A preservation schedule matches each crop to a method and a month: acid foods are water-bath canned, low-acid foods and meat are pressure canned, and other crops are dried, fermented, cellared or cured, with each method limited by jars and lids, equipment and the preservation crew. Plan from the target number of jars and the months in which the crops arrive, because the preservation crew of 6 to 10 people works from June to November.
A preservation schedule is a plan listing which foods are preserved by which method in which weeks, with the equipment and labour each needs.
Start With The Method, Then The Month
| Food | Method | Reason | Month in the carrier’s calendar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strawberries, jam | Water bath canning | High acid | June |
| Pickled vegetables | Water bath or fermentation | Acid or salt | June-August |
| Beans, corn, carrots | Pressure canning, or drying | Low acid | July-September |
| Tomatoes (acidified), peaches, pears | Water bath canning | Acid | August |
| Herbs, beans, corn | Drying | Water removed | August |
| Cabbage | Fermenting (sauerkraut) | Salt and lactic acid | August-October |
| Apples | Drying, cider, vinegar | Sugar and acid | September |
| Potatoes, roots, cabbage, squash | Cellar | Cold and humidity | September-October |
| Pork, beef | Curing, smoking, pressure canning | Salt, smoke, heat | September-November |
| Meat and broth | Pressure canning | Low acid | November |
The rules behind this table: acid foods (pH below 4.6) can be water-bath canned; low-acid foods must be pressure canned because botulism spores survive boiling (Canning & Pressure Preservation). Other methods: Drying Methods, Vegetable Fermentation, Salt-Brine Pickles, Large-Scale Smoking & Curing.
Plan From The Target
The carrier’s target for 100 people through a 5-month winter is 500 to 1,000 quart jars of preserved food, with at least 2 or 3 pressure canners running during the season. Work from the target:
- Split the target by food: how many jars of tomatoes, beans, fruit, meat.
- Place each block in its harvest weeks, from the calendar (July-September).
- Check capacity for each week: loads per day × jars per load × days available (Canning Production Timeline).
- Check consumables: jars, lids, fuel and salt.
- Check the crew: the preservation crew of 6 to 10 people, plus helpers in August.
- Add a dry or fermented outlet for the weeks the canners cannot keep up.
Lids Are The Limit
Standard two-piece lids are single use. The carrier points out that 1,000 jars but only 200 new lids means only 200 jars can be processed unless reusable lids are used. For a target of 500 to 1,000 jars a year the community needs 500 to 1,000 new lids a year, or reusable lids (Tattler-style plastic with a rubber gasket, or Weck-style glass with rubber rings), or a plan to shift part of the target to drying, fermenting and the cellar (Root Cellar Loading Plan). Count the lids before setting the jar target.
Spread The Work Over Months
Do not leave everything to August. June jam and pickles, July beans and fruit, and November meat and broth ease the August peak. Use dry and fermented products as the overflow: a bushel that cannot be canned today can be dried or turned into sauerkraut.
The schedule must never shorten the safe process
Pressure canning and curing times are fixed by safety, not by the calendar. If a schedule runs late, add a canner, a crew or another method; never cut a processing time, skip venting, or use water-bath canning for a low-acid food. Botulism toxin is odourless and can be fatal (Canning & Pressure Preservation).
Common Mistakes
- Counting jars but not lids.
- Preserving everything in August. The crew and equipment are overloaded.
- No recorded output. You cannot tell in January whether you reached the target (Monthly Inventory Checks).
- Forgetting fuel and wood for the canners and smokehouse.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Canning Production Timeline — throughput and timing
- Combine with: Smoking and Curing Schedule — the meat stream