetables as healthy nourishment. Agni (digestive fire) readily digests this fuel to build and repair high quality tissues. Fresh food is deeply satisfying in a way that helps you listen to your body and eat just the amount your body is needs based on your agni.

Ayurveda Means Less Home Canning

Since Ayurveda, I have changed things up in how I handle my vegetable harvest. Now I ferment cabbage for sauerkraut, daikon radishes, tea for kombucha, and cranberries into chutney.   This yummy cranberry chutney recipe full of complex flavor replaces old fashioned canned cranberry sauce that is full of sugar. I learned this recipe at a fermentation workshop taught by Brittany Wood Nickerson.

I also dry some greens, roots, and herbs to better preserve prana and minimize my Ayur-guilt (hah hah guilt associated with making un-Ayurvedic choices).  But there are still some foods that I make through hot water canning and enjoy guilt-free. One is pickles, which I would love to ferment, but seem to end up with mush every time I try.

Canning with Love

I have a wonderful Ayurveda teacher Kathryn Templeton who has a grounded and humorous way of keeping things in perspective.  She always says; Ayurveda is not about guilt. Everything is choice, Ayurveda teaches you how to make your best choice day in and day out. 

I know when I eat the foods I preserve myself, they were locally and organically grown and prepared with love. Love and care are part of the energy package and quality of the foods we eat. I honor family traditions and think fondly of my mom. Home canning brings back memories of loving family activities and delicious foods.

Now I skip the jellies and jams; they have too much sugar.  Two main things I make are apple sauce from well spiced local apples that I still gift to family and friends. I also occasionally make apple butter, relishes, and pickles. A pickle has less prana than the cucumber I prepare it from, but homemade are fresher and have better energy than fast food or store-bought ones for sure.

Many family food traditions have faded from my life as I learned to eat to honor my agni and my age.  Selective home canning is a food preparation tradition I still practice and enjoy.

This article is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment, or advice. All the material here is for learning purposes only. Always share strategy and work with your health care team.