What do you get when you put 3 mothers, 1 grandmother, 7 children, bushels of tomatoes, lots of garlic, basil and oregano, 40 glass jars with rings and lids and several diet cokes together for 6 hours? Well, besides a ginormous mess, you also get this:
I have been canning for about 11 years. My mother-in-law taught me when I was first married. This is probably something I should've or could've learned from my own mother, but I can imagine it is a lot like when my husband tried to teach me to golf. I just didn't want him bossin' me around and I guess I didn't want my mother doing it either. But since I have learned my mother and I have canned several things together. My sisters-in-law wanted to learn how to make this spaghetti sauce that I have canned for many years, so we got together yesterday and boiled, peeled, measured, poured and canned our little hearts out. Canning is not hard at all, but it is very time-consuming especially when you have little ankle-biters constantly wanting to be feed or wiped on various parts of their bodies. That is what is so great about canning with other ladies. Even when one of you gets distracted by offspring, there is someone else who can be moving the product forward. Ideally the best scenario is to invite a grandma or your own mother who doesn't bring any more little people to the premises, but one isn't always so lucky. We were fortunate to have my mother-in-law with us yesterday- even with her gimpy knee! She had knee surgery about 2 weeks ago, but she was a trooper and played "Mother, may I" with the kids and even would chop oregano or peel tomatoes. She is a canner at heart. And I think I am too. There is something so satisfying about being able to look at those filled jars on your counter and think, "Wow, I really accomplished something today." Plus you get to enjoy yummy food for a long time. I know I am weird; sometimes I think I should have been born a century ago. But I still have a plethera of tomatoes in my garden so i think I will be doing several more batches of spaghetti sauce and salsa. So if anyone wants to join me- you are welcome to. Just be forewarned if you do it:
A day of canning="left to their own devices" orphans=
12 comments:
ummmm....that's how my house looks all the time! :) i'll be there to help make your house look just as nice...and to enjoy the benefits of you teaching me how to can stuff!
YOU GO GIRLY!! I am super impressed with the homemaking skills...(in the kitchen)lol. I love that you totally enjoy it, I guess if I had someone there to help me along, maybe I would too. I am just afraid I would do all the work and my family would hate my masterpiece!! Cute family
I feel guilty I didn't help clean up the basement. It was great fun and next time we'll do it at my house so the little ones can destroy my basement. Thanks for finishing it up and I promise I will come by tomorrow to take my jars off your hands. Love you guys! Jess
I am so proud of you! I wish we lived closer, I would love to learn from the master. And I'd hire a babysitter for us. . . to watch the kids at MY HOUSE, while we canned at yours.
Ya, that doesn't sound fun to me. Do you remember when we made apricot jam from the apricots that fell of my tree into your yard? It was very nice of you to teach me how to can but I haven't done it since. I still have a million jars of that jam in my food storage. I think it's time to rotate. If you have a hard time using all that spaghetti sauce I would be more than happy to help take it off your hands.
I keep saying I am going to do the same. My tomatoes are mostly green still though. My baby arrives next week, so I may or may not get this done. Besides, I'm a rookie. I will probably struggle quite a bit with it! Yours look good though!
I wanna make some stuff. Do you think I can save enough money by doing my own spaghetti sauce and salsa to equal the plane ticket?
I am in...I really wanna do spagetti sauce, but I still need to do more salsa. HMMMMM!! I hate canning alone.
I don't want to can, but can I just have some of your finished product?:) Thanks, that would be great! Also, I can see the girls picked up the basement according to par for them:)
Way to go Kari! I would love to get in on that canning action if you are going to do it again. Or we could exchange a couple of my peach jams for your spaghetti sauce. Although your sauce probably tastes way better than my jam.
You're so talented... Could you do it for me for free?
I love you!
Peaches and tomatoes are my favorite to can. I love having them all year round. You forget the pictures of what a messy kitchen you have when your done-or maybe you are much more organzied than me and clean as you go. Way to go! I am impressed.
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