During the 1940s, many communities across the U.S. built canneries, to help preserve food grown in Victory Gardens. Virginia is home to some of the oldest canneries in the nation, but some are in disrepair. Wythe County is giving its cannery an upgrade.
There are about a dozen canneries across Virginia still in operation, and Wythe County has one of the largest in Southwest Virginia. But last fall, its boiler broke.
“It really interfered with soup season and apple butter season, which was big crisis in Wythe County,” said Allyson Williams, public information officer for Wythe County. They received a $50,000 grant this year to replace the boiler, funded by the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Fund Infrastructure Grant program.
Williams said Wythe County is also looking at expanding the cannery, so it can be used by more local businesses.
Andrea Haubner works with Virginia Cooperative Extension in Southwest Virginia and said she’s seen interest in canning grow a lot during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Some of them are brand new to the idea of canning,” Haubner said. “Other ones say, ‘you know I remember my grandparents canning and I didn’t know exactly what they were doing and now I want to learn how to do it.’”
Some people use the canneries to preserve food from their garden, and church groups and youth organizations also use canneries. Haubner said these spaces also offer people a chance to socialize and build community and connections with other people.
“Folks are really just looking to make friends and spend time with each other and learn from one another. And the canneries are a really great space to do that,” Haubner said.
She warned against learning everything through social media.
“I would be very careful about where you’re getting your information from when it comes to canning,” Haubner said. “Because that is something you don’t want to mess up just because you’re risking, ultimately, getting sick but then also potentially death.”
Haubner said many canneries have a trained operator who can help teach people. She’s planning a food preservation conference in Wytheville this August, aimed for people who are both beginners and experienced canners. There will also be children's activities throughout the day for children aged eight and up, and a visit to the nearby Carroll County cannery.
