For the past three years my long time historical friend, Shirley, has asked me the same question: “Why do you want to spend your time canning as it is so much work and you have to buy the produce so you aren’t saving any money?” I tell her it is part of the return to my roots and a new found interest in the work of a “haus frau.” Having grown up and worked on the family farm she just rolls her eyes and goes back to her book. Of course, she is the first to speak up for the final product, especially the applesauce.
First off, why do they call it canning when there are no cans involved? I have heard it referred to as bottling but I think it should be called jarring…which it is…in both ways! First off, my mother was not a canner, not that trying to teach me as a young’un would have done her much good. Secondly, YouTube videos don’t quit capture the enormity of the task. Thirdly, none of my contacts seemed up for inviting me into their kitchens as an apprentice. In their defense, I probably presented as a suspect student. Plus, most women here work outside the home and don’t schedule it as much as just fit it in late at night, if they do it at all. My best friend from high school, Christy, did allow me into her family effort to can her grandmother’s homemade tomato soup. Lord, what a hot juicy mess that turned out to be, albeit, a great way to get your kitchen floor, walls and ceiling cleaned. I wonder if they still have a pink tint to them?
There was one tentative volunteer, Aunt Joan who did her fair share of canning while raising eight children on a farm near South Shore, then on the family farm near Rosen. She was in her mid 80’s at the time and not really up for the job but intrigued by her city oriented niece who kept coming home “gung ho” for the experience. Maybe she felt some need to help pass on a family tradition, although she had already successfully taught her own children how to can. In hindsight, I think she was just being kind and, knowing then what she knows now, probably wouldn’t volunteer again. To make a long story short, unbeknown to me she is a neat-nick and, her kitchen will never be the same. She got the job done though and several years later she was quite pleased to assist me in my new “white” kitchen instead of hers. Thank you Auntie!
After engaging my husband, Paul, and learning to process over a high butane camp stove in the garage, we successfully canned 200 jars of produce last summer/fall. We packed up over half of it and transported it back to Arizona and California as Christmas gifts for family and friends. We worried about temperature management throughout the journey and only had to bring it into the timeshare condo in the Black Hills where we stayed for a week during their first winter snow storm. Thankfully, the lake house stayed warm enough to preserve the remaining loot during last year’s ice storm that took out the electricity for a week. My 96 year old Auntie Margaret is still looking for the beets in my canned beet greens but my pear and eggplant chutney’s along with my dilly beans turned out great! So now it is on to this year’s “coming home” canning adventures. I am thinking about forming a canning club…anybody want in? 2017