Volunteers Gather to Can Fresh Produce For Charity

The smells of simmering salsa and sugary strawberry jam floated through the kitchen Saturday morning as a group of dedicated volunteers peeled, chopped, strained, and cooked produce for the Montville Food Bank, in conjunction with national Day.

Republican and Independence for Montville candidates organized the event. They canned 162 jars of fresh produce to be donated to the pantry, which is run by .

Local farmers including Malerba Farms donated some of the produce, and Groton-based restaurant Russell’s Ribs got involved by providing a cash donation for supplies. Volunteers also pitched in and brought whatever they had at home.

“This is really a team effort. We all wanted to pitch in to do something good,” says Rosetta Jones, chairman of the Board of Assessment Appeals and a candidate for Town Council.

A long table in the firehouse was piled with ripe peaches, zucchini, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and fresh herbs waiting to be transformed into homemade sauces, jams, and relishes.

“There are so many advantages to canning," volunteer Sue Loiler says. I"t’s a great way to stretch your dollar and food farther. It doesn’t matter what fruits and vegetables you have, you can make them into just about anything."

Council Chairman Donna Jacobson first got the idea for the event when she received a newsletter from the canning jar company Ball. Each year, the company sponsors Can-It-Forward on Aug. 13 to teach people how to preserve food.

“It was a unique opportunity to do something good for the community. We’re able to give a mixture of products to the food bank that might not otherwise be there like homemade salsas,” says Jacobson. Jacobson is a candidate for the mayor's position.

Jacobson and many of the others who volunteered on Saturday have been canning since they were children. Some of the recipes used on Saturday came from a “family heirloom” 1955 cookbook supplied by Shirley Morphis, a candidate for the Board of Assessment Appeals.

“(Canning) is a family tradition, and a generational thing,” says Jacobson.

Jacobson remembers canning with her mother, who grew up during in a time when victory gardens and canning food was a necessity, a way to save money and get the most out of fresh produce.

“After my mom passed away, I remember reflecting back that now I’ve passed on something to my children that was once passed to me,” she says.

 The Can-It-Forward event might itself become a tradition for Montville.

“I like the idea of seeing local produce and effort going toward helping the people of Montville,” says Glenn Andrews, who spent the morning chopping onions and peppers for salsa.

Ellen Hillman, the council vice-chairman and a candidate for a council seat in November, says the produce the group canned includes peach salsa, zucchini relish, vegetable confetti relish, peach jam, strawberry jam, mixed berry jam, spaghetti sauce with and without mushrooms, dill pickles and bread-and-butter pickles.

“A lot of people think politicians don’t recognize the needs of other people, but this is a way for us to help,” Hillman says.