You probably haven’t heard much about municipal canning lately. For a small group of rural counties and nonprofit leaders, this once commonplace art holds a lot of promise for their regions’ farmers and small business owners. Our resident graphic journalist Nhatt Nichols has more in the comic below.

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Yes We Can: The Rise, Fall, and Potential Rebirth of Municipal Canning

by Nhatt Nichols, The Daily Yonder
August 10, 2022

<h1>Yes We Can: The Rise, Fall, and Potential Rebirth of Municipal Canning</h1> <p class="byline">by Nhatt Nichols, The Daily Yonder <br />August 10, 2022</p> <p>You probably haven't heard much about municipal canning lately. For a small group of rural counties and nonprofit leaders, this once commonplace art holds a lot of promise for their regions' farmers and small business owners. Our resident graphic journalist Nhatt Nichols has more in the comic below. </p> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:40.17%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic01.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a cannery building that reads In Carroll County, Virginia, you don't have to be a canning expert to preserve your produce" class="wp-image-97302" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:59.83%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic02.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a man examining jars that reads The rural county provides an expert to help and a municipal facility in which to do it." class="wp-image-97303" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:59.77%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic03.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing baskets of produce that reads Carroll County isn't the only place that does this; In 1945, America's farmers, gardeners, and cooks could take their produce to one of the country's 3,800 public canneries to get expert canning advice" class="wp-image-97304" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:40.23%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic04.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing canning equipment that reads Use high-pressure equipment" class="wp-image-97305" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:45.9%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic05.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a large collection of jars that reads And bulk can way more than they would be able to in their home kitchens" class="wp-image-97308" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:54.1%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic06.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a map of the southeastern United States that reads Today, only a handful of these facilities are left, mainly in Virginia, Georgia, and Florida" class="wp-image-97306" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:36.5%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic07a.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a zoomed in map highlighting two counties that reads Three hours east of Carroll County, you'll find another canning facility in larger Hanover County, Virginia" class="wp-image-97311" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:63.5%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic08.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a municipal building that reads Though it initially closed due to Covid, Mike Flagg, the county's facilities operator, is unsure if they'll ever reopen" class="wp-image-97310" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:51.4%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic09.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing canning equipment that reads The main reason is that the infrastructure is aging. The steam pipes, which the county installed in the 70s, need to be replaced" class="wp-image-97312" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:48.6%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic10.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a woman arranging cans that reads Also, the facility isn't air-conditioned; if it's over 90 outside, no one wants to go into a steamy building to work with boiling water and machinery" class="wp-image-97313" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:59.83%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic11.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a woman setting out large pails that reads It isn't just the aging pipes and the weather keeping the doors closed. Interest in canning has also declined. When it was last open in 2019, just 20 to 30 residents used the equipment, and three residents did about 50% of the canning" class="wp-image-97314" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:40.17%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic12.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a leaky pipe that reads They went from canning 6,000 jars to 1,500, which makes repairing the failing pipes and employing a part-time canning expert a poor use of tax dollars" class="wp-image-97315" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:41.8%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic13.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a woman's reflection in a jar that reads With municipal canneries everywhere reporting a drop in interest, is there any way to save public canning?" class="wp-image-97316" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:58.2%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic14.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a long building that reads The nonprofit Virginia Foodworks thinks so. They partnered with the municipal canning facility in Prince Edward County to offer commercial canning on days when home canners aren't using it" class="wp-image-97317" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:36.7%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic15.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a row of canning equipment that reads The cannery, which was rebuilt for modern canning use in 1975, operates six days a week" class="wp-image-97318" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:63.3%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic16.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a woman chopping vegetables that reads Three days a week, gardeners and cooks can come into the facility and can high and low-acid foods in tin cans with the help of two city-employed canning experts" class="wp-image-97319" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:61.91%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic17.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing bowls of bell peppers that reads And three days a week, Virginia Foodworks helps farmers and other small businesses produce high acid products for resale in up to 2,000 glass jars daily" class="wp-image-97320" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:38.09%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic18a.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a woman's face that reads &quot;We're incredibly lucky; the county facility is in great shape, and there is a lot of community buy in here.&quot;" class="wp-image-97330" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:51.95%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic19.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a jar of hot sauce that reads Virginia Foodworks pays the county for supplies and rent, and the county pays them a small stipend to help support their work" class="wp-image-97322" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:48.05%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic20.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a pile of pumpkins that reads So far the nonprofit hasn't had to fundraise; the support from the county and from production fees have balanced out" class="wp-image-97323" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:63.67%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic21.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a bowl full of strawberries that reads Virginia Foodworks doesn't just provide equipment; they also used a grant to develop recipes that any farmers they work with can use. They include applesauce, apple butter, salsas, hot sauces, pickles, and lots of jams" class="wp-image-97325" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:36.33%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic22.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a another woman's face that reads In an interview with the Virginia Foodie Podcast, Founder Allie Hill says, &quot;One of my favorites of our recipes is the pizza sauce.&quot;" class="wp-image-97326" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-columns"> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:47.4%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic23.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a booth at a farmers market that reads &quot;Because if a farmer has a Saturday farmers market stand, and they sell the pizza sauce, hopefully, they'll have vegetables that they can sell to go on top of the pizza. They can say, 'How about some sliced zucchini to put on top?'&quot;" class="wp-image-97327" /></figure> </p></div> <div class="wp-block-column" style="flex-basis:52.6%"> <figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img src="https://dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/canning-comic24.jpg" alt="Illustrated comic panel showing a jar of labeled pizza sauce that reads &quot;It's an advertising and marketing opportunity for them to have a jarred product with their logo and label showing a picture of their farm in someone's pantry.&quot;" class="wp-image-97328" /></figure> </p></div> </p></div> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-dots" /> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://dailyyonder.com/yes-we-can-the-rise-fall-and-potential-rebirth-of-municipal-canning/2022/08/10/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://dailyyonder.com">The Daily Yonder</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/dailyyonder.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/cropped-dy-wordmark-favicon.png?fit=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://dailyyonder.com/?republication-pixel=true&post=97300&ga=UA-6858528-1" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p>

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