Home canning is rife with horror stories, from exploding jars and moldy jams to — heaven forbid — the woes of botulism. As an amateur homesteader, I have made a number of false starts at home canning.

It doesn’t take a log cabin in the Yukon to homestead. And it doesn’t take need. It takes a creed. And that’s the impetus behind today’s urban homesteading. When it comes to food, it’s about eating ...