217 Today: Canning is the new, old-fashioned way home cooks are preserving food — and an American tradition

Colorful jars of fruit and vegetable preserves on display. Canning gained renewed interest, especially during the COVID pandemic and remains popular.

Wednesday, January 3, 2024

Today’s headlines:

  • Nearly 30,000 Illinois residents complied with a new state law requiring them to register assault-style weapons with the state by the end of the year, but there may be many gun owners who did not comply.
  • Illinois residents are now able to file lawsuits against those who spread digitally altered, sexual images of them online.
  • The application for federal and state grants and loans to attend college is open after a delay.
  • The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team won at home last night against the Northwestern Wildcats.

In today’s deep dive, we’ll learn more about how canning evolved from the home to factories — and why people are returning to the practice.

217 Today is produced by Stephanie Mosqueda. Reporting today contributed by Mawa Iqbal, Lisa Kurian, Colin Hislope and Lilley Halloran.

Stephanie Mosqueda

Stephanie Mosqueda is a senior majoring in journalism at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with minors in Spanish and public relations. She is the 217 Today producer and a reporter for the Illinois Student Newsroom.