WELCOME!

Welcome To the Urban Canner!

I'm so excited about my first post!  I have been thinking about this blog for quite some time, and I'm finally taking the plunge and posting some ideas for people who are interested in emergency preparedness, and food storage and preservation, but have no idea how to get started.  (Or why to get started!)

I should probably start by telling you that I am no longer an urban girl.  I grew up in a suburb of LA, and spent the majority of my life in California, before moving to Wyoming sixteen years ago and starting to adjust to a completely different kind of life.  At first it was kind of a hard adjustment, but as we settled into our new life we began to develop a deep appreciation for the simpler things, and for the homemaking traditions that have largely been lost with our grandparents.  People in Wyoming still have vegetable gardens, (even if they live in town), they still quilt, they still can, and they enjoy many other beautiful handcrafts.  Because of our harsh environment, people here are also very aware of the need to be prepared for any emergency. 

Most people in our area not only have a wood or pellet stove in their home for back up heat in the winter, but they also have wells on their property, (even in town), and hand pumps to get the water out if the electricity should fail.  For many people up here, food storage, emergency oil lamps, back-up generators, and other preparedness items are a part of life that is taken for granted.  When I lived in the city people didn't think about those things as often, and that's a shame, because we probably needed them even more.

So I'm starting this blog with you city-slickers in mind.  I want to teach you the basic tenets of canning and food storage, and offer some suggestions about emergency preparedness.  I'm also a person who is committed to a very frugal lifestyle, so there will be tips throughout the blog on saving money on everything from food to home furnishings.  Did you know that there are ways to grow your own food even if you life in a small, urban apartment?  Did you know that there are ways to store emergency food even without a lot of space?  Did you know that canning is really easy, can provide you with healthier, safer food, and can save you a ton of money on your family's grocery bill?  These are all subjects that we'll address in this blog....so let's get started!