NPM 02: Free Online Canning Classes w. The Canning Diva

Welcome in everybody. Day two of national preparedness month, September two, September one was a great show. I didn't intend the shows to come with offers. That was not my intention. When I was filling this out, I was filling it out with people who I thought would really add value. We have a great guest today, close friend of the prepper broadcasting network, prepper, fellow prepper camper, Diane Devereaux, the canning diva is joining us today. Um, But make sure you keep up to date with the shows as they come out, right? We're going to do one every single day of the month, either at 9 a.m. or at 9 p.m. every day. And yeah, a lot of great information. Yesterday, we had a great deal with the Be Prepared Solutions guys. So go back, listen to that. That deal is still available for you. And today, Diane's great idea was to offer some free canning classes. So or a free canning class. And the registration link is down there in the description at Rumble and the link to click down there at the Instagram live as well. So in the essence of time, let's bring in the cool thing today, the canning diva. What is up? How are you this morning? Hey, good morning. Good morning. I'm doing good. Doing good and fully rehydrated, right? Fully rehydrated from the sweltering prepper camp for sure. How is Florida today? Because Richmond is... You know, it's. Actually cooler down here. Yeah, you guys are getting some of our heat. I already got told to keep it down here. Yeah, but Sarah Hathaway was telling us that the weather in Texas was, like, cooler. So I guess the tropics have moved up. Yes, it's, like, pushing it up to you guys. So, I mean, it's still going to be warm. I still wake up to an 80-degree day, an 80-degree morning. That's very normal. Thank God for AC, right? Yeah. Well, yeah, no doubt. We all have a new, a new appreciation for that. Those of us who were at Prepper camp for sure. But, uh, so the Diva has a big giant world. You have almost like a multiverse of your own that you're creating over there with books and programs and classes and courses and all that stuff. So, um, maybe a good place to start would be like, if someone is touching down on your planet, planet canning for the, for the first time, and they're going to your website, like, What books should they start with? What things should they do on your website that makes the most sense? What's the sort of entry-level thing for people to do who want to get into canning with you? That's awesome. I like the intro. Thank you, because you're right. I'm trying to really be multifaceted. On my website, I do have online classes, and it's all digital. They're all free. You just need to register and then select which one. So if you are new to home canning entirely, I would definitely recommend taking those. I have a class that gives you the three pillars of home canning. There's a separate class that really breaks down microorganisms and bacteria. I think that's all. Your classes are free on your website. Yeah. Holy moly. Yeah. And then pressure canning is the big one. Like I have. Here a lot from, you know, people, Hey, I've made salsa. I've done pickles. I really want to do meals in a jar, but I'm afraid to pressure can. That entire principles of pressure canning class is also free. Um, it's, I'm going to throw the classes up real quick while you're talking. Yeah, go ahead. Go ahead. Cause you want to invest, like it's learn at your own pace, but especially for the pressure canning class, you want to really set aside, you know, four. And five hours to dive in. Um, I do have a class geared towards all things, tomatoes, right? Cause sometimes that's all anyone ever wants to put in a jar is tomatoes. So that's time of year. I mean, you're so inundated with them. Oh, I know. I will say being in Florida now that my seasons have changed as far as when the harvest comes in, it's. You know, like, oh, man, I'd be in tomato season right now back in Michigan. There's my pickling class. Yes, that's it. You know, some individuals just want to learn how to pickle. That's very cool. So I break it out to be, well, inclusive, but also specific. Right. So if you're not there to do a whole canning 101, that's OK. What if you're a veteran canner, right? You've been doing this for a while, but you want to understand the microorganisms and the foodborne pathogens a bit better. That's a very cool class because I always feel like one of the big things that's in the back of your mind when you're canning is always that. I know I followed the steps. I followed the recipe. We did the right time. We did the right pressure. But what if there's some of that? Yeah. What do I do? What do I do? Yeah. So I go through all of that. And then there's your three pillars. So that is a great place to start. It explains the foundational aspects of how we're able to do what we do in home. You know, how we're able to keep our food safe. And then it ties in, you know, the acidity, the time. Wow. what an amazing setup you've got on there for, I would never in a million years, you could have made so much money off me if you bet me and said, which classes do you think I offer for free on my website? I did never said all of them. Yeah. All of them. I, that's awesome. Thank you. I need to get that foundational information out there now. That doesn't mean that they'll always be free because I am working on a whole preservation Academy with a partner. Yeah. So yeah, You know, that's going to be launched in the spring. But you know what? Just for the small amount, you're going to learn so much. So it's worth the