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all in New England is a beautiful time of year. It Appert started testing his methods by working with the French
brings to mind images of crisp, cool air, hot apple Navy when they were running training exercises. In 1804 he was
Fcider, and leaves changing colors. Historically, it placing food inside of metal containers made from iron and tin
signaled the hard work of harvest time – when family and then soldered them shut. Understanding the chemistry of
members, friends, and neighbors gathered together to mixing ingredients, he checked the tins for swelling over time. If
bring in the crops and celebrate their bounty. they did not swell, they were good to ship out.
Crops had to be processed and preserved to feed families But it was in 1809 when Appert observed that food cooked
until the next planting season. Long before refrigeration, inside a jar did not spoil unless the seals leaked. He developed a
canning was an essential part of that preservation process. method of sealing food in glass jars by heating it within the jars
Let’s take a peek at how canning processes came to be, how before sealing them. Again, precautions were taken as the jars
they have changed over the years, and why they are still could explode. These improvements to sealing and preserving
popular today. food were submitted to the Society and in 1810, Appert was
awarded the 12 thousand francs. He used the winnings to invest
The Origin of Canning further in his factory.
For centuries, people A preserved bottle As to be expected, Appert’s practices were copied and
have been trying to find ways from the improved upon in multiple parts of Europe. Although he spent
to preserve food. Some Appert period years working to innovate his method during the unstable post-
methods, such as smoking, Jean-Paul Barbier Napoleonic era in France, his factories remained unprofitable. He
salting or storing raw meat collection, Châlons en died a poor man in 1841 and was buried in a common grave.
Champagne museum
wrapped in fat in the larder
(a cool storage area), were Taking up the Charge to the U.S.
used to get humans through In 1810, Peter Durand, a British merchant,
harsh winters when food- received the first British patent for the idea of preserv-
stuffs were in short supply. ing food using tin cans to surround the glass containers.
But when countries were While he sold the patent to two other innovators in
moving troops in times of England, he later moved to the U.S. and obtained a
battle, supplying food for U.S. patent for his canning method in 1818. After
those on the ground was partnering with another English émigré, William
difficult to create on short Nicolas Appert, developer of Underwood, it is assumed they started preserving food
notice. Soldiers and sailors the canning process in glass containers in Boston around 1820.
needed readily available food Yet despite Durand and Underwood’s best efforts,
with nutritional value to keep up the fight. Thomas Kensett and his father-in-law Ezra Daggert
In 1795, the French people were embroiled in are generally attributed with bringing the tin can to
various battles taking place from the Caribbean to the the U.S. in a significant way. Together, they applied
Netherlands. The French Society for the Encouragement for and received a patent on January 19, 1825, for
of Industry offered a prize of 12,000 francs, provided their method of “preserving animal substances in vessels
by the French government, to anyone who could find a of tin.” The two gentlemen originally met when Peter Durand was the first to store
better method for preserving food sent to Napoleon’s Kensett was working with Daggert’s son, Alfred, as an food, raw and half-cooked, in tin
Army and Navy. engraver in Philadelphia. Kensett then married cans. King George III granted him
Alfred’s sister. Kensett left his engraving company to a patent for the container in 1810.
Driven to Win experiment with product preservation and canning The open container was meant to
In 1802, a chef and brewer from Champagne, France after being inspired while completing engraving work be boiled or someway heated
named Nicholas Appert started experimenting with food for some regional purveyors of packaged food. while uncapped, then sealed
to maintain freshness.
preservation by sealing food within champagne bottles and In a little plant on New York’s waterfront,
using lime and cheese to keep it airtight. By 1803, he had Kensett sterilized food in glass jars using an iron
made important adjustments, such as switching to wide- kettle. Because glass was expensive, easily broken, and difficult to pack, Kensett and
necked glass containers instead of fine-necked wine bottles the elder Daggett invented a process for preserving food in “canisters” of tin. Working
to contain the food. as partners, the two set up a canning factory in Baltimore. Their cans, sold in New

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