Is Dry-Pack Canning for You?

Church members living near a Church-owned cannery are encouraged to participate not only in welfare canning sessions but also in family canning programs. The focus of the dry-pack canning program is to give greater assistance to families and provide more opportunities for them to obtain and store a year’s supply of basic, life-sustaining products.

Members are invited to set up an appointment through their ward or stake canning specialist (your priesthood or Relief Society leader can tell you who this is) to use the equipment at their local cannery to dry-pack food. Canneries have more than a dozen products available to can at a nominal cost, or you can bring your own food and pay only for the cost of the cans.

Many stakes also have access to dry-pack canning equipment that can be checked out for individual use at home.

Dry-pack canning is an effective method for storing dry foods. Bulk storage foods such as wheat or beans are placed in large metal #10 cans, along with a packet that removes oxygen, then sealed without further processing. Food that is stored this way has an extended storage life and is protected from moisture, insects, and rodents.

The following basic food storage items are available at dry-pack canneries:

Apple slices, dried

Beans: pinto, pink, great northern

Carrots, dry

Cocoa, hot, mix

Flour, white

Fruit drink mix

Macaroni

Milk, non-fat dry

Oats, rolled

Onions, dry

Puddings: chocolate, vanilla

Rice, white

Soup mix

Spaghetti

Sugar, granulated

Wheat

Not all food storage items are appropriate for dry-pack canning. The following types of items do not store well in cans because of moisture or oil content. However, their shelf life can be extended by storing them in sealed containers in the freezer:

Barley, pearled

Cereal, milled-grain

Cornmeal

Flour, whole wheat

Granola™

Nuts, roasted or raw

Rice, brown

Yeast

Additional products that should not be home dry-pack canned include these products, which are best stored in their original containers and rotated frequently:

Baking powder

Baking soda

Bouillon

Mixes containing leavening, such as pancake or biscuit mix

Oil

Spices

Sugar, brown

For more information, contact your regional welfare agent, Church-owned canneries, local bishops’ storehouse, or stake and ward canning specialists.—Church Welfare Services