investment because we're going to be diving into like very specific. Food preservation methods. And it's not just canning. So it's pretty exciting. Yeah. Canning is one of those things that like we shouldn't have stopped. And I think everybody's not everybody, but there's a bunch of people now who are going like, why? it's part of this thing that I call the 100 year amnesia. It's like one of these skills that we totally forgot about for no good reason. And I look back on it and go like, why are we stuck? Why did we? Yeah. Yeah. Convenience, right? We wanted it fast and easy. Yeah. Look where they're going. That's it. We're paying the bill for convenience these days. It seems right. But you, you really have taken that thing. And, and I mean, I don't know who else is doing it better. I have no clue. I'm done searching. Cause I've met you. So it's over. So I don't know, you know, I mean, who's doing that better in terms of like, and I think our first conversation we ever had on PBN was about that. It's you do a great job at addressing the fears and misconceptions that go along with canning. No, that's where I think you really shine is you give people that confidence, you know, you find it hard to do to a lot of people come to you and say, like, I was petrified of killing the family. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And honestly, the biggest advice I usually give right at that point is get off the Internet then, because there's so much out there that it almost cripples you. And that makes sense. You get so scared. You're like, I don't know which way to turn, you know, but I am not an educator using fear. I don't try to make this out to be like it's rocket science and unachievable. I want people to understand the basics. Yes, there are certain guidelines we should be following, right? I stick to those. But I do it through freedom. And knowledge and empowerment instead of, you know, you're going to die. Don't you screw that. You know what I mean? It's just not. Oh, yeah. It's not right. Yeah. I think that's a legitimate concern a lot of people have. But, you know, I've even had the luxury of, I don't know, I mean, I've had at least, three or four of your own personally canned foods. You know what I mean? Yes. I mean, that's the proof as you know, down to the core, right? Thank you. Yes. It's not just canned goods, right? It's actually good food that you're, yeah. That's the sticking point that I think I want even people who are on the fringe of canning and are kind of like on the fence about it to understand that you can dump dinner out of a can. Into a pot. And look, I'm talking to myself because I need to do more meal canning personally, but I do like cooking a lot. But, you know, a lot of people are crunched for time. I'm not necessarily in that boat as much as other people. But you can dump dinner from a can that you made that's made from ingredients that you trust. And it's crazy that more people aren't like into canning for that reason. You know, that's why I dedicated the whole book to meals in a jar. You know, there's so much that we can do. And yes, you're right. It does take a certain amount of time up front. Yeah, it does. But look at all the time saving. Look at how much healthier you're eating. And you're right. It doesn't have to be gross. You know, we can be creative. What did we did? Beef barbacoa. Delicious. We didn't get the chicken fajitas. We didn't get to eat those, but I did bring them. What else did I can for us? Oh, the corned beef hash. Corned beef hash. Yeah. Yeah. So, I mean, there's. You know, there's there's definitely things that. We can do in home canning that I'm happy to explore. I'm happy to push the boundaries. I'm happy to say, yeah, we can do an international cuisine. We don't have to fret, you know, and we can do it safely. Yeah. I mean, what would you like? Is there a is there a game plan or a system like that comes to mind if someone wanted to, say, take a Saturday or a Sunday and can some stuff so that maybe a couple times next week they could say, I'm not even thinking about dinner this week. We're going beef barbacoa this Thursday or whatever. Do you think there's a better day that lends itself to that or a better. I mean, usually weekends I see that happening or like I tell individuals if more hands make lighter work. So if you can get a family member, a neighbor, sometimes your church might lend out the church kitchen. Get some individuals together and really focus on an assembly line style and get as much created and in the jar as possible. And then your latter part of the day is cleaning up and processing everything. You can also make this work during the week. Even though you're busy, just designate one weeknight. And find one recipe that you really want to have in a jar and just dedicate the time to that. And the best thing is if you live alone, like now I'm an empty nester, you can cut something in half. You don't have to make a full batch. Cut the recipe in half and just preserve half of the yield. There's ways to fit it in. And I think we're seeing more and more people are wanting to because we can't trust. What's out there. Yeah, that's the problem, right? We can't trust it. That's the problem that most people face. And I think the best solution starts with learning how to cook and then moves into learning how to can because then you can make your own food and you know everything that's going in it. What do you think is a reasonable goal in terms of like, because I know it takes time. It takes time to produce a large batch of things. It takes time to, you know, get them all in depending on