Canning season is about finished. I hadn’t realized how much I have missed it the past few years. It gives me the feeling that I am helping provide for my family and reminds me of thousands of moments that are near and dear to my heart. I feel close to my grandmother and so many others whom I have canned with. I have many amazing memories with amazing people!
Canning is also a very therapeutic activity for me. Yes, it can be a project that takes many hours, days, and weeks, and I get to a point that I am ready to be done. Since the fall of 2020 until the current year, I have not canned near as much as I usually do or would like to do. It was very difficult to want to can March of 2020 when we knew we were moving. The following couple years we slept in a fifth wheel and lived in our barn. The process of canning in a barn made it very difficult to even want to do. BUT this year I have a kitchen again, and so I’m back to canning. I’ve enjoyed the process so much this year as I’ve worked through emotions that I’d kept bottled up the past couple years. Even with other things piling up and in other areas I’m getting so behind, but I needed this year of canning.
The other day, Brock was questioning if it saved us money for me to can. I had sent him on a run to buy more canning jars, and they were expensive…like everything else.. I have 100s of jars, but they are all packed and I don’t know where to even look. I told Brock that in the long run yes, it is cheaper than buying at the store. Plus, I know what goes into them and it is carrying on a long family tradition. Which is extremely important to me to keep alive.
Oh, the memories I have from around a canner! I have canned with older women who share their stories and memories and the way they process their produce. I can remember canning so many pickles with a woman by the name of Ruth and the love she put into each jar! She made a significant impact on both Brad and me. I remember canning peaches with her, and she did not care what the finished product looked like as long as the produce was in the jar. It was so hard to watch her can like that because I try hard to make sure all the middles of the peaches or pears are facing inward and all you can see is the outsides. It makes for a beautiful jar of peaches or pears that way!
I remember canning with my mom and grandmother, laughing and having peach juice dripping off my elbows. I remember canning with my mom and sister when Brock broke his collarbone and they had to finish without me. I remember using Marco Polo to show my family the batch of jelly I was making and dropping my cell phone in the saucepan. I have canned with my mom so many times, and I have loved each one.
Brad and I have canned together, but I was never able to can with his grandmother. We put a peach pit in each of our peach jars because of Grandma Mary though. She said the water and processing would take the pink or red out of the pit and make the jar more colorful and pretty. She hated it when I did green beans!! I would get a lecture from her every time on how to be careful with a pressure cooker. The pressure cooker scared her and she did not like that I was comfortable even trying it.
I have canned with friends both old and new. I have learned different ways to do things and canned new items. I have learned the “right way” to can crisp pickles and have tried new items that I’ve never dreamt of…. raspberry jalapeños jelly is delicious!! I have built some amazing friendships around canning and met some crazy people. Just today I bought 78 jars from the Facebook Marketplace for less than $1 a jar. I call that a win! The older couple I bought them from were hilarious. They said they had some pint jars and were selling them for 50 cents each. I said that would be great, and thanked them. They then informed me that some of them are still full of chokecherry syrup and it’s 10 years old. After I left, I just laughed. I would never sell jars that were still full and have someone else deal with their content. LOL
It is currently 12:30am and I am processing the second batch of peaches for the day. I have done this many nights during my canning career. I am crazy for being up so late, but it is so worth it. Canning is an amazing tradition that has been passed down on both sides of my kids’ families. It is something that gives me a sense of accomplishment and something that I am proud of. I am not 100% on my ankle so I am scooting around on my scooter with peach juice dripping down my arms, and I’m loving every minute of it. I have a few more peaches to can and maybe some pears, green chili, and corn. But we will see what gets done. I will can until I can no longer can and I hope and pray that I can pass the love of this tradition onto my children. The memories, the traditions, the love, and the passion are so worth the fruits of our labor.
