Plotting your seasonal canning have a plan and head for the vendors with a strategy in mind
After years of over- and underestimating, I finally know how many quarts of tomatoes we'll use in the course of a year. I've learned to double up on the raspberry jam. Even the most delicious peach preserves go partly uneaten, but we'll finish all the peach pie filling. Seven different chutneys could be too many.
Those are among the lessons learned. Beyond preserving's seasonal time crunches - sour cherries are here and gone! - it's important to be organized and tactical, and to put up only what you'll eat or give away before it expires.
Once I have my wish list for the summer's planned canning, I strategize at the farmers markets, too. I talk with producers about the food they're growing, about the harvest, the weather, the pests. Such chats inform my preserving plans. When a farmer can tell me exactly when his raspberries will be ready for picking, I block out the closest weekend day to make jam. When possible, I email ahead to place an order; the farmers I buy from appreciate that.
When I had a garden, my first tomato of the season was sliced with religious fervor, salted and consumed. Still warm from the sun, it was my private treasure. Later, faced with baskets of homegrown specimens, I became more generous. So many tomatoes!
The farmers at your local markets experience something similar, but writ large. By midseason, their stalls are chock-full. So that's the best time to shop around for gluts, seconds and imperfect fruits and vegetables at reduced prices.
Buy in quantity whenever possible. Learn to think in pounds, flats, boxes and lugs. I purchase in quantities based on specific recipes and have committed those amounts to memory: 3 pounds of fruit for jam, 5 pounds of vegetables for pickles, never less than 25 pounds of tomatoes at a time.
If you can get out of the city, you can find better deals. In rural areas, farm stands and pick-your-own farms can offer even greater values. Grab some friends and go picking. Speaking from experience, it's remarkable how quickly three people can pick 45 pounds of blueberries.
Remember, preserving goes beyond canning. Freezing is an excellent way to store foods for winter, as is dehydrating. Whichever technique you choose, the effort takes time and money, so put up only foods you love and foods you will share with your family and friends.
In the meantime, give the accompanying recipe a try. It makes dependable dill pickle chips that are crisp, bright, sassy and ready for your summer cookouts. Make this the summer you put at least one home-canned food in your cupboard.
• Cathy Barrow is the author of "Mrs. Wheelbarrow's Practical Pantry: Recipes and Techniques for Year-Round Preserving" (W.W. Norton, 2014). She blogs at www.mrswheelbarrow.com.