There was a time, not all that long ago in the big picture, when growing and preserving your own food wasn’t something you did as a hobby or because it was trending on social media, but because you had to make do with what was available.
But modern food sciences pretty much put an end to that for most people, and processed foods pretty much became the norm. Now, as our understanding of the health downsides of processed foods has grown — and as our world has become increasingly digitized, if you will — many people are returning to our roots by growing and preserving their own food, both for the analog experience it brings and for health benefits it offers.
Our guest has been growing and preserving food since she was a kid. Diane Devereaux grew up in Michigan, first in Detroit and then on a farm. She’s known as ‘The Canning Diva’ and is author of seven cookbooks, and she’s an internationally recognized food preservation expert, television presenter, and instructor. Ms. Devereaux recently transplanted to Southwest Florida, so we invited her into the studio to talk about her latest book, “From Seed to Table: a comprehensive guide to gardening, preserving, and cooking for sustainable living.”
Guest:
Diane Devereaux, internationally recognized food preservation expert, author, television presenter, instructor, and mother of two.
Website: canningdiva.com
Instagram: @canningdiva
Facebook: @canningdiva
X: @canningdiva
YouTube: @thecanningdiva5291
Pinterest: @canningdiva
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Transcript
Mike Kiniry
This is Gulf Coast Life. I'm Mike Kiniry. Thanks for joining us. There was a time not all that long ago in the big picture when growing and preserving your own food was not something you did as a hobby or because it was trending on social media, but because you had to make do with what was available. But modern food science has pretty much put an end to that for most people and processed foods pretty much became the norm. Now as our understanding of the health downsides of processed foods has grown, and as our world has become increasingly digitized, if you will, many people are returning to our roots by growing and preserving their own food, both for the analog experience it brings and for the health benefits it offers. Our guest today has been growing and preserving foods since she was a kid. Diane Devereaux grew up in Michigan, first in Detroit and then on a farm. She's known as the canning diva and is author of seven cookbooks. and she's an internationally recognized food preservation expert and television presenter and instructor. Ms. Devereaux recently transplanted to Southwest Florida, so we invited her into the studio to talk about her latest book, From Seed to Table, A Comprehensive Guide to Gardening, Preserving, and Cooking for Sustainable Living. spoke on May 6th. Let's hear that now.
Mike Kiniry
Diane Devereaux, welcome to the show. Thank you for coming all the way down.
Diane Devereaux
Thank you for having me. I'm happy to be here.
Mike Kiniry
How long have you been in Southwest Florida?
Diane Devereaux
Well, it's not a full year yet. In July, it'll be a full year, July 20th. So I'm still on my first inaugural year here and I'm loving actually every second of it.
Mike Kiniry
What brought you to Florida and what brought you to that part of Florida in particular?
Diane Devereaux
Well, that part of Florida was for family. I've got a lot of family in the area. I have family in Fort Myers here too, so I'm pretty happy. I've got along this coastline a nice family band. But honestly, I was ready for sunshine. Coming from Michigan, having a good six months of every year, just you feel like you're in either a fog or the darkness. I wanted to extend my growing season and I wanted to see how the southern hemisphere does it. So here I am.
Mike Kiniry
Have you ever lived somewhere where you couldn't have a basement?
Diane Devereaux
This will be the first time. So I've gotten very creative with storage.
Mike Kiniry
I was trying to think of the main differences. And I would presume that for the kind of storing stuff like you would prepare, basements are probably ideal.
Diane Devereaux
They are. And now I'm getting to see it through the eyes of everyone else who doesn't have a basement or lives in an area where it can get upwards of 100 degrees for many consecutive days. So this is very good for me.
Mike Kiniry
So did you grow up in a household where self-sufficiency or even what we would call now being a foodie was a thing.
Diane Devereaux
I wouldn't use those terms because they weren't really used back then, right? Okay. But growing up in inner city Detroit, no, it wasn't really trendier on power, it was just a way of life. We didn't have much by means of money, but we knew how to eat fresh and whole foods. And frankly, it was done so out of need. We couldn't afford all the cool box stuff that was coming out. Mom had, you know, a small budget and we stretched it by going to a large farmers market or it was a store. And again, I was a child, so it seemed humongous, but de Grassier and it was very big. big, but it was all fresh. And the Italians owned it. And that's where we went for everything fresh. And then back in the day, I don't know if you have ever heard of Farmer Jack's. That was a very big chain grocery store for the 70s and 80s. But that's where we did the rest of our shopping for meats and milks and such. So it wasn't so much a trend. It was just how it was. My mom always, even in the city, had a garden growing in the backyard, made a huge cherry tree that we enjoyed its pleasures every summer. So even in Detroit, that was on par. But moving to northern Michigan is where I wouldn't even again say I was a foodie until probably college when it started to become chic, you know, taking nights out with friends and trying new cuisines. That's where I kind of got into the food aspect. But foodie didn't really come to birth until smartphones and we were able to take pictures.
