Thursday 28 May 2015

Are you a Canner?

 
 
Are you a Canner?
Do you preserve food by placing it an airtight can or jar (Webster)?
Well, I am a canner. And a proud one!
 

I began my own canning journey in the early 1980's.
I was a young housewife and mother of four young children. Tim and I had just bought an old Victorian home on a double lot and we couldn't wait to till up a section of our yard for garden space.
We felt like we were homesteaders, of sorts.
We had purchased a wood stove to heat our huge home. We had planted fruit trees around the lot. And now we were going to become gardeners!
 
Fast forward a couple of summers and I could be found in my little kitchen (it had seven doors off of it) canning everything from our own homemade dill pickles, spaghetti sauce, vegetable soups, etc., etc.
It was thrilling!
 

Now fast forward again to the early 1990's.....
This was a time when Tim and I had bought out first business.
It was what we referred to as a Mom and Pop IGA Store in a beautiful, little tourist community in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, right on Lake Superior.
Needless to say, my gardening days quickly came to an end. Summertime was when our largest amount of revenue was earned. The community ballooned with summer cottagers and tourist. Tim and I were both working from opening to closing in our little grocery. We barely had time to eat, let alone garden!
 
 
 
Since those days there have been a few other business endeavours...
 But finally, once again, I happily find myself with the time to pursue that long lost love of mine-canning!
 
 
Today when I can I still refer to the original canning books that my mother gave me so many years ago.
They are from the 1940's!
I do always double check with the on-line canning guides to be sure that I following the proper procedure.  So far the 1940's guide has not differed
 with today's safe canning guidelines at all.
 
Well, enough said. Now I'm off to do some actual work.
Today Tim and I are canning the sausage that he put together for us yesterday.
And, who knows, if  the weather is agreeable I might have a tomato or two to can at this summer's end.
I sure hope so!
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Concerning my move to WordPress.
I have been informed that this old blog will refer you to my new site.
Whew, that's a worry off of my mind.
I'll keep you posted!
Kimberly
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19 comments:

  1. Hi Kimberly, in answering your question, I am a canning want-to-be.
    My range has a glass top, which I have been warned is not good for canning, but we do have two propane burners that we can set-up outside. Last year I bought 4 or 5 dozen canning jars. They are still in their packing, out in the well house:) Maybe this year. I did put up a lot of things from the garden into the freezer. I love the look of canning jars all lined up on a shelf . . . they are beautiful. We bought our little country place last spring and had our first garden last summer. This year we have more than doubled it and I really want the pride of living from your land:) I hope that you post more about canning . . . I am eager to learn:)
    Connie :)

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  2. I "can " lol, and I do!!!! I love to hear more about your life Kimberly and the next time I go see my John I'm coming to see YOU!!!
    I hope you have many tomatoes to can!

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  3. I have canned in the past, but not since my husband changed his eating habits. There isn't much I can can that he can eat!

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  4. I"ve never done any 'canning' but do so admire those that do it.
    Best of luck with the move to Wordpress, it is certainly a learning curve and you will have some hiccups along the way. There are lots of us that have made the change so there will be lots to give you bits of advice.

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  5. I did a lot of canning while I was growing up. My mother and grandmother put up everything you can think of and I helped every step of the way. As a young mom I canned a lot more than I do now. Now it's mostly jams and jellies, green beans, and specialty items like relishes.

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  6. I have done some canning, but really not enough to call myself a "canner" lol....though i LOVE the whole idea of it. I wish I knew enough about it to help my daughter out who is planning on getting into it in the near future. Thank goodness for google! Enjoy! And hope we get to see what you do!

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  7. Hello Kimberly,
    I started canning with my Mom when we all lived at home, and then for a wedding present my aunt bought me everything I would need, all packaged in a water bath canner, with a bow.
    I still use all of it, 35 years later. I have never stopped canning.
    In years past, it might not be that much but I have been making jams all of May. So yes, and we got really spoiled to our own food in the pantry. This year, I hope to use my pressure cooker more for beans and soups, so we can have our own fast food. :)
    Have fun with that sausage. That sounds very interesting.

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  8. I have done a little canning of jams , not in awhile though. I'm always a little nervous that I won't do it right and make someone ill but so far (knock on wood), it's been ok!

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  9. Both grandmothers canned, my aunts canned, my mother canned, I do NOT can and hope to keep it that way. That acrid smell, humidity, sticky jars, rattling bottles, and carrying all the jars to the larder spoke volumes to me. I do like seeing the jewel-toned bottles lined in rows... a beautiful thing. Eating it is a beautiful thing. Everything else is drudgery to me. Have fun with it since you do love it!

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  10. Hi Kimberly, no I am not a canner, but know many who do.Love the old adds, Blessings Francine.

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  11. Oh, your early life sounded like mine....we bought a big old house, 4 children and I gardened and I started canning but I was afraid of the pressure cooker and before I would feed it to my family I would give some to the dog to see if it was safe to eat! LOL!

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  12. I bottle, and have been known to have so many Agee jars of peaches, plums, apples, pears, and then the pickles and sauces, nowadays I do less and less, and freeze so much. You have been extra busy, and I guess that it is a short fruiting season up North. Good news for Wordpress, some of my friends are there. We have winter, the last 3 mornings a frost each day, and into the minus Celsius to start, even if only just below the ZERO line!!Merino in all its wonder keeps us snug and warm.

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  13. I'm not a canner at all. Except for a few jars of pickles in the fall. My late mother-in-law canned all her life. She had a huge garden and canned everything. She had way too much and gave a lot away, even after her husband passed away. She kept that garden going until she was in her late 80's! I'm glad you'll have time to garden and can this summer. Home grown food is the best!

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  14. I love canning and enjoyed your post... Loved the picture of your pantry.. Actually, I made fiddle head pickles this week. smile.. ox

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  15. Yes, I am a canner. Tomatoes, pickles, jams, chicken broth, salsa...I love the idea of "putting up food for the winter" like our foremothers (I don't think the forefathers had much to do with it).

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  16. I still do a little canning. Being there is only me, myself & I that living here, I don't need a huge pantry full. I still plant a garden and can tomatoes for sure. I do freezer jam from my strawberries & raspberries if the birds don't get them first. But there is one thing I always can and that is tuna. I can not eat the tuna from the grocery store. I do this outside on a propane burner so the smell stays outside, p.u.!!! Enjoy your canning, yum, yum!

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  17. I used to can. It was a necessity. I can if needed but we have down scaled our canning and freeze most things.

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  18. Kimberly,

    I can as often as I can, and totally enjoy it.
    We try to can all of our vegetables grown in our garden yearly.

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  19. I love love canning and preserving.
    Such a wonderful feeling.
    I'm canning jam for my son's Wedding favors.
    Have a great weekend.
    Woolie Blessings

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All of your comments are read and much appreciated.
You are dear and lovely friends!