I have been saving jars and bottles with a good lid that has a decent rubber seal on them. Every time I empty all the pickles, salsa, etc.

I hope to have enough saved by summer so that when I visit the farmer’s markets I can buy cheaply of all the nice, fresh veggies and fruits to can. I know it’s locally grown and coming from here in Minnesota, and not Canada, Mexico or South America, like when I buy at the grocery stores.

Whenever I go to the farmer’s market I know I’m saving a ton of money. For example, this past fall, I got a head of cabbage which was about 7 lbs(!) for $3 and I also got 2 trays of giant tomatoes (just under a lb, each!) for about $7. I can spend that much easily just buying 1 or 2 small vines with 3-4 skimpy fruits on them at the produce department of my grocery store!

Plus, the food usually is not sprayed with chemical insecticides and herbicides. I just have to wash off a bit of dirt, sometimes a bug here or there in some lettuce, but it’s so much better for me to eat!