Mike Kiniry
Yeah. What about food preservation, canning? When did that enter your world?
Diane Devereaux
That was when I was 12, turning 13 when we moved to northern Michigan. Yep. So we went from city living, inner city Detroit, Six and Gratiot to northern Michigan where we had a huge hog farm. We had 80 acres that we grew. We had a two acre garden. So I mean polar night and day difference, but it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. I really gravitated towards it. I loved it. You couldn't teach me enough. Like I really, really gravitated towards it. And I even started my own small garden just because I wanted to grow some other things that we weren't growing to sustain ourselves on. So that's probably when it started. And then I picked it back up when I became.
Mike Kiniry
Which was how long ago?
Diane Devereaux
You're going to age me. My son will be 27 this summer. So yeah, knowing I had another mouth to feed besides my own and wanting to settle down and have roots, that's where the gardening again and canning. But see, my mom, when I was a freshman in college, What did I get for Christmas? My first pressure canner. So it's never left me once it was instilled, just small increments and then a very busy business brand.
Mike Kiniry
I do want to get into your book, which is about more than just canning and preservation, but I want to pick your brain about this world first because I'm very curious about it. Are the techniques that would have been used when you were 12 or 100 years ago, the same techniques that we're using today, or have there been fundamental differences because of technology?
Diane Devereaux
I wouldn't say fundamental differences because that is truly what has stayed the same. We have only then advanced as technology has advanced, so we understand bacteria better. We understand the relationship between acidity, time, and temperature. So we've gotten smarter, right, through education. But the fundamentals are still there. It truly goes back to, you know, Edward Pasteur, you know, when he understood how to pasteurize the bacterial, I hate the word killing, but, you know, denaturing. So we've just unfortunately, or I should say fortunately, we have it easier than how it was back 100 years ago. But no, the relationships between acidity, time, and temperature and density have pretty much stayed the same. We've just gotten better at it and safer at it.
Mike Kiniry
So for a person who knows nothing about it, which I didn't really know much until I read up for this, it's essentially you are preparing food, it could be vegetables, it could be fruits, it could be soups, it could be anything, maybe not anything, but by sterilizing it and putting it in a sterile environment using heat and pressure, and you get it canned in such a way that it is completely sealed. There's no oxygen in there. Are those the basics of canning or am I painting with too broad a brush or missing key elements.
Diane Devereaux
Yeah, it's a broad brush and a few tweaks on the elements. You're close, but I want to bring it down into real terms. So we're not sterilizing everything, okay?
Mike Kiniry
You're making sure the bacteria that could be bad is gone.
Diane Devereaux
Essentially. So keeping a clean kitchen and properly preparing the foods is step one. what's happening during water bathing or pressure canning, that exposure, those three elements, the acidity, time, and temperature, all of those have a mathematical equation. We know how long it takes to make the food shelf stable. It doesn't sterilize it to the point of just cooking it to death, if you will. But yes, shelf stability. Now there is some air trapped in the jar. So even though it's an anaerobic environment, which means no free oxygen or free air, There is a small amount trapped. So depending on what it is, yep, that headspace that we see.
Mike Kiniry
Headspace.
Diane Devereaux
Correct. So an air is mainly made-up of nitrogen and oxygen, okay? The small amount remaining in the jar after the vacuum seal isn't going to degrade or harm anything. It would be the introduction of free oxygen. So if that lid came unsealed, that's what grows bacteria during storage. So you've hit it. You've given the overarching. We're going to put the food in jars. We're going to properly process them. And then the key is how to properly store it afterwards. And that's no matter what, if it's a dehydrated item, a freeze-dried item, canned item, even dried goods. It's all about the storage to gain that longevity. And that means no sunlight, whether it's direct or indirect, keeping your humidity low, keeping the temperature ideal between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. and then just, not agitating it and moving it a lot, just kind of leave it be until you're ready to use it.
Mike Kiniry
So all the things basement would be perfect.
