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Canneries — Past & Present
In the 1940s, most counties in Virginia had a community cannery. Many counties — including ours — had more than one. Now only a handful of counties have canneries.
Our cannery currently is used by individuals to can homegrown or purchased meats,fruits and vegetables. Several charities also use the cannery for fundraisers, the proceeds of which support many community needs. We hope to expand the use of the cannery and upgrade facilities so that it can be used both as a community and a small-scale commercial kitchen.
Benefits include:
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Creating value-added products by small famers and businesses
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Increasing the availability of locally grown food
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Helping youth learn more about food preparation and healthy diets
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Providing a place to record and retain local history and foodways through the Riner Branch of the Montgomery Museum
For a list of all community canneries in Virginia that are known to Virginia Tech, please click here.
In the Future
We hope to expand hours and add equipment as resources become available. We will need support and involvement for this to happen. Please let the Cannery Working Group know what improvements and changes you would like to see. If you would like to help us preserve and improve the cannery, please contact the Cannery Working Group.
To view an informational video about the cannery, please click here.
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