so trendy. so timely. canning.


Yesterday a few friends and I eagerly stood around the beautiful kitchen of a wise woman and learned a thing or two about canning.  Our friend Allison is the mom of five and has been canning for awhile now- salsa, soups, and applesauce are some of her favorite things to make.  More than just the results, she loves the process. I do too.

With more than a few bushels of apples in our possession we took to learning about making and canning applesauce. For Allison the art of canning is a form of worship.  Taking something the Lord made, preserving it, and enjoying it months later as if you had just picked the apples from the tree or the tomatoes from the vine.




While we stood around chopping apples, watching them boil, then pouring the sweet cinnamon mixture into hot jars worship music played in the background giving the perfect soundtrack to our conversations about motherhood, marriage, faith, and of course, canning.

It was no surprise to Benjamin that I came home saying I want to can. I figure we can do this in my parent's kitchen which is much larger than our galley kitchen and it will be much like his beer-brewing. It'll be a process but a fun one and all along it will teach our children about where our food comes from.

Although my mother never canned I remember my grandmother having a pantry full of what she had canned in the basement.  Her stuffed cabbage was that much better because of the stewed tomatoes she used that originated from their garden, as were her stuffed peppers.

Not long ago I had one of the best spaghetti sauces of my life.  The reason?  I wonderful cook but also wonderful tomato sauce thanks to homegrown and canned tomatoes.

I'm hopeful I'm not too late to perhaps get some end of the season tomatoes from a farmers market, pick up some supplies, and perhaps can in the coming weeks.  Thanks to the trend that is coming back I'll most likely turn to fellow bloggers like Food in Jars and Simple Bites to get my through my first few batches.

I'm looking forward to the process.  It may be sticky and hot and will undoubtedly have my Mother telling me I can just buy salsa at Costco, but to me, it will be wonderful and I pray, worshipful.


3 comments

  1. I am looking forward to canning with you! Should have saved Grandma's canning jars!

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  2. Thanks, Aimee! I got some supplies on clearance at Target this weekend!

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