Volume 12, Number 3 ON THE COVER Green beans among the fresh produce preserved this summer at the Prince Edward County Cannery. (Photo by Emily McCaul) Cultivate is published four times a year: February, May, August and October. It is published by Virginia Farm Bureau Federation. All photography presented in this feature was done by Emily McCaul.

1. Virginia Farm Bureau
Cultivate
SUMMER 2019
Community
canneries still
have fresh appeal

2. Departments
3 Did You Know?
21 For Your Benefit
28 Heart of the Home
31 Marketplace
Features
16 Community canneries still have fresh appeal
The number of community canneries in Virginia
has dropped off since their World War II heyday,
but the remaining ones have dedicated users.
6 Growing giant pumpkins is labor of love
See what pumpkin season is like for the
Southampton County family who grew the three
biggest pumpkins at last year’s State Fair of
Virginia.
12 Virginia agriculture, by the numbers
Ever wondered how much farming goes on in your
community? Recently released 2017 Census of
Agriculture findings break it all down.
ON THE COVER
Green beans are among the fresh
produce preserved this summer at
the Prince Edward County Cannery
(Photo by Emily McCaul).
PUBLICATION SCHEDULE
Associate members will receive their next
issue of Cultivate in October. The magazine
is published quarterly, and back issues can be
viewed at issuu.com/virginiafarmbureau.
24
“When I can something,
it goes from the field
to the cannery to
the jar to my house.
That’s about as pure
as food gets.”
— SARAH GRIGGS,
operator,
Carroll County Cannery
Volume 12, Number 3
Summer 2019
Cultivate
Cultivate (USPS 025051) (ISSN
1946-8121) is published four times
a year. February, May, August,
October. It is published by Virginia
Farm Bureau Federation, 12580 West
Creek Parkway, Richmond, VA 23238.
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Member: Virginia Press Association
EDITORIAL TEAM
Pam Wiley Director, Communications
Kathy Dixon Assistant Editor
Sara Owens Staff Writer/Photographer
Maria La Lima Graphic Designer
Emily McCaul Photographer
Patricia Hooten Graphic Designer
Maria La Lima Graphic Designer
Claire Mills Staff Writer/Advertising
Coordinator
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EMILYMCCAUL

3. 16 CULTIVATE
C
ommunity canneries
aren’t as plentiful
as they once were,
but they are still in
demand.
They originated
during the Victory
Garden era of the 1940s, shared
Donna Meade, a Virginia Cooperative
Extension family and consumer
services specialist in Russell County,
where two canneries still operate.
Meade said many of the canneries
once were supported by local school
systems because they were used
for home economics classes. Over
the years, the number of canneries
has dwindled, and Virginia county
Carroll County Cannery
caters to home gardeners
There are lots of gardeners in Carroll
County, and they like to can what they
grow. “And there’s nothing you can’t
can,” shared Sarah Griggs, the county’s
cannery operator.
But canning at home can be costly
and time-consuming. “The beauty of a
cannery is you can do 100 jars at a time
governments now operate fewer than
a dozen.
Some cannery managers are seeing
increased interest in home canning,
while others are hopeful younger
adults will realize their value.
instead of seven at home,” explained
Griggs, who has been canning for the
past seven years.
Darlene Beasley, a home canner for
more than 50 years, said she learned
the art of canning from her mother,
who used to do it at home. Beasley
started using the cannery because
“it’s so convenient, and they have
everything you need there.”
Each year, Beasley brings in fresh
summer produce like tomatoes, squash
and beans, and her family enjoys eating
them throughout the winter. Her
church, Shorts Creek Church of God,
also uses the cannery for its annual
fundraiser sale of canned vegetable
soup, pie filling and apple butter.
Canneries cater to
communities interested
in preserving fresh foods
Lodi apples are washed in one of the
Carroll County Cannery’s industrial sinks,
the first step in making applesauce.
A little bit of water is
added to the apples as
they are cooked down.
The washed apples are
sliced and cored by hand.

