The Girl & The Canner (Part I)

My husband wanted his freezer back.  I had taken over half of the space with eight large yogurt containers that were housing all of my loose blackberries (they stay whole this way and don't get smashed up too much).  The trouble was I had threatened to make blackberry jam from all of the lovely summer berries I'd picked at the end of August, but felt very intimidated to do so.

When my husband inquired again about reclaiming half of our freezer and when would I actually be canning my summer blackberries, I hesitated.  Um, sure.  I can do that.  I said I would do that, right?  I guess I have to do that.  I'll get right on that.

In my typical Tammi-fashion, I checked out a book from the library and read all about it.  Ashley English's Canning & Preserving was a quick read and very informative, but it still felt like a lot could go wrong.

I would need to consult my canning guru and take out my notes from the summer canning class she gave me.  It looked easy enough when she was running the show, but now I would have to apply what I learned and attempt it solo.  My impending deadline of xmas eve was fast approaching and I had big plans to can homemade goodies as gifts.

She informed me not to over-think it and even told me a few steps I could leave out (like submerging all of the jars in the canner after I filled them.  She's never done this step and she's been canning for 50 years!).  This kind of reminded me of all the baby books I read after I had Grady - sure, they were technically correct, but I eventually had to find my own way and trust my instincts.  Don't get me wrong, you have to follow the recipe in the Sure-Jell package exactly, but perhaps I was being too hard on myself with all of the other prep work.

So into the kitchen I went with my book, numerous jars, lids & rings, blackberries, canner, tongs, jar lifter, potato masher, rubber spatulas, bowls, towels, wooden spoons, berries & lots and lots of sugar.  It looked like a war zone in my tiny kitchen.  I cursed a bit at the start.  I locked the guys out of the kitchen and told them it was off limits while I was canning (and thinking, as well as muttering to myself about measurements and steps not to miss).

After I completed my second batch, I finally opened a bottle of wine and took a quick sip.  Whew.  I was a total stressed out lady just a few hours prior and now I had this down.  I ended up canning 28 jars of summer loveliness.  All the little jars lined up and looking at me with their deep purple hues and shiny silver lids.  What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

Oh, and Steve has his freezer back.  Finally.