When the produce markets open, I think about canning. I was new to canning when I moved to the country. My grandma canned a few tomatoes if the crop was big, but other than that she did not can. I had one girlfriend whose mother canned tomato sauce for spaghetti and pizza. A couple times I was around to help her with the canning.

In my early years of marriage, it was trial and error. My mother-in-law and father-in-law planted a large garden. We always planted green beans, beets, onions, carrots, parsnips, lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I am not sure why my father-in-law insisted on planting such a large garden, but he did. He was not particularly fond of vegetables, but he loved the tomatoes.

He also liked cucumbers. My mother-in-law had a wonderful recipe for dill pickles that he liked. One year when grandma was too sick to think about preserving food he tried his luck with the pickles. He had a batch to share with visitors, and they were very good.

My mother-in-law was there to help learn to can. I also received a Farm Journal Canning book for my birthday. Since my birthday is in September that meant that I only had her help until then.

Later, I entered things in the Warren County Fair. There were some special prizes along with the premiums they paid. One year I won a Ball Award for my canning which meant I got a certificate to purchase jars and a Ball Canning Book. Another year I won the Bernardin Award providing me with another canning cookbook.

When I first began canning, I was getting jars wherever I could. We went to my mother-in-law’s aunt’s house to get some jars. Emmy was moving soon and she no longer canned like she used to so she had extra jars. I packed them up and brought them home to wash. She also gave me some metal buckets that she used to pick berries in.

A trip to my great aunt’s house yielded more canning jars. I had to go to the basement to get what I needed. While I was there, I also brought home a large canning pan, a wide mouth funnel, and a big spoon. Marnie was happy to get them out of the basement.

I purchased some tongs to remove the jars from the water bath since no one had those.

At night when my husband was milking the cows I studied the canning books so that I could be prepared when the vegetables and fruits were ready to preserve. I have no idea what I would have done without those little books that I won at the fair. They were like canning bibles.

Here I must confess that not all of adventure were successful. Like I said before it was trial and error. Sometimes the jars did not seal. I had no idea why but they didn’t. If they were something I could try