4. vafb.com / SUMMER 2019 17
Don’t know how to can? Don’t have
storage for home canning equipment?
Want to preserve summer produce
without risking food safety?
Get thee to a cannery!
The cannery has been county-
operated since 1975. In 2000 it was
struck by lightning, and there was
talk of not rebuilding. “The grannies
that love to can went to the county
and told them they needed to build
another cannery, so they did,” Griggs
said.
Today, the facility offers equipment,
jars and expertise to county residents
from June through December. In
the two years that Griggs has run
the cannery, she’s extended hours to
nights and weekends to accommodate
canners who cannot visit on
weekdays.
Located beside the Carroll County
Farmers Market, in which is housed
27-year-old Brady’s Produce, the
operation can serve as a one-stop shop
for canning. Users can bring their own
produce or buy it at the market.
“When I can something, it goes from
the field to the cannery to the jar to
my house. That’s about as pure as food
gets,” Griggs remarked.
Sandy Stoneman, a Virginia
Cooperative Extension food safety
agent in Wythe County, said she’s seen
growing interest in canning among
young families who want to preserve
fresh produce. “They don’t want to
learn how to can on their own, so they
come to canneries or to Extension
classes.”
Griggs is more than happy to show
home canners how to prepare their
produce, cook it and process the jars.
County residents pay a $10 seasonal
fee, plus 20 cents apiece for pint jars
and 25 cents for quart jars. There
are extra charges for the use of an
industrial kettle, pulper, blancher,
peeler or mixer.
Once the fruits and veggies are
canned, they have a shelf life of at least
a year, Stoneman said. “As long as the
seal is intact, the food will be good.”
If people knew what they could do
at a cannery, “more people would use
it,” noted Donna Peery, co-owner of
Brady’s Produce. “You can do so much
more than at home.”
Cannery operator Sarah
Griggs pours cooked
apples into a strainer.
The pureed apples are
poured into jars before they
go into a pressure cooker.
The finished product will
last up to a year when
properly sealed.
BY KATHY DIXON
PHOTOS BY EMILY McCAUL

5. 18 CULTIVATE
Prince Edward cannery
combines commercial
and home canning
The Prince Edward County
Cannery has succeeded due to the
county’s financial support, but
also because Virginia Food Works
manages a commercial canning
operation there.
Cannery manager Patty Gulick said
having hours for both commercial and
home canners has helped the facility
thrive.
Customers range from an individual
with a bowl of green beans, a couple
with handfuls of tomatoes and a farmer
with a “boatload” of squash, Gulick
said. She added that the cannery,
like most, is in a rural area, and the
community embraces it.
“The camaraderie here is amazing,”
she said. “Everyone works together and
helps each other out.”
Consolidated from two county
canneries in 1975, the current facility
offers community members the
chance to affordably preserve food for
their families. From tomato juice to
pizza sauce, the cannery provides the
possibilityofturningfreshfruitsand
vegetablesintofoodstoenjoyformonths
tocome,aswellasrecipes,adviceand
canningequipment.Residentspay$1to
usethefacilityandcanbuypintcansfor
40centseach,quartcansfor48centsand
galloncansfor$1.25.
Michelle McKenzie, Virginia Food
Works director, said the nonprofit
organization’s goal is to work with
farmers and others who want to make
value-added foods from locally grown
ingredients. Last year 30 commercial
canners produced 28,000 units of food
valued at more than $200,000 as retail
products like jams, jellies, salsas and
sauces. About a third of the canners
were farmers.
McKenzie said she would like to have
more farmer clients “Our goal is to get
more locally made and sourced value-
added products to market.”
kathy.dixon@vafb.com
Canneries
Virginia Food Works Director Michelle McKenzie
talks about in-house recipes she shares with
farm clients.
Prince Edward County Cannery has
been in its current location since 1975.

6. vafb.com / SUMMER 2019 19
Canneries run by county
governments
• Bedford County – New London
Cannery
• Bland County – Ceres Cannery
• Carroll County Cannery
• Franklin County – Callaway
Community Cannery, Glade Hill
Public Cannery
• Hanover County Cannery
• Prince Edward County Cannery
• Russell County – Castlewood
Cannery, Honaker Cannery
• Wythe County Cannery
On Real Virginia
See inside a community cannery on
Real Virginia, Virginia Farm Bureau’s
weekly television program, at
bit.ly/rv11cannery.
Cans are double-sealed with the cannery’s
seamer.
Community canneries offer industrial
equipment that allows home canners
to slice, dice, cook and can large
quantities of fresh produce.
Dilly beans are fresh
green beans canned
with herbs and brine.