So the costs for you would be your time, your equipment depreciation, your water, and the power/energy expended by the stove, correct? Will they supply the canning salt, lemon juice or citric acid, and the sugar needed? If not add those costs in too. If so then the total cost depends on how you value your time.

Is this something you would be doing anyway just for your own family? If so then the costs would be 1/2 your above total.

Bottom line is the $ value of the food you will end up with equal to all the extra time you'd put in? Don't forget you have to peel all the tomatoes, snap and trim all the beans, shuck all the corn, etc.

Personally I would probably do it simply because 1) I'm retired and have the time and no other demands on my time right now, and 2) I'm already actively canning and working in more of the same things is no real problem. But they can't set a deadline on me and they can't request special recipes just canned plain produce.

JMO

Dave

We do something similar. Our neighbor brings us a deer and we process it for him keeping half the meat as payment.

It works for us. We get about 40-50 pounds of meat basically for free and he doesn't have to buy the equipment or pay a processing fee (most places around here charge $100 and up).

I'd do canning for other people if I didn't have my own garden and had the time.

I will can for neighbors, family, friends but haven't found myself in a position to 'barter can'....

If it helps you at all - It's not uncommon here, several people I know will 'can for half' and often in this close-to-the-ocean community it's tuna. A big and time consuming job, the canner keeps half the finished product for their effort.

Just wondering, is your liability question about the safety of the final products??

Hcoon, yes the concern that was brought to me was "what about if someone gets sick." Again, I'd be making it knowing my own family would be getting some but it was raised as a reason why I shouldn't be doing it that the final product would make someone sick now or down the road after storage.

I don't have any answers, but wonder if the same liability question would/should come up in other barter situations. Like if you borrowed a neighbor's lawnmower in exchange for something, and they hadn't maintained it correctly and you got hurt...

Or what if you just gave someone something you canned and they got sick. Is that any different?

I think the possibility that someone will get unintentionally hurt by something we do or don't know is always there...

Yeah, told you I didn't have any answers!

Yes, you can be liable. Your duty is roughly the same whether you sell the item, barter or give it as gift.

That duty is mitigated somewhat, however, if you don't present yourself as an expert. The expectations of the person receiving the goods comes into play, here.

You have a duty to exercise reasonable care under the circumstances. Your exposure will vary somewhat from state to state.

Deborah

You might be able to lessen your liability if you label each jar with the processing specifics.

I would certainly clarify who is providing what (including what happens to the empty jar after the food is eaten). Wouldn't hurt to put that on paper so there's no confusion later. You could also include the fact that you have 4 years canning experience, etc., but are not a professional or commercial operation and that the food will be processed in a home kitchen (uninspected). I've had too many experiences doing business on a "handshake" only to have it bite me later. I just explain that a contract (even a simple one), protects both parties.

That said, if YOU know you're using safe, tested recipes, I'd go for that in a heartbeat!

JMO,
Deanna