Excerpts or Selections from Boomer’s Journal by Rachel Barduson of Alexandria
I referred to my Better Homes & Gardens NEW cookbook and began my journey. It started with, “Jars and lids must be flawless. Get all new self-sealing lids or rubbers.” Okay, so what you are telling me is that I have to make a trip to the hardware store for flawless canning jars, lids and rubbers. Luckily, during canning season there is an abundance of flawless jars, lids and rubbers. I also had to purchase the big metal blue canning pot for the “hot-water-bath” to ensure sealing of the jars. So far I hadn’t efficiently saved any money.
I was ready. And then I was reminded of a word that I had heard tossed around during canning season, BOTULISM. I again referred to my Better Homes & Gardens NEW Cookbook and saw in glaringly bold print, “Remember… canning food is a boiling water bath will NOT prevent botulism. However, it will prevent yeast and molds from forming, oxidation from occurring and stops enzyme action in high acid foods.”
I made a long distance telephone call to my mother before the evening rates had kicked in. She encouraged me to forge ahead. She explained that I would know if my canning process was successful if, at the end of the day, I heard the best sound EVER after hours of toiling over a hot stove during canning season: the popping sound the lids and rubbers would make when they were “sealed”.
Okay. I canned dill pickles and sweet pickles. The aroma of vinegar and pickling spices filled my kitchen. I bought dill weed and more sugar. My pickles were beautiful, and I properly sealed the lids. I put them in my pantry down in the basement. I continued canning in my own kitchen with tomatoes I had been given. I was so proud of them. They, too, were beautiful. The jars were sealed, and their color looked good. Twelve quart jars of tomatoes were lined up in the pantry in the basement, right alongside of 12 quart jars of pickles. I would tackle the pressure cooker method of canning next summer. So far, I had survived not blowing up my kitchen, and all my lids had “popped.” It was a good time to stop for one year.
The next test would be … taste. Forget botulism at this point. I figured I had overcome that fear once I had heard all my lids “pop”. The tomatoes were great. I used them for stewing and soups and sauces. My sweet pickles and dill pickles? Well, not so much. Sure, they had sealed properly, but they tasted awful… and yet. I couldn’t bear to dump those beautifully canned pickles down the drain. For a few years anyway, as I continued my canning seasons, they stood on the pantry shelves. Not blue ribbon, but trophies of a sort.
That first summer of canning on my own, in my own kitchen is firmly embedded in my brain. Canning had become a verb in my kitchen. I had learned a lot, I hadn’t killed anyone, and I had a good start on having flawless jars for reuse. I knew a little bit more about enzymes and botulism. And… until the next summer’s canning season, that great big blue metal hot-water-bath kettle could be stored on the pantry shelves in the basement, right alongside those first dill pickles.
*Blogger note: The “POP” that the writer describes is VERY important. Also, it is important to make sure that the top of the jars after you put the items into it are totally cleaned and dried. Use a clean paper towel or dish towel to ensure there is no food bits or liquid is on the top before you place the seals onto the jars.
For further information about canning check out the following websites:
https://www.freshpreserving.com/
http://www.canning-food-recipes.com/canning.htm
Church Lady Recipes 