A Survey of Home Canning In Three Kansas Counties (1977) A Survey of Home Canning In Three Kansas Counties (1977)

Homegrown fruits and vegetables are becoming increasingly popular as the number of households with gardens has risen steadily during the past few years. In 1976 the USDA's Economic Research Service surveyed households and found almost 48% with gardens, and 34o/o of the households had canned fruits and vegetables in 1975 (Kaitz, 1977). Homemakers frequently rely on friends and relatives for information on canning methods. A dangerously }ligh percentage of home canners use other hazardous }anning practices (Davis, 1977). Home canners in Kansas were interviewed about their methods and sources of information. To reach home canners, the interviews were conducted in sections of stores displaying home canning equipment. The sample consisted of 90, 44, and 39 respondents in Riley, Stevens, and Montgomery counties representing north central, southwest; and southeast Kansas areas and varied population densities.


A Survey of Home Canning
In Three Kansas Counties 1 Doris Phillips and Marilyn Skelton 2 Homegrown fruits and vegetables are becoming increasingly popular as the number of households with gardens has risen steadily during the past few years. In 1976 the USDA's Economic Research Service surveyed households and found almost 48% with gardens, and 34o/o of the households had canned fruits and vegetables in 1975 (Kaitz, 1977). Homemakers frequently rely on friends and relatives for information on canning methods. A dangerously }ligh percentage of home canners use other hazardous }anning practices (Davis, 1977).
Home canners in Kansas were interviewed about their methods and sources of information. To reach home canners, the interviews were conducted in sections of stores displaying home canning equipment. The sample consisted of 90, 44, and 39 respondents in Riley, Stevens, and Montgomery counties representing north central, southwest; and southeast Kansas areas and varied population densities.
Questionnaires were designed regarding the number of years the subject had canned foods, reasons for canning, sources of information, kinds and amounts of food canned the previous year and methods (pressure, boiling water bath or open kettl( used for each, source of food, and demographic information. Sources of information were classified as follows: extension and USDA bulletins, commercial instruction booklets, general cookbooks, food preservation cookbooks, friends and relatives, professionals, and newspapers and other sources.

Results and Discussion
One hundred seventy-three home canners responded to the questionnaire: 49 from rural farms, 44 from rural non farms, and 76 from a city or town ( 4 unknown). By far the majority (143) grew the produce they canned. Others purchased or were given the foods they canned. Most of the respondents had canned for more than three years.
Commercial sources, including Ball and Kerr canning booklets and pressure canner instructions, were used more frequently (27.7%) as the primary source of canning information (Table 1). State and federal extension bulletins were used by 23.5% of the homemakers, and friends and relatives by 20.0%. The respondent's mother was the relative most frequently mentioned. Table 2 shows the percentage of foods canned by Although approximately percent of the homemakers interviewed used commercial or extension materials as their primary source of information, many processed foods by questionable methods. Frequently the home canner used acceptable methods for some of the foods, but used procedures not recommended for others.
Of the homemakers using commercial information, 63.8% followed acceptable procedures for all foods canned. When extension information was used 22.5% canned all foods acceptably, and when the homemakers relied upon friends and relat ives, 20.6% canned all foods by a recommended method. Of the homemakers relying upon other sources of information, 24.5% canned all foods safely. If a l.omemaker used a commercial booklet, such as Ball or Kerr, she had instructions and recipes available for several foods and preservation methods. Extension booklets cover vegetables, pickles, meat, and jams and jellies in separate pubJications. Although a homemaker may use an extension bulletin to can one food, such as green beans, she may not have the appropriate bulletin to can another food, such as pickles, and resort to an incorrect preservation method. Combining food categories into one extension publication would increase publication costs, but it would decrease the need for several small booklets and would increase the homemaker's chances of having all recommended canning procedures available. The reliability of friends and relatives for canning information is questionable. Current research has revealed that some previously recommended canning procedures are not safe. If a homemaker had learned to can from her mother or an older friend, the method she learned may be outdated and unsound. Also, oral instructions easily are misunderstood.
Safe canning procedures are important for both safety and economy. Sixty-two of the respondents mentioned food prices as a reason for canning. If foods are canned incorrectly, a health hazard as well as an economic loss results.
Results of this study of Kansas homemakers concur with the findings of the USDA (Davis, 1977) for the general U.S. population which indicated that many home canners are using unacceptable canning procedures based upon unreliable sources of information.