puttin’ up
In Appalachian and Southern speech, "puttin’ up" means preserving or storing something for future use - most commonly food (canning, pickling, drying) or hay for livestock. It’s a catch-all term for preparing and stashing away what you’ll need later.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
I heard about folks 'puttin’ up' hay often. Less people put up food these days, but some still do. Pronunciation
[PUT-in UP]
Meaning & Usage
- To preserve or store food (verb phrase)
Mae:
You done your canning yet?
You done your canning yet?
Earl:
We’re puttin’ up tomatoes today.
We’re puttin’ up tomatoes today.- To store hay or fodder (verb phrase)
Mae:
What’s he been doin’ all week?
What’s he been doin’ all week?
Earl:
Puttin’ up hay before the rain hits.
Puttin’ up hay before the rain hits.- General sense of setting something aside for later (verb phrase)
Mae:
I’ve been puttin’ up sugar and flour for winter.
I’ve been puttin’ up sugar and flour for winter.other spellings: put up
★ "Puttin’ up" is broader than "cannin’." It covers any kind of preserving, stashing, or stockpiling - food, hay, firewood, or supplies. It’s deeply rooted in a self-reliant lifestyle and the rhythms of rural Southern/Appalachian living. ★
Origin
Derived from older English "put up" meaning "store away" or "lay aside." In Appalachia and the rural South it became the everyday term for canning and hay storage. Recorded in 19th- and early 20th-century oral histories and dialect collections.
Notes
Still common among older and rural Southerners. Outsiders may understand "put up hay" but don’t always know "puttin’ up" food means canning or preserving.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "puttin’ up." Often said as "put up" in quick speech.