Canning Madness

Anni finally learned to make jam tonight. Only she didn't learn it from me. For two weeks, I've been canning at a frantic pace with little help from the kids.


I think it was less than a little for that matter. I still haven't figured out what possessed me to do it considering how long it's been since I've handled a canner. It started out with a batch of canned peaches and spiraled out of control to preserves,  anaheim peppers, green chile sauce, the free batch of pinto beans that turned into several batches and I'm about to break new ground into canned sweet and sour sauce because a friend gave me a recipe that I couldn't resist. But my continued late nights and droopy eyelids have been due in part to the lack of helping hands other than my own.


Anni went to an activity tonight and I learned they were canning jam. Had I known that they were doing a hands-on demo, I would have volunteered my kitchen and the girls could have finished the rest of my canning chores. Needless to say, that didn't happen and I faced a pressure canner and a motherload of pinto beans. It was a good thing that I was down to my last batch.


On the plus side, Anni proudly told her friend recently that our pantry is well-stocked. The downside is obvious. The shelves didn't just happen to stock themselves. There sure was a heck of a lot of work put into it and–unfortunately–the work involved was all mine.