By Phillip Perrow
The Hanover Cannery has been a community resource stretching back 3 decades. My personal experience there has been a mere 3 months. Within this short amount of time, I have come to realize the importance of the cannery. The cannery is more than a commercial kitchen. It is a bridge to our past traditions, to our current food sources, and to our future generations.
All are welcome to the cannery. As a commercial kitchen and processing facility, the Hanover Cannery offers the use of steam kettles ranging from 30-80 gallons, prep stations consisting of stainless steel tables and large basin sinks, a blancher, a mechanized food mill, an awesome corn cutter, a potato peeler and three large retorts capable of pressure or water bath processing. Basically, it provides the space and equipment you need to process your food items on a large scale in a respectable amount of time at a very reasonable price.
The cannery has the ability to process your products in either mason jars (pint or quart), or in size 2 ½ cans (3 ½ cups). If using jars, the price is $.30/jar for Hanover residents or $.40 for out of county patrons. Jars are not provided by the cannery, so please bring the appropriate amount needed when visiting. If using cans, these will be provided by the cannery at a cost of $1.17 for Hanover residents and $1.32 for out of county patrons. All the equipment is priced at $1.25 per day.
Beyond the canning capabilities, the cannery offers a chance to preserve the art of food preservation. It’s a place where family recipes can become gifts. It’s a means to provide meals when the fields are rejuvenating. And it’s a chance to continue the traditions of a key aspect to homesteading. The experience becomes a point of pride as much as a way to provide sustenance. Canning offers complete control and transparency of what you put on your shelf and what you put in your body. And with the capabilities and efficiencies of the cannery, multiple batch processing, like you would typically do at home, is consolidated tremendously.
For any further inquiries or to make an appointment, please reach out to the cannery at 804-365-6484. Hours are limited for the remainder of the year, so appointments are highly recommended. Our address is 12491 Taylor Complex Lane, Ashland, VA 23005. You can also visit the Facebook page Hanover Community Cannery for more information and updates provided by the patron network of the cannery. We look forward to seeing you.
About Phillip Perrow:
Phillip Perrow was born and raised in Richmond, VA. His career in the food industry started at the age of 17 when he took a summer job washing dishes in a restaurant. His path led him to Johnson & Wales University in Charleston, SC where he graduated in 2002 with a Culinary Arts degree. Phillip returned to Richmond to work for Dale Reitzer of Acacia-Midtown and in 2012 left to open his own restaurant, Dutch & Co., with two other partners. Phillip left the restaurant world in 2018 in order to pursue other avenues connected to food. He now works as the Cannery Supervisor for Hanover County.
