Monday, October 24, 2011
Rubberbands
After shopping at my local farm market for most of the growing season this year, the only thing I missed from the supermarket were the rubberbands that are wrapped around the broccoli. They are great for childproofing cabinet doors.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Canning
On a recent Saturday night, I spent the night canning my first batch of tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes from my garden. While other thirty somethings were throwing dinner parties, out on the town or parked in front of the TV, I chose to spend the few precious hours I have after my kids go to bed stirring bubbling red sauce, then waiting for the notorious pop of the canning lids.
Canning seems to be popular again. Is it the dreadful state of the U.S. economy or the many natural disasters in recent news? Regardless of the cause, it is wonderful to see such a time honored tradition come back to life.
My first experience with canning was my mother using her pressure canner for venison, then later apple sauce and peaches. Intrigued and intimidated by the pressure canner, I took a class at the local Cornell Cooperative Extension where they walked us through both the pressure canner and the water bath canner and supplied us with the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, the best starter canning book you can buy for $5.99. I am still intimidated by the pressure canner and stick to my water bath canner since I only like to can high-acid foods like fruits and tomatoes. Maybe someday I'll break down and buy a pressure canner, but probably not anytime soon. The simple boiling pot of water works for me.
Canning is not just preserving your food, it is a sense of pride every time you open a jar knowing that your hard work goes into every spoonful. It is a reminder of our grandmothers canning to survive a hard northeast winter and knowing what is in the food on my kids' plates. Most importantly, it is passing on this tradition to my daughter who loves to help and especially loves the sweet rewards a few months later.
Check out the Ball website for more information about canning at freshpreserving.com.
Happy Canning!
Canning seems to be popular again. Is it the dreadful state of the U.S. economy or the many natural disasters in recent news? Regardless of the cause, it is wonderful to see such a time honored tradition come back to life.
My first experience with canning was my mother using her pressure canner for venison, then later apple sauce and peaches. Intrigued and intimidated by the pressure canner, I took a class at the local Cornell Cooperative Extension where they walked us through both the pressure canner and the water bath canner and supplied us with the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving, the best starter canning book you can buy for $5.99. I am still intimidated by the pressure canner and stick to my water bath canner since I only like to can high-acid foods like fruits and tomatoes. Maybe someday I'll break down and buy a pressure canner, but probably not anytime soon. The simple boiling pot of water works for me.
Canning is not just preserving your food, it is a sense of pride every time you open a jar knowing that your hard work goes into every spoonful. It is a reminder of our grandmothers canning to survive a hard northeast winter and knowing what is in the food on my kids' plates. Most importantly, it is passing on this tradition to my daughter who loves to help and especially loves the sweet rewards a few months later.
Check out the Ball website for more information about canning at freshpreserving.com.
Happy Canning!
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