Diane Devereaux
I know. And it's been a lot of fun figuring out where to do this. And because I speak to it I've been asked that because I've had followers all over the country, all over the world even. But now living it, it's like, there's a fun little caveat I didn't think of. So utilizing cupboard space, even extra bedroom space, whether it's under the bed or in the closets, linen closets. I've got food stuffed everywhere. So I've been having a lot of fun because this will be my first full summer because I came at the end of July last year.
Mike Kiniry
So gardening and growing your own food is something that you go over in the book. that you talk about and the work that you do. Florida is a much different place, as you know. What's it been like, acclimating yourself when it comes to the garden? Do you have a garden now?
Diane Devereaux
I do.
Mike Kiniry
Have you figured out that we're kind of the opposite of Michigan?
Diane Devereaux
Absolutely, yes. But here's what I'm excited about. Totally opposite the Michigan, you're right. But the extension of the growing season and then learning what I can and can't do or shouldn't do or oops, maybe I should have waited because it got too hot. I'm having fun. So yeah, first thing I did once I got the lanai set up was container beds. This, well, let's see here, in March, I put out my grow bags and my trellises. So I have a variety of things growing specific to the summer, which I have never grown in Michigan at this heat. So this has been a lot of fun. But yeah, I'm loving it.
Mike Kiniry
This is one of the few things that I know. Okra and luffas. grow great in the summer in Florida.
Diane Devereaux
They love that. Yes. And okay, so here's what I'm growing now. And euphorians can correct me if I'm wrong or guide me. Malabar spinach. because it's going to grow around 15 to 20 feet tall and I'm trellising it and I want to be able to go out there for the next four or five months and just pick what I need and eat what I need. I'm also doing Armenian cucumbers because they're going to be about a foot long and they have like a J shape to them. Okay. And they can withstand the high heat. So I'm super excited about that. And then, oops, sorry. The other is oriental green beans. that get upwards of 14 to 16 inches long, and they love to be trellised. So I'm giving those a shot because they also love the heat. And then I'll be finishing up pulling my carrots, the rest of my cabbage, and I'm missing something. Oh, I've got some basil that I'm going to be making into some pesto here. So it likes the heat, but I grew some over the winter. It didn't, it was okay. It wasn't as robust. I think it likes it hot. This winter was cold even in southern Georgia.
Mike Kiniry
No, this is as cold as we get. Your first winter here was as cold as we get.
Diane Devereaux
I was bringing those raised beds in. I was covering stuff. I was like, I thought this was like, yeah, it got down to 38 outside. I was shocked.
Mike Kiniry
Yeah, we might get a cold snap occasionally, but this winter was like several week long cold colds.
Diane Devereaux
Yeah.
Mike Kiniry
And you were still though, you were like, this isn't cold.
Diane Devereaux
You're going to laugh at me. There was a part where I was even. and laugh. I was getting sweatshirts on and jeans. I looked like you guys. I fit right in. It was cold.
Mike Kiniry
I would like to take a moment to reintroduce my guest. Diane Devereaux is the author of at least 5 cookbooks. How many is it?
Diane Devereaux
I'm working on my 8th.
Mike Kiniry
Eighth, okay. Your website was not entirely clear, so I wasn't sure. So 8 cookbooks, including her latest, which is more than just a cookbook. It's called From Seed to Table, A Comprehensive Guide to Gardening, Preserving and Cooking for Sustainable Living. She's known as the Canning Diva and is an expert on food preservation. If you'd like to engage with the show, find us on our social media. We're on Instagram and Facebook as WGCU Public Media. Where did the Canning Diva moniker arrive?
Diane Devereaux
Oh, that would be my cousin Amy. I was leaving my career in disaster management and sat down with my husband. I'm like, okay, what can I do to like be home, right? And use the skills I've learned. And so when we threw around this idea, it was supposed to just be kind of a fun hobby while I reached out to my cousin. I was like, what do you think? She's like, my gosh, you are such a canning diva. I would totally do this. And I went, the canning diva. And we just, yep, we had fun.
Mike Kiniry
So the book, it says, I think this was from the website, celebrates the rhythms, abundance, and traditions of each season to promote healthier, happier, more sustainable living. You've been here almost a year. Our seasons are a little amorphous here in Florida. So is this kind of advice still applicable to us here in the tropics as it is to people who live elsewhere?
