Death by Canning

History Lesson:  Canning was developed in the 1800's as a way to keep high caloric foods at the front lines for armies.  This method was originally done in glass jars but tin cans were soon used for better transport.  Canned foods soon became somewhat of a novelty and became heavily used in WWI and WWII.  As with any war, innocent casualties resulted.  The death of great food.

Take for example leaf spinach.  It is despised by anyone under 18 years old and many adults. When I was a kid the word spinach immediately brought images of tin cans and a super strong sailor.  I think canned spinach was purposely given a bad flavor to keep hostile armies from eating American provisions.  Needless to say, war killed spinach for a long time.  Luckily, we have rediscovered fresh spinach and it has made it way into our kitchens once again.

This history lesson was triggered while dining at our friends house this week.  As part of a Texas themed dinner, our host had prepared "creamed corn."  What?  Who eats creamed corn?  Well, apparently lots of people from the south.  And I quickly learned that, like most canned foods, creamed corn in the can was inspired at one point by an actual food.  This homemade version of a food previously extinct from my adult diet was absolutely delicious.  Find a recipe, try it.  Thanks Lori.

Creamed Corn Side by side:  canned vs. real (hint: the real cream corn is yellow . . . like corn)

My Message:  Not all canned foods are created equal.  I have discovered a number of foods that I prefer to use fresh over canned.  There are also some that I don't mind using canned.  Here is my breakdown of canned foods that may or may not be served to guests in my home:

1. spinach, creamed corn:  no
2. corned beef: no (especially not to Irish friends)
   
3. green beans: no (army green vs. vibrant green)
   
4. carrots, potatoes, mushrooms:  never
5. kernal corn: yes (but I prefer frozen)
   
6. legume beans: yes, but slow cooking dry beans is easy too
   
7. spaghetti sauce: maybe (once tried making my own, that deserves its own blog post)
   
8. water chestnuts: certainly
9. Tomatoes: yes
   
10. chick peas: always

Moral of the Story:  Most canned foods will save time but you give up flavor and texture.  Some foods give up way too much flavor and texture to be used.  Try replacing them with fresh foods or even frozen.  Remember, many canned foods are in cans not because they take a long time to prepare, but because they are easy to store and transport.  Luckily we have refridgerators and we don't pack our food with us.

As for chick peas (garbanzo beans), I tried making hummus by cooking the dried variety.  It took a long time and it made our apartment smell like eggs for days.  Canned chick peas will be used for hummus in our home from now on.

Note:  I am not a food snob.  I enjoy eating lots of foods from cans.  I have a secret love affair with canned ravioli.  This is merely my perspective on how canning has killed wonderful foods.  Lets bring them back to life.