It's not every day you learn something new. Today I was lucky enough to learn to can fruit with a friend. Last year I bought a huge box of peaches. They were fantastic but in the end I had to throw many away because I was afraid to try and can them, having never tried it or even see it done.
Connie and I went to a local grower and each bought a box although I bought half the amount she did since there is now a question as to whether or not my lumberjack (I call him that now that he is growing a full face beard) is allergic to them.
She got everything ready and before you know it we had canned peaches! We did end up with juice and peelings and even some of the sugar syrup on the floor, but we won't go into how that happened! I couldn't believe how easy the process was when you had the right equipment!
My mother never canned but my dad's mother did. I thought of her doing this in light of all the specialized things we use today. We used the dishwasher to sterilize the jars, had a little magnetic doodad to pick up the tops of the lids, and a great lifting rack to take the jars out of the water. I wonder what she would have made of all this!
I came home eager to get started on my peaches but had to go out in search of jars and hoping to find a canning rack like Connie's. I guess canning must be very popular out here because there wasn't a pint jar to be found! This weekend I will be out and about searching for some because I want to can the peaches I have. I don't want to throw any away this year!
I'm even contemplating going out to a local u-pick place and get some more tomatoes and can them! I already put up a bunch of tomatoes in the freezer. Another trick Connie taught me. I wonder what my grandmother would have thought about that! In either case I think she would be pleased. She was also a quilter. I wish she had been around when I started quilting. And now I wish she was also around to see me can. I think she would have been proud.
