Yes, I CAN!!!!

I want to bring back canning!  Canning is in my blood.  I somehow feel drawn to it.  I feel a need to can things, even if it just means I'm doing it so I can pass out jars of goodies to my friends and family.  I'm sure my ancestors a few generations back relied on canning as their staple for winter foods.  Both of my sweet grandmothers, Joanie and Margaret, canned like professionals and my dear mom, Joanne, preserves peaches that are better and tastier than any other dessert we could have hoped to be served when we were little.

I'm always happy to hear of a friend or family member who is slaving over the hot stove to put up preserves each summer.  I've noticed, recently, that there seems to be a resurgence of canning,  not so much for the trendiness of it or as a hobby, but because it's so much cheaper than buying canned goods at the store and so much more natural than canned items with loads of preservatives.  Now that I'm a mom with kids who are addicted to all things sugary, I know I like being able to trick them into redirect them towards eating healthier snacks and instill in them better eating habits.

Fresh apricots are so delicious!

But almost more than that, I want my kids to remember when their mom brought out the jars and canning supplies.  I want them to reminisce about listening for the jar lids to "pop", signaling a successful seal.  I want them to beg me to can their favorites, whether it's pickled cucumbers, apricots from Uncle Tim and Auntie Julie's tree, peaches, applesauce or (and I know it's wishful thinking) spiced pickled beets.  I want them to come to me when they're married and ask me to teach them how to can foods for their families.  I want to remember times in my kitchen when the three of us girls cut, peeled, prepped and spiced up all sorts of fruits and vegetables while we caught up on all the things going on in each other's lives.

Spicy habanero pickled green beans.  Always a good choice .

I'm so lucky to live in the California Central Valley, even with is sweltering heat, of which many of you know I am not fond.  The amount and variety of fresh produce available to people who live here is incredible!  I  can even grow grapes, calamondin, apples, lemons, olives, grapefruit, mandarins, raspberries, peppers of all varieties and some seasonal veggies all right outside in my back yard.  My biggest problem is trying to find a place to plant another tree.  My next purchase will be a nectarine tree.  Oh, yes.  It will be mine even if I have to rip out concrete to plant it.

Beets.  They're all mine until my kids smarten up.

I'm not writing this post to give you the step-by-step instructions on canning because there are SO many schools of thought on that topic, as well as many different techniques, recipes and variations that it would take me days to cover each of them sufficiently.  Besides, it takes a bit of research, trial and error and personal preference to figure out which works best for you.  Heck, you might not even want to can after you try it once.  It's a bit of work and it's time-consuming.  I just want to let people know that it's not hard at all.  You can learn to do it if you just do a little research, and maybe ask a friend to show you how it's done.  Once you see it, you'll want to do it, too!

It's fun.  It's something that will give you a sense of accomplishment and, if done carefully, will yield a delicious treat on a cold winter night.  Do it with friends, have a canning party.  Let's bring back canning, not because it's trendy, but because it's what our mothers did, it's what our grandmothers did and what people have done for generations.  Don't let it be a lost art.





Next up, my thoughts on the importance of bringing back cursive handwriting.

The beginnings of what will, hopefully, be amazing spiced cranberry applesauce.