🍓The man who bottled time🍓

Everyone wonders how someone came up with the idea of putting food in glass jars and putting them in hot water. Who is this brilliant man they say. Well, if you really want to know keep reading and you will find out. Because I'm going to tell you about The Cozy, Curious Tale of Nicolas Appert and the Birth of Canning.

You see, before pressure canners, jar lids that pop, or modern food safety classes (looking at you, SERV Safe ), there was one curious Frenchman standing in his little workshop, making history with glass jars, corks, and more determination than a Kentucky grandma trying to get you to eat seconds.

His name was Nicolas Appert, and whether he meant to or not, he became the father of canning-the man who figured out how to bottle time itself. Let’s settle in and tell his story the cozy way.

The Problem: Hungry Soldiers and Spoiled Rations

Around the late 1700s to early 1800s, Napolean’s France had a real pickle on its hands. Armies were marching across Europe. Food was spoiling faster than the gossip at a family reunion. And folks were tired of soldiers getting sick from bad provisions.

So, the French government threw out a challenge:” Find us a way to make food last, and we’ll pay you 12,000 francs.” Sweetheart, that was the 1800s version of a reality tv cooking competition. Enter Nicolas Appert-cook, confectioner, and tinkerer.

He wasn’t a scientist. He wasn’t a scholar. He was just the kind of man who would stare at a bubbling pot of jam and think,” now hold on, why does THIS stay good?” Hmm. Foreshadowing? Why yes, it is.

The Experimentation: A Little Heat, A Little Hope, and a Whole Lot of Jars

Appert started experimenting the way every great kitchen inventor does: pots bubbling, jars clinking, ingredients everywhere, and neighbors probably whispering about “that strange man with all those bottles.” He tried meat, vegetables, soups, dairy, even whole dishes.

His method was simple, sweet, and a smidge chaotic: Pack food tightly into glass bottles, cork them up like wine, seal with wax, heat the bottles in boiling water, and then? He waited. Days. Weeks. Months. Testing jars like he was auditioning them for America’s Got Talent.

And to his shock-and everyone else’s-the food stayed good. This man wasn’t just cooking. He was time-traveling.

The Revelation: You Don’t Have to Understand It to Change the World

Here’s the wild part: Appert didn’t actually know why it worked. Germ theory didn’t exist yet. No one knew about microorganisms. Bacteria were still out there living their best lives, unbothered and unnamed. But Appert knew the method worked, and that was enough.

He wrote a whole book titled:” The Art of Preserving Animal and Vegetable Substances for Many Years.” Catchy? No. Useful? Absolutely. And the French government said,” Alright, you win,” handed him the prize money, and the rest is pantry history.

The Legacy: From Appert’s Bottles to Today’s Jars

Appert’s bottles eventually led to tin cans, home canning, pressure canners, water-bath canning, and the sound we all know and love-that magical Pop that says,”yes ma’am, you did it.” Without him, we wouldn’t have shelves lined with home-canned tomatoes, grandmas passing down apple butter recipes, or small-batch brands like Sassy’s Jams dreaming big in their kitchen. He didn’t mean to launch a food revolution. But sweetheart, he did.

Here’s The Heart of It: Appert-Style Mindset for Today’s Kitchen

If Appert taught us anything, it’s this: Don’t be afraid to test, tweak, and try again. Kitchen wisdom grows with curiosity.

So, here’s a simple practice inspired by him: Kitchen Tip: Keep a “Curiosity Notebook”

Write down: flavors you want to try, jam combos you dream up, results of each batch, what worked and what didn’t. Even the silliest ideas can become your best recipes.

(Sassy’s Jams is being built on exactly that kind of spirit-trying, learning, and trying again.)

Here’s a question for the community: If you could thank Nicolas Appert for one modern pantry item, what would it be-canned tomatoes, fruit preserves, pickles, soups, Beans, or something else?

Stay Sweet. Stay Sassy.

By: Tiffany Pfeifer Co-Founder & CEO of Sassy’s Jams