How Canning Reduces Food Waste at Home (6 Practical Reasons)

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I really despise throwing food away and do my best to waste as little as possible in our home. Between us, our dogs and chickens, food is rarely truly wasted — but I still aim to do better. Canning reduces food waste by giving food a second life instead of letting it spoil or get forgotten.

While canning is often associated with preserving a large harvest, it’s just as valuable for everyday life — especially when plans change, schedules get busy, and ingredients would otherwise be tossed.

Freeing Up Freezer Space

I use canning to make space in my freezer. In 2025, we harvested about 70 pounds of saskatoon berries from our property. They all got washed, bagged and thrown in the freezer until I had time to process them into a shelf-stable product. The amount of space they used during the summer got dedicated to our game meat harvested during hunting season. The same story happened with the 130 pounds of tomatoes coming from our garden - they all got washed, bagged and sent to the freezer until I had time to process them.

Canning reduces food waste during a power outage

Once food is shelf-stable, it no longer relies on electricity to stay preserved—and that alone feels like a huge relief. I’ve heard too many stories, especially from hunting friends, of freezers failing at the worst possible time and an entire season’s worth of game being lost.

Preventing “Freezer Burn Waste”

Freezers buy time — but they’re not permanent. Canning food you know won’t be used soon prevents freezer burn, mystery bags, and eventual disposal. Everything in my "cantry"(canning pantry) is well labeled and easy to find. Nothing gets buried, forgotten or frosty.

Preserving Produce Before It Spoils

When I know vegetables won’t be eaten in time — or are already overripe — canning allows me to extend their life instead of letting them go to waste. You can use them in a recipe, by pickling them or in a meal-in-a-jar. This is also valid with meat!

Saving Scraps and Small Quantities Until They Add Up

Fruits and vegetables I wouldn’t normally eat right away (like small amounts of berries or extra produce) can be frozen temporarily and canned later once there’s enough to process. I also do this with vegetable scraps (onion & carrot peels, celery trims, etc) to make vegetable broth.

Reducing Fridge Clutter (and Forgotten Food)

Canned food doesn’t get pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten. Once something is shelf-stable, it’s visible, organized, and far less likely to be wasted. Having canned goods is also a great way to give you even more time to figure out how you want to use your ingredients best. The shelf-life of most foods is a months in the freezer, but years when canned (and in optimal conditions, let's be real).

Canning has become one of the easiest ways for me to waste less food without adding stress. It’s flexible, practical, and fits naturally into a frugal, low-waste home.

You don’t need a lot of equipment to start canning, but having a few dependable basics makes the process easier and less wasteful. Below are the canning supplies I actually use:

• Large Stock Pot

• Dedicated Waterbath canner (Honestly, I've used a large stockpot until I was gifted this one in 2025): [Link Here]

• Pressure canner ( I use it ALOT!) : Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure [Link Here]

• Canning toolkit: [Link Here]

• Mason jars: They go on sale at Canadian Tire and Walmart from time to time. You can also buy them second hand at Value Village and other Thiftstores (Make sure to check for chipped rims!) but they aren't always cheaper so, once again, do the math first!

• Lids: I've been using Forjars lids for the last 2 years. You can also find regular mouth Bernardin lids at Dollorama as well as SnapTite wide mouth lids (Good for storage but I personally wouldn't pressure can with those ones.)

• Extra racks for double-decker canning and bottom of pot: [Link Here]

Make sure to check out the rest of my blog for more practical tips!

Also see these posts in particular: How to Reduce Food Waste at Home (10 Simple, Practical Ways) and How to Save Money on Groceries: 13 Simple Ways