When you hear the name Napoleon Bonaparte the last thing you associate it with is home canning.
But actually he had everything to do with the development of food preservation. In the late 1700s when he noticed the high number of his soldiers that were suffering and dying from malnutrition, Napoleon offered a prize of twelve thousand Francs to anyone who could come up with a practical way to preserve food.
The call was answered by an innovative chef name Nicolas Appert in 1810 when he presented Napoleon with his method of bottling fruits, vegetables and meats using heat to preserve them by boiling the sealed bottles in water. He used his reward money to establish a cannery and later changed his preferred packaging container to tin cans. This was the beginning of commercial food canning which has become commonplace to us.
Home canning did not become a common practice in America until later in the 1800's with the invention of the screw cap mason jar and the needs of a population in the midst of a civil war. People were now able to easily can fruits, pickles and relishes at home.
The canning of low acid foods like meats and vegetables became common during the first world war when safer methods of canning with heat and pressure were developed.
I hope you enjoyed this quick look at the history of canning and maybe next time you hear the name Napoleon Bonaparte you will think of jelly... or even better The Jelly Jar shop and my blog! Visit and browse my collection of cool labels and supplies for home canning enthusiasts.
But actually he had everything to do with the development of food preservation. In the late 1700s when he noticed the high number of his soldiers that were suffering and dying from malnutrition, Napoleon offered a prize of twelve thousand Francs to anyone who could come up with a practical way to preserve food.
The call was answered by an innovative chef name Nicolas Appert in 1810 when he presented Napoleon with his method of bottling fruits, vegetables and meats using heat to preserve them by boiling the sealed bottles in water. He used his reward money to establish a cannery and later changed his preferred packaging container to tin cans. This was the beginning of commercial food canning which has become commonplace to us.
Home canning did not become a common practice in America until later in the 1800's with the invention of the screw cap mason jar and the needs of a population in the midst of a civil war. People were now able to easily can fruits, pickles and relishes at home.
The canning of low acid foods like meats and vegetables became common during the first world war when safer methods of canning with heat and pressure were developed.
I hope you enjoyed this quick look at the history of canning and maybe next time you hear the name Napoleon Bonaparte you will think of jelly... or even better The Jelly Jar shop and my blog! Visit and browse my collection of cool labels and supplies for home canning enthusiasts.
Check out this cool label I created for small cottage food businesses that make Jalepeno Jelly.
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| Buy it HERE |
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