Wednesday, December 11, 2013

~Thoughts on Canning~

I previously blogged about my remaining apples to make into sauce, but alas and alack, those apples ended up in the compost. Thankfully it was a waste of only $6 or so. Kevin dumped them for me and I guess the apples on top looked semi-usable but the bottom apples were becoming vinegar.

So! I cleaned up my jars and moved everything back down to the basement to await for next summer's madness. My jar count for this year ended up being 227. That's my all-time record--so far! I will probably try to outdo myself next year, if I know myself very well at all. ;-) If you'd like to look at my list, it's up on the "pages" section under my blog header.

If this doesn't look like 227 jars, we've already gone through quite a bit. *smiles*
I am trying to think of a better way to approach canning. I love canning. I love having my shelves in the basement loaded with home-canned delicious foods. I love the fact that I don't have to buy tomato products, or canned green beans, or applesauce. I opened a jar of sauce the other night as I prepared dinner and inhaled deeply. Mmmm....

But, there's always a downside to something so wonderful, it seems. My downside is the kitchen in a terrible upheaval. Dishes that multiply by the second as I can.  My daughter who is not quite able to help but seemingly unable to entertain herself the second I get my canner out.

So next year, as I prepare to can, I want to go about it more purposefully. One can't choose the timetable for when vegetables and fruits are ripe and ready to process, but I can choose the time of day. I can choose to not buy as much so I am not forced to spend quite as much time in the kitchen. Having a smaller amount of something is not so horrible. It makes it more of a treat! I can choose to skip some of the more time-consuming recipes.

This next year we're planning on growing just as big of a garden. I'm planning to can just as much, if not more. But somehow I am hoping it will be just a little less crazy feeling! One can hope, anyhow. ;-)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Look at that pile!

Deb said...

Oooh, Tammy!!! Wow! Look at all those jars! You have definitely been busy. And what a good place to keep all your hard work. I LOVE it all! Enjoy that homemade goodness through the winter.

Tammy said...

Thank you. :)

In the summer and fall as I'm stocking the shelves I can't help but sing, "God's so good, to give us so many blessings!" We thank the Lord for this abundance!

Anonymous said...

Where do you get all the jars?

Tammy said...

Jars: last summer I bought some off Craiglist, and got some from Freecycle as well, which have both been a big help. Friends who know I can have given me some here and there. Also, I have purchased a lot of them, but only one or two boxes at a time. This year I only bought some "specialty" jars: 1 1/2 pint jars for asparagus, and the blue jars (I've yet to use, but I couldn't resist!), and also some 2-quart jars (for storage only).

I've bought a few jars from thrift stores and yard sales as well, here and there.

If you buy jars used, just make sure you're not paying more than $.50 each or you're better off buying new because you get the lids and rings with the jars.