Diane Devereaux
Yes, absolutely. And I'm glad you brought that up because I did write this book specific to both. Even though I was from the Midwest for 48 years, I really knew that my reach was getting wider and had a larger breath. And so in part, this was born from that desire to understand, not just read about it and understand, but to live it and understand. So yeah, there's southern and northern hemisphere growing, consuming the cycles, right? The seasons, that is all in this book, From Seed to Table.
Mike Kiniry
Where does social media fit into your workflow?
Diane Devereaux
Everywhere. I figured. That's usually how I meet and connect and answer questions. So Facebook, I have a very large private group called Canning, Dehydrating, and Long-Term Food Storage, and it's an international group, and then it's Facebook, I have a business page, Twitter, which is now X, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, you name it. You should be able to find me.
Mike Kiniry
I ask that because as we know, most people are on social media, but young people grew up on social media. And we were talking as we walked down the hall that there seems to be somewhat of a movement among younger people to return to more.
Diane Devereaux
The roots.
Mike Kiniry
Analog, if we can just put it more broadly. Are you finding a lot of people connecting to you from, millennials and younger? I don't know if millennials are young at this point, but the younger people, are they getting into this kind of stuff?
Diane Devereaux
They are. Between the canning and food preservation and bread making, kombucha making, yes, getting back to doing it yourself versus trying to decipher a label and then use an encyclopedia to even understand what your ingredient you're reading. Yes, I think we've the facade has fallen and them just as much as even us, Xers, Gen. Xers are going, I don't want this anymore. I can't trust it, but I trust myself. And if I can just get enough knowledge, I'll be able to start duplicating these things that my ancestors did and they lived fine, you know, and now we're doing it in a period of time where we still have modern conveniences. We don't have to give up everything, but Yeah, I'm seeing a lot of that generation, my son's generation even, just going, yep, I'm not buying it. I want to eat healthy. Or how many people have you spoken with that have gone to Italy? And they're like, my gosh, I've ate so much bread and pasta and I don't feel like crap. What are they doing so different? And then we realize, yeah, it's different here in the States.
Mike Kiniry
And I think there's a collective awareness that's coming of the role processed foods play in making us unhealthy. And gut health, that's another thing. Just the science that's coming out about our mental state is connected to the biome in our gut and things like that. And so what you're putting forth in this book and in the work that you do are ways that just people can follow that path better.
Diane Devereaux
Yes, absolutely. I mean, I wrote so much. publisher, my editor, she was laughing. She's like, I'm glad. She goes, but we're gonna have to make a couple freebies. So if, you know, you don't mind, can we take the bread making section and make that into an e-book? And then, okay, what about this preservation chart? Can we make that into a free download? So yeah, there are so many tools that I've created that you can start implementing these things yourself. And you don't have to do it all at once. You can pick one thing. whether that be canning or dehydrating, start where it works best for you. Or just start with a small garden, an herb garden even, and use heirloom seeds and collect them. And I talk about all of that so that you don't have to rely on buying your seeds anymore. You can bring your plant to seed, collect them, and then continue the harvest year after year after year.
Mike Kiniry
Do you bake bread on a regular basis?
Diane Devereaux
Yes and no, because I don't eat much of it. In all honesty, I just don't. But I mill my own. So the answer is yes, when I do, it's intentional. And so I mill the berries that I need and then I bake from there.
Mike Kiniry
Wow. Fermentation. Is that something that's in your wheelhouse too?
Diane Devereaux
Yes, making my own vinegars. I love making, and even though it's not fermenting per se, but my own vanilla extract. Have you gotten into that yet? That's so fun too. And once you make your own and you get to experiment with the various beans or liquor, you don't buy it again from the store.
Mike Kiniry
There's a show that's on public radio that we carry on the weekends. It's called It's not Splendid Table. Anyway, it's a cooking show. And there was somebody on talking about fermentation, and they were talking about a way to make butter using fermentation. And they explained it, and it was so simple that I just took the explanation that I heard on the radio, take heavy cream, put in a tablespoon of buttermilk, close the jar, leave it on your countertop for a week, open it up, use an immersion blender, butter, buttermilk. I did that. I continue to do that. I make my own butter. Good for you.
Diane Devereaux
I'm so proud of you.
Mike Kiniry
It's so easy. And I'm sure there are a million things like that we think we have convenience, but we're getting.
Diane Devereaux
What are we sacrificing?
Mike Kiniry
But we're getting processed stuff and it's not that inconvenient.
Diane Devereaux
Right, It's worth the small time investment. versus the sacrifice of our health. I, between butter, I make my own butter. I will say though, I have a harder time down here. Everything, all the milk seems to be ultra processed. Is that common in Florida?