what size, you know, pressure canner you have. What is a reasonable goal? You think if someone says like Sunday, I'm going to take like half of the day, like a half day of work and produce a meal or meals and, and can them, you know, from your perspective of like, and your experience of canning, like, you know, you can get over your head quick. If you go too crazy, you know, and. I do that a lot. Yes, I do that a lot. Chickens on sale or the farm stand, you know, it's cranking out the Roma tomatoes. And typically my. Saturday or my Sunday would be, I have four bushels of tomatoes. I'm now going to find three or four recipes that will utilize this and I'm creating them all And I'm canning them all because they're all going to process for. The same time. So they can all go in. It doesn't matter. So that's a great tip. Yes. You can find ways like, let's say, okay, turkeys are on sale after Thanksgiving and you go get your hands on several of them. Now you can take any recipe, go through the book, beals in a jar, find what it is you'd like to create. And now you can actually do three or four different recipes instead of just putting turkey in a jar. Right. And the beautiful thing is any recipe that calls for chicken, you can substitute turkey. You can substitute poultry for beef if you really want to. You know, there's no. Way because that that acidity and processing time has already been determined. So you're safe to do that. So, yeah, I've had my eight hour days on like a Sunday going, what was I thinking? Right. You know, but I can also be efficient and just pick one recipe. And you probably be a good start, right? One recipe, a couple hours. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So what, uh, I guess with pressure canning in mind, what do you think is a good sort of, um, beginners set of essential tools? You know what I mean? Like, or do you have one for sale? Um, I don't know. I'm well, everything that I do on my website, I say shop my favorites, right? Because You'll see me in videos or in articles or pictures. People say, oh, wait, where'd you get that? Or, hey, where did, can I find that? So everything that I use is on my website as a shop, my favorite. I don't sell it. It goes to, you go to Amazon. I'm an affiliate. So I get a little commission if you happen to purchase on Amazon. But as far as tools go, you know, I do have information on my website to help you choose the right pressure canner for you. And the digital ones are really selling well. Everyone's loving that. Presto came out with a 23-quart digital canner. So now you can double stack pints. You can do seven. So how does a digital canner work? I've never used one. I love it for the fact that now that they're making them bigger, in the past it was always smaller, right? You just basically plug it in. You set it up. It operates. And what I like is you can go about your day. You don't have to man the stove, right? You don't got to worry about it blowing up or anything crazy like that. Or the heat getting too high or low on the stove top, right? Yeah. And now that they're making them larger, we don't have to do a half batch or a small batch. I still use my small, it's called a carry. It's a digital canner. I still use that regularly, especially for smaller things, leftovers. But you really just need to decide which canner is going to work for you, whether it's stove top or digital. Um, definitely a canning utensil kit. Cause you want to be able to have that funnel and that headspace measuring tool. Yeah. And then outside of that, some big, you know, you gotta have some good size stock pots, right? Yeah. So I would definitely. Invest in that and you don't have to buy everything new. Secondhand stores, Salvation Army, Goodwill, yard sale, estate sale. Yeah. Canning does seem to be one of those things that, uh, because of the nature of it being I see a lot of canning stuff in thrift stores that is clearly donated maybe from a generation past. You know what I mean? So there is a great opportunity to get your hands on that kind of stuff too. I see it. How about the grabber thing? You know, it's so funny. I have got a really good one that I purchased that wasn't in the utensil kit, but I use my waterproof heatproof gloves. I just get my hand in there. Yeah. Yeah, I just do like the old kitchen towel over your hands. But you know, you know my background. I was going to say, yeah, culinary and you probably have hands of steel. Me, no. Yeah, it's a lot like that. Well, you know, you just, yeah, that's what I do. But I bet that for someone who's starting, I like the idea of the hand. I don't trust the gripper all the time. It feels weird. Like, we'll get a little slippage. I'm not losing my canned good. Because now you're done at that point, unless you're loading in. But, you know, when you're pulling out, everything's done. You've done all the hard work then. You don't want to lose one then. Yeah. Finish processing. You go to get the jar cool and it falls on the floor and breaks. Oh, my gosh. Come on. I would cry. I would cry. Nothing worse, right? That's a big investment. So we're in harvest time right now, you know. And I think it's your– I can't keep up, but I think it's– No, it's not your latest book, is it? Is your latest book the Garden to Table? Yes, from Seed to Table. Seed to Table, I'm sorry. Yes. Yep, that's okay. That's my latest book that came out in March. That's gardening, all food preservation forms, harvesting, and then cooking. So it's like the whole gamut. It's a very comprehensive guide. Yeah, I think that's, if you want to get into like sort of the bigger philosophy of