Things My Mom Never Taught Me

 

 

My Mom has taught me many wonderful things, but canning was not one of them. I do remember as a little girl going to our neighbor's house and helping her or watching her can tomatoes. I have been wishing for a large garden for many years and this year my dream came true! Our garden has been done SO well this summer and is giving us many vegetables. We have cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, beans  (several varieties), corn, green peppers, and several different melon plants. We are fortunate to have our garden on the river bank where the sandy soil and plenty of rain has been great for it.

In the past, I have only canned tomatoes and made jam, but this year (with the abundance from the garden), I decided to do more. For the first time, I made pickles dill and bread and butter (see previous post) and also pickled some green beans. Both turned out great! I am thankful that my husband replaced our old metal shelves in the pantry with sturdy wood shelves because I am filling it up! The old shelving would have collapsed by now with the weight.

I never had anyone teach me how to can, and was honestly really nervous about doing it at first. I did plenty of reading and research on my own. You can find many wonderful websites on how to process and put away fruit and vegetables on the web. One of my favorite sites is www.pickyourown.org. You can find information here about where to get your fruits and vegetables, when the produce is in season, and how to prepare, process, and store your produce. I have also found many great recipes here.

Even though canning is LOTS of work, it is very rewarding and I'm sure will be even more this winter when we are still eating our fresh garden vegetables. Not to even mention how much money it will save us this fall and winter!

So, go ahead give canning a try. You may LOVE it and it is fun! Your family will thank you this winter!