I recently stumbled upon Yes, We Can, an amazing community canning project based in San Francisco, which cans fruits and vegetables from local farmers during their peak season, and then invites you to buy a share so you can enjoy delicious produce year round.  Yes, We Can is also part of Live Culture, a sustainable consulting group whose other cool projects include Civil Eats, and the Eat Real Festival. Having canned tomatoes, pickles and plum jam (which sadly failed to set completely), I can tell you that there is nothing better than pulling down a jar of home-canned treats to add some local flavor to a cold, winter evening.

I also know that canning can be a lot of work and time-consuming (but fun!), so for those short on time, Yes, We Can preserves your seasonal fruits and veggies for you.  All you have to do is sign up and then pick up your box of jars.  This year’s round of apricot jam has past, but there are still cucumbers (July) and tomatoes (September) to be savored!  And if your feeling adventurous, I’m sure Yes, We Can would appreciate additional volunteers to help can, after all it is about community.  And if you haven’t tried canning before, at some point you just have to try.  Everything tastes better with fresh ingredients and a little sweat equity.   Yes, We Can!!  (It’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think?)

And keep yourself clean in the kitchen while you’re canning with the Yes, We Can apron.