Because I Can

September Writing Challenge - Prompt #5:

Preserve

When Scotty and I were first married, he worked for a company called Back to Basics. They manufactured small appliances and canning equipment. I was able to acquire a lot of products for a discount and sometimes even for free! Because of this, I figured I should probably learn the art of preserving. 

My first ventures into canning were with a water bath canner. I bought the canning Bible - more formally known as the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving and got some lessons from my mother-in-law. I don’t remember the first thing I canned on my own, but some of my earliest trials were with jam, salsa, peaches, and tomatoes. 

For a long time, I steered away from pressure canning, but since I had access to free green beans galore (Scotty's grandpa owned a produce farm) and a hook up to get a really inexpensive pressure canner, I decided to overcome my fears of blowing up my kitchen and learn to pressure can (some produce requires pressure canning rather than just boiling - green beans being an example). 

I confess, pressure canning is still kind of scary. The noises the canner makes while the food is processing are quite unnerving. But I’ve come to terms with it and haven’t really had any issues. 

During my early canning years, I tried to can all sorts of things. I had a lot of stuff go to waste. I canned a lot of food that we ended up not using. Some of those things included:

• Corn (which tasted burnt)
• Carrots (which were too mushy) 
• Chutney (which I had no idea what to do with) 
• Peach salsa (it just wasn’t that good) 
• Regular salsa (I’m just not a big salsa eater, and after a few years of it sitting on the shelf, I ended up having to pour out about 40 quarts of it, so I don’t make it anymore). 

Some of the things I enjoy canning and am sure to use are:

• Berry jams (no peach, apricot, or grape - we don’t eat them)
• Peaches
• Apricot nectar (we drink it like a smoothie)
• Tomatoes
• Green beans
• Pepper jelly (but I haven’t made pepper jelly in years because I’m the only one who eats it, and the only way I know how to eat it is to pour it over cream cheese and then spread it on crackers)

With few exceptions, I only can what I grow myself or get for free (or very, very cheap), so there are some commonly canned goods like applesauce and pears that I’ve never delved into because I don’t want to spend the money. I made kiwi jam once, and that was fun, but I can’t grow my own kiwis, so I’ve never made it again. 

Canning is a hobby that I would recommend you only do if you truly love it and if it fits your lifestyle. Otherwise, it’s pure torture! There was a five-year period where I stopped canning because it wasn’t conducive to my phase of life. Sometimes it’s hard to set aside something you were once capable of and want to remain capable of. But taking a break was wise.  

Last summer marked my return to canning, and it’s been a joy to revisit this hobby. I try to not have too high of expectations for what I produce - I just enjoy whatever I’m able to preserve from year to year. This year I lucked out with a beautiful strawberry crop in my garden, so I was able to make jam. Then I had a decent harvest of green beans. My friend offered me some peaches from her tree, and my mother-in-law let me have free reign of her raspberry patch. By the end of the season (which is still underway), I could potentially have a nice stash of canned tomatoes. My storage room isn’t overflowing with rows of Ball jars, but I’m happy with what I’ve preserved.