West Virginians have been preserving food for a long time, and still do today. Traditional methods include salting, smoking, pickling, and drying. Common preserved foods are leather britches (dried beans), sulphured apples, smoked ham, canned green beans, and sauerkraut. These techniques helped people store food from summer gardens, fall hunting, and winter hog killing.

Canning and freezing, which started more recently, also are popular. Canning involves sealing food in glass jars, while freezing became common after electricity was introduced. Potatoes were stored in cool, dry places, and corn was preserved as grits, cornmeal, or dried corn. Before electricity, ice houses helped keep food cold.

These methods allowed people to enjoy food year-round, even when it wasn't in season.