self-reliance through food. Right. With canning kind of at the core. I think that's a good way to look at the meals in the jar books. Phenomenal because it gives you that it opens your eyes to like, you know, more than salsa and tomato sauce and grape jelly. Right. Right. Right. Right. Because that's the mind, I think. So that really opens your eyes up to canning. But I think your your latest is is the full circle. It's the idea of like we're harvesting out of our garden now. Right. And we're, we're at this point where we're like giving away, you know, you're giving away zucchinis, you're giving away tomatoes or something like that because you just have so much of it. And that book really speaks to all the things that you can do with that stuff. Not just canning it, but yeah, that's a big one. Dehydrating. Yeah. And then I also teach you how to like collect the seeds, right? How to properly collect your heirloom seeds, dry them, store them so that you have a continual, Because you're right, it is a full circle. This is a way of life. And I'm happy we're getting back to that. I really, truly am. Yeah. Yeah, I do feel like we should all be able to just, when the food system gets out of hand, we all should have a goal to be in a position where we could just say, like, we're going to step away. We're going to gradually move away from this thing that's not working. Once you repair it and we all have confidence back, then maybe we'll come back to the convenience side. You know what I mean? Yeah. Where we can trust the label or all that stuff. They're not sticking stuff in our food or growing it in a lab and. Not telling us. Yeah. Right. Right. That's you again. We'll come back. Yeah. Yeah. That becomes sort of the, the, the punishment for lack of a better word. Right. It's like, if you're going to grow a big gigantic corporation that, that umbrellas every food that exists in one house, right. and profit is the bottom line and it doesn't work out for us, then you know we're going to move off of that system and if you want to if you would like to use your marketing acumen to pull us back you know and do some things the right way then we'll come back but if not we're happy to collect our seeds and grow our food and can it here on our own too. You know amen i love it well said i mean. You know but That's your superpower, Diane, right? You have the blueprint there that makes sense to people that it's even better than anything we do at PBN because you have no like overshadowing possibility of doom or anything like that or anything to cloud it. It's just this is the, you know, this is the method. And I just hope people wrap their head around that in terms of canning that. You want to put distance between you and the food system. That's such a quick way to do it, right? Mm-hmm. I mean, how quickly do you think, so in your estimation, you take the free, well, any of the free courses, because they're all free, folks, so make sure you click those links, take the courses. It's huge. But you take the canning course, sort of beginner's canning course. Do people come away from that class like, I'm going to can this weekend? Like, I have everything I need in here to can something up this weekend. Absolutely. I see it all the time. I hear it from people all the time. So I've also heard that, you know, they were right on the precipice and then. They're like, okay, I'm just going to take this class. I just don't think I know enough. I'm scared. They take the class and they're like, okay. I feel confident now. Like this showed me I can do it. And yeah, people are canning. That very, sometimes that very day, sometimes that very weekend, you know? Yeah. Yeah. And that's what I want to see. And if you have questions, I make myself available too. So I take phone calls, emails. Yeah. Diane, built for the job. It's not an easy job, folks. You're lucky that she's decided to take this thing on. Because we get to talk to her behind the scenes. We get to see the phase one, phase two, phase three of it all. So we appreciate you. So thecanningdiva.com, right? Yeah. Canningdiva.com. Yeah. Yeah. They both get you there. Okay. I own both. Yep. Well done. So canningdiva.com. Guys, go there. Take advantage. It's National Preparedness Month. When are you going to take the free canning course if not now? Right. You're not going to take it in October because you're going to be dressed up like something goofy. November, you're going to be eating. December, you're going to be too busy. So now's the time to take it, right? Yeah, absolutely. That's it. That's it. Episode two, Diane. Thank you so much for being the second willing victim in the National Preparedness Month live off here on Instagram and everywhere else. I really appreciate your time. I know you're busy. I appreciate you. And I think and I hope all of you take advantage of what I have to offer. And of course, the books, they're great. They're a great resource, too. But thank you, James, for having me. Yeah, no problem. Talk to you soon. All right. See you. See you. All right, folks. That's it. We have wrapped a portion two of this whole thing. I'm being honest with you. I didn't expect that we would have so many cool freebies for you. You got the three-day trial from Be Prepared. You got five free classes over at canningdiva.com. Please, don't sleep on that. All right? I'll see you guys tomorrow for another great guest. I don't have the lineup in front of me. I should know who it is, and I don't. But, yeah, we got great stuff. Great stuff all around incoming. Thank you for joining us, folks. 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