CANNING

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-- to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

So glad to be able to blog another day. This poor computer seems to be on it's last leg, but still functioning today.
It's SATURDAY!!! I'm not gainfully employed today, so I have the time to continue working here.. cleaning, painting.. whatever needs done at home. I love being at home and look to the day I can retire from my jobs with great joy. It will be a few more years likely, but within reach.
Today is to be a warm one, as is tomorrow. Charlie has the garden planted and things are growing nicely. That reminds me of pickles...... ?? Yeah, pickles. When I was a child we had a huge garden- much the same as what Charlie plants here at our homestead. My dad planted cucumbers and my mother made pickles in a huge crock. I can still remember digging down through grape leaves and brine to get to them- oh... so good! I can almost taste them now!
Mother loved to can every summer and fall, and we always had tomatoes, corn, beans, peaches and jelly. Lots of great smells came from our little kitchen- and delicious foods all winter long.
I love to can also, and for a long time, I thought that one could only can certain foods. With the help of Mum many years ago, and the purchase of a pressure canner, I learned differently.
I've canned about everything and anything I could get in any quantity. Beef, chicken, pork, ham, about any vegetable or fruit you could think of with few exceptions are still canned in my kitchen today. I even can cake which is delicious, and cinnamon rolls, and brownies! I've made my own fruit leathers and jellies, jams, and soup. Once I even canned french fries! There is one food the children definitely turned thumbs down.. that is hot dogs. You just can't can them-the pressure is too great and they taste lousy. But sausage and kielbasa work well, and not long ago I canned meatloaf for Wendell so he could slice more uniform pieces off.
I wouldn't suggest trying to can asparagus, broccoli, bananas or watermelon- the textures get lost, and yes, I've tried it.
I bought my canner when the children were very small and Mum and I shared it. It's one kitchen tool I wouldn't want to part with unless I had another to take it's place. It is very safe and has a safety valve in case too much pressure would build up. It has no gauge, but a weight that controls pressures. In 30 years of use, I have only replaced one part, the seal. When I ordered it , they wanted to sell me 2 since my canner is so old. I figured if the original lasted 30 years, I won't need it for another 30 more, and by then I won't be around or too old to can anyway. And if I bought one as a spare, it would dry rot before I'd ever use it.. so I opted for one seal.
Canning is a lot of work, but the rewards are tremendous.
Have a happy and productive Saturday.. pray for us daily.