The Cannery

The Keezletown Community Cannery is one of the oldest community canning kitchens in the United States and is the only privately-owned facility of its type in Virginia. Located in the fruitful Shenandoah Valley in a small town called Keezletown, the Cannery first opened its doors and fired up its cook kettles in 1942.

After nearly 70 years of preserving fresh harvests, the Keezletown Community Cannery is still open! Individuals and groups are invited to use this community facility to learn how to can or to quickly and easily can large batches of fruits, vegetables, sauces, or other foods. Operating hours are Tuesdays and Friday 8 am til, and also by appointment. The operating season for the Cannery is from the first Monday in July until the second Friday in December.

    What do you need to can your own produce?
      • Your own produce and/or meat
      • Do not cut or peel the following until you arrive at the cannery
                        Tomatoes
                        Peaches
                        Pears
                        Corn
                        Any produce that does not keep well after being cut
      • Do cut ahead of time (for convenience/efficiency)
                        Celery
                        Carrots
                        Onions

    Specific Produce information
      • Apples - quarter before you come and remove bloom end, but you can leave seeds and stems (will be strained out)
      • Green beans - snap them before you come, but keep cold and do not let them sweat
      • Meat/Fish - cut into portions ready for canning ahead of time
    What to bring
      • Your own knives and peelers (Cannery has some for use as well)
      • Extra hands/help if you have a lot of produce - you must prepare your produce for canning yourself!
      • Your own recipes and ingredients (sugar, spices, etc.)
      • Boxes to carry the product home
      • Your own jars, if you don't want to purchase cans
    What does the Cannery provide?
      • Canning equipment and operators
      • Pots and pans
      • Ladles and other utensils
      • Some knives and peelers (but bring your own if you have them)
    Fees*
      • Regular tin cans                                                                            $1.00/can
      • Apple butter (tin cans)                                                                  $1.10/can
      • Apple butter (glass)                                                                      $.80/quart
      • Plum Pudding (tin cans)                                                                $1.10/can
      • Empty Tin Cans (with/without lids)                                                $1.15/cans (for those persons who have own sealer at home)

      • Fruits, etc. (glass)                                                                         $.50/qt.
      • Apple sauce (glass)                                                                      $.50/qt.
      • Apple sauce for freezer                                                                $2.00/gal.

    *Please Note

      • Tin cans and lids are on site and available for purchase/canning
      • Glass jars and lids are NOT available for purchase/canning; you must provide your own glass and lids
      • Empty tin cans are available for purchase even if you will NOT be using the Cannery have your own sealer at home

    User Fees - $3 per season per person, suggested minimum. Additional donations are welcome.
        The Cannery is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operated by Horizons Learning Foundation. Canning fees do not cover our operating costs, and we rely on donations to keep our doors open.
      • Individuals – Please pay as you are able per use of the Cannery; a minimum user fee per season of $3 is requested.
      • Groups - canning for fundraising purposes – Please consider adding an additional 25 cents per can/jar that you are canning.
      • Donations Accepted (tax deductible!)
        Accept Checks and Cash only- No credit cards

    For safety reasons, all people using the cannery should be over the age of 12.

    For more information please call (540) 896-7600