Mike Kiniry
I've only ever lived in Florida. So I can't give you any context.
Diane Devereaux
So I have gotten some goat milk from a pet store, not gonna lie. I did. I was able to utilize that for making goat cheese. No, I still ferment. I just did some mango vinegar and I love that. I've been using that for marinades and with fish. What else have I been working on? I've actually gotten, I really, really enjoy making my own lotions. my own air sprays to kind of purify the air, bath bombs. So there's a lot that I do for myself to avoid shopping in the store. Don't get me wrong, I'm still a girl. I still love to shop. I'm still gonna wear my Chanel perfume. I mean, that's not gonna change, but what I'm putting on my body is just as important as what I'm putting into my body. And so that's probably been the most fun since I've been down here.
Mike Kiniry
I hope you don't mind me asking, but when was the last time you ate fast food? It's a once in a blue.
Diane Devereaux
Moon, but I'll be honest with you, no, it is once in a blue moon, but I still, I love Culver's, probably because they use tallow when they fry their fries.
Mike Kiniry
It's all the way on the whatever end of the spectrum fast food is.
Diane Devereaux
That's my fast food. That's the extent of it. And I still can count on one hand in the time of a year span. That's about all I eat it. It's just not pleasing. I'm at home a lot. I cook a lot. Now when I go out to eat, my favorite restaurant that I found in Inglewood is called Farlow's. I love it there. I could eat seafood there every day if I could afford it.
Mike Kiniry
So if somebody's listening and they want to try to get into the world of self-sufficiency and preservation and canning, like what's the lowest hanging fruit? no pun intended.
Diane Devereaux
I would start with dehydrating, honestly.
Mike Kiniry
Just get like a dehydrator, buy one, you know, it's the air dehydration.
Diane Devereaux
Correct. And what I've done on my website at canningdiva.com, I give everyone access to exactly what I use in my home. So what I use is what's in my store so that it's an affiliate Amazon store. So Get a dehydrator. Start there. Find ways in which you can incorporate that into your everyday life. And then if you are looking to start canning, don't start with jams and jellies. Start with salsa. Start with maybe even a pickled item like pickled Brussels sprouts or pickled carrots. When you start with salsa or even a cucumber based pickle, you can get discouraged easy if it doesn't turn out right the first time. So start with something that is successful and a salsa usually is, and then just kind of build from there.
Mike Kiniry
Can be risk with canning, right, if you don't do it correctly. And is there any, you know, are acidic things safer or easier as a beginner or you just have to really follow the cleanliness.
Diane Devereaux
Honestly, I would just follow a tried and true recipe. You have to work really hard to screw this up. You have to deviate fully from what is in front of you or just not follow the manufacturer's instructions when using a pressure canner. Those are intentional mishaps because you're not following along properly. But honestly, if you want to get into pressure canning, there's some, you can pressure can fruit. You just do it at a lower PSI for a shorter amount of time. That is a great way to get used to using a pressure canner, whether it's a digital or a stovetop version. Once you get past the fear, you realize it's not that difficult to do. And a lot of people say they get addicted to canning because all that fear subsides when they're like, oh my gosh, this is fun and it's easy and delicious. And so yeah, before you know it, you've got a whole pantry full of to be aluminum cans or now glass mason jars.
Mike Kiniry
And how long does that stuff keep? I mean, generally speaking.
Diane Devereaux
Three to five years. Three to five years. Yep, store it properly.
Mike Kiniry
Last question, you obviously connect with people online. You said you have the big Facebook group. Are there such a thing as local clubs that you know of? I mean, you're kind of new here, so maybe you don't know that here.
Diane Devereaux
The university extension programs throughout the country, I would say maybe the best club if you're new or if you want a local hands-on touch. I am going to be launching this fall some digital coursework, so stay tuned. Sign up for my newsletter at canningdiva.com. So if it is something you have interest in, at least digitally, on screen I can work with you. I would like to start doing some hands-on stuff. So as I get more acclimated, I would love to know areas throughout Florida that I could teach.
Mike Kiniry
Awesome. Well, we're out of time, but I've appreciated you coming all the way down because I've enjoyed our conversation. is an author and expert on food preservation and canning. Her latest book is From Seed to Table. Thank you for coming in.
Diane Devereaux
Thank you for having me.
Transcript created with Copilot. Please forgive any spelling errors or mistranslations.