This summer was the first time I had any desire (and time) to devote to trying out the business of food preservation. It's been an adventure, and I'll admit, strangely addicting.
I'm a total novice at all of this. Seriously. I had to google everything. If my grandmothers glanced at my google history they would find things like "what's a canning lid?", "what size should I cut my green beans?", "what's a water bath", "diseases caused by improper canning", etc.
I would be so embarrassed.
But along the way, I figured out three simple rules that saved my sanity.
(This is in no way an all-inclusive list of the rules of canning. If you want one of those, ask your friendly, local, geriatric grandmother. If you want proof that even the dumbest-among-us has the potential to can peaches, then continue reading...)
1. Keep it simple.
(strawberry freezer jam. Easiest. Thing. Ever)
I started with simple things like freezer jam. It has, like, three ingredients. I didn't have to venture into canning or any of that. Just mashed berries and mixed pectin. It's always good for the self-esteem to have a success to start, and I figured freezer jam is pretty fail-proof.
(stewed tomatoes)
Keeping it simple also means not trying to do too much at once. If the thought of canning 115 lbs. of tomatoes at once overwhelms you (like it does me...), then don't do it. I did a few cans every so often. Never taking more than a few hours of my time.
I also decided that this year, my pilot year, I wouldn't give a rip about how the end product looked. These babies aren't meant for county fairs! Lots of experts in the field of canning make the most beautiful, golden peaches, and pears that perfectly "spoon" in the jar. Not me. Not this time. Maybe later...
2. Strength in Numbers!
(green beans, apple pie filling, applesauce)
Always get together with a friend when trying something new or more complicated. It will do two things. #1. It splits the work in half. #2. Makes it a loss less overwhelming when trying to remember steps, temperatures, times, etc.
My sister-in-law and I tackled the green beans together. Without her, I would have a crate of rotting green beans in my garage. A friend invited me to help with her apple processing, and I jumped at the chance.
(freezer corn and strawberry kiwi jam)
Getting together with a friend also splits any costs. And it's tons more enjoyable. Recently, one of my best friends and I spent hours picking, husking, washing, boiling, and cutting corn. Sounds like cruel and unusual punishment, except that it wasn't! It was awesome. I don't think there was a lull in the
convo the entire time.
3. Use what's available.
(peaches canned with my mom in Washington)
If I had to spend a gob of cash buying jars, lids, tops, AND the produce...there is NO way I would waste my time canning. The only way it's worth the work is if you're getting food for cheap or free, right?!
So we figured out how to use what was
available. In fact, the entire reason it entered my little mind to bottle things is because Grandma Hurst gifted me with loads and loads of jars. (They have been sitting empty for about...3 1/2 years. It took some time to muster my motivation!) And then my own mother gave me her extra water bath.
All I had to buy was the lids, which were exceptionally cheap. The fruit and veg I mostly got from my own garden, Bountiful Basket excess, and from friends who had trees or
fields ripe for the picking!
(pears left over from my Bountiful Basket)
Now our pantry is full, I feel a little more domestic and healthy. And we probably saved a few dollars on our grocery bill. A winning situation!
