N.L. tradition of canning survives generations
Newfoundland and Labrador has a culture like no other.
There are traditions that stem not only from the various nations whose proud people flocked to our shores over centuries, but also from the life that we carved out with sweat and blood from an unforgiving, harsh and beautiful landscape.
Our winters and geography have always been notoriously brutal. Newfoundlanders, though, brought from our various ancestral homelands more than a few tricks to not only survive where others had perished but to thrive on these rocky shores. In particular, the tradition of bottling preserves is the cornerstone that supported our lives through the bitter cold.
Time for a cultural checkup, so to speak: has our tradition of bottling preserves begun to wane now that we live in this easier time? Do we still know how to preserve in jars? Are we still passing this knowledge down to our youth?
I sought out some answers via telephone, email and social media, and here are what some of my contacts had to say about it.
LORELEI JENKINS, GANDER, N.L., AGE 34
"I learned how to bottle about eight years ago from my mom and Pinterest. The first thing I bottled was mussels, but in time, I learned to bottle other things like pickled beets and, last year, I learned to bottle moose, rabbit, blueberry jam and partridgeberry jam. Of course, I also plan on teaching my kids how to bottle preserves, too, one day. It’s very important to me to keep our Newfoundland traditions alive!"
ASHLEY KELLY, ST. JOHN’S, N.L., AGE 19
"I was very close to my nan and pop. Both of them took part in bottling and canning things. Nan was the hunter and Pop was the farmer. Together, they taught me how to bottle moose, grouse, rabbit, peaches, pears, jams, beets, pickles and caribou since I was around 12 years old. The main thing to remember is that it has to be pressurized or you can get seriously sick! That’s part of why I feel like it’s so important to pass the knowledge on to future generations . ... I’m making sure to teach my own kids how to can and bottle."
KESHIA WALSH, GAMBO, N.L., AGE 27
"My grandmother Robena was known to have the best bottled beets around! She taught my mother, and my mom, Ledona, taught me. I just stick to beets but my family members — such as my uncle — know how to can moose and so on. I’m interested in learning how to do more though. While the future is here, we have to keep our culture alive."
HANNAH BURSEY, DOVER, N.L., AGE 73
"I bottled beets, moose, rabbit, caribou, grouse, mussels, mustard pickles, cucumber pickles, jams, jellies and just about anything you can think of that can be bottled since I was around 40. My own mother taught me and it was passed down the family for years and years. A lot of what my family ate in childhood was bottled stuff and we loved it. We looked forward to it every fall."
So there you have it.
And while the traditional Newfoundland method of preserving food in jars uses the water bath (boiling pot) method, this is only recommended for high acid or vinegar-based preserves. For food safety reasons, it’s highly recommended to use a pressure canner when preserving low acid foods such as wild game.
It seems as though the Newfoundland tradition of bottled canning with mason jars isn’t about to die off anytime soon.
There are many recipes out there amongst friends and family members, and across the province, that are worth checking out. It’s my sincere hope that you ask an elder or other family member to teach you how to practice bottling if you haven’t learned already.