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  In 1982 my mother-in-law shared her knowledge of canning that would change my life forever!  My husband and I were newly wed and of course I wanted to please him and do special things.  My mother-in-law showed me how to can strawberry jam and pickles and after that I learned how to use the pressure cooker and can venison and vegetables.  It was the greatest gift she could have ever given me!  Now I can everything I can get my hands on and am always on the lookout for new recipes.

 

  I know several women who can but not to the extent that I do.  I can all of our vegetables (corn, green beans, beets, squash), pickles, venison, cream of mushroom soup, fruits, jams, jellies, sauces, bbq sauce, ketchup, relishes, etc.  I have heard several times that some women are afraid of the pressure cooker and afraid of causing food poisoning to their family.  I have been canning for over 20 years and we have NEVER gotten sick from anything that was home canned.  I would be more leery of the food in the stores than what I put up for my family.

 

  It took me several years to feel comfortable with canning all our food and now it's just common place for me.  I spend a lot of time tending the garden and then canning the harvest.  I even made my share of mistakes!  One time I forgot to get the lids hot before putting the green beans into the pressure cooker.  They didn't seal so I figured since I had already pressured them once, all I had to do was water bath them to get them to seal!  My mother-in-law quickly told me to dump them all....thankfully I had told her instead of just putting them away for winter consumption!  Any food that doesn't seal that was pressure cooked has to be pressure cooked again!!  But the joy of doing your own food far outweighs the fear of canning!

 

  It doesn't take a lot of money to get started.  The biggest purchase would be the pressure cooker.  I was lucky that my mother-in-law gave me hers!  But it will last forever and will only need to have the rubber seal replaced once in a while.  Most of my canning jars were given to me or else I purchased them at yard sales.  A jar lifter and a water bath kettle are two other purchases needed to complete the set.  Canning lids come in regular and wide mouth and I order mine through the mail by the case from Gardener's Kitchen, P.O. Box 322, Monument Beach, MA  02553.  Her prices are reasonable and with all the canning I do it is nice to have them on hand at all times.  Jar rings are needed also for the lids!  I use mine over and over and don't store my full jars with the rings on because they have a tendency to rust.  I let my jars sit overnight and the next day remove the rings.  If a ring won't come off easily, I never force it off or the seal could break on the jar.  I learned that the hard way!!  Kerr and Ball are two very popular brands of jars and lids.  They have excellent canning books available that explain the canning process and have wonderful recipes with the canning times.  I use mine all the time!  Another book that I find very helpful is Stocking UP by Rodale Press.  My book is the original and I think they have updated it several times now. 

 

  My full and empty jars are stored in my pump house which is heated in the winter so the jars won't break.  I always rotate my jars every year so that the older ones are used first.  I always check the seal on the jar and if in doubt that it is sealed, I throw it out.  I don't take any chances with our food!  In the summer the pump house sometimes gets too hot and that can break the seals on the jars too.  I wish I had a root cellar that would stay cool in the summer so I wouldn't have to lose any of the food! 

 

  I take great pride in the fact that I can all the food that I do.  I love to stand at the door to the pump house in the late fall and see all the full, colorful jars lined up on the shelves.  I have had people wonder why I spend so much time gardening and canning when I can purchase the food cheaper in the store and not have so much time wrapped up in what I do.  To these people I say....because I love what I do!  How many people do you know that can say that?? 

 

  It is getting to be time to harvest all the cukes so thought I would include two of my favorite recipes.  The Sweet Dill recipe is great to use on all those left over jars of dill pickles that didn't get eaten!  It's my husband's favorite!  The Dill Pickle recipe is a good one for people, like me, who have allergies or asthma.  I have a hard time breathing vinegar brine so this recipe is my favorite!  Enjoy and happy canning!!

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