Canning Storage

As I increase the amount of canning I'm doing this fall I started to have to tackle the issue of storage space. Personally, I think one of the biggest hold-ups that stop people from canning in this modern day world is the lack of convenient storage space for all of the canned goods. Usually, people have a limited space in a pantry (if they have one at all) where they rotate the stock of goods through by what they buy at the grocery store. This allows a variety of different products to be stored but also keeps them rotating so you don't have 40 jars of tomato sauce taking up all the room you have for cereal.

So, the question becomes what do you do WHEN you do actually put up 40 jars of tomato sauce after a particularly good growing season. There are lots of different places in the home that would make good storage of your canned goods. I've even read articles of people who make storage for their canned goods under their beds.

For me the solution came with a small room in my basement that houses the oil tank (thank goodness I don't use that often!) and a pump for the cistern built into our foundation. This little room met the requirements for good canning storage

• Cool (something in the 40s-60s would be best)
• Won't freeze
• Dark
• Low humidity
• Easy access

This room fit the bill as it is underground below our front porch. It's out of the way but still maintains easy access so I don't have to ask my wife to crawl into a hole when she wants some green beans! The temperatures have been OK so far. I think over the winter I may insulate the room from the rest of the house effectively making it a "cold room." It will be slightly tougher than most since it's concrete walls but I will make due. It also has a small vent window that I can utilize if I start to store things like apples in there. Apples give off a gas that if not ventilated will accelerate the rotting process of things like potatoes (which I have stored in this room).

To make the room perfect for the canned goods I make storage in two categories. Storage for the canned goods themselves and storage for the equipment. My wife was getting slowly frustrated with the amount of new jars and big pots and pressure canners I had stored around the kitchen. For the canned goods I simply bought a set of metal shelves. I normally would just build shelves to custom fit the space but I wanted something that wouldn't be affected by dampness.

 
For the other supplies I built a table that spanned over the cistern pump. This is perfect for all the extra jars waiting to be filled.

I'm monitoring the humidity in there right now and that seems to be working out ok. If I notice any rusting on the rings I'll have to pull them off and store them differently. Hopefully, you too will be able to find some space for your own goods. Be creative there is plenty of spaces to hide these little treasures until you want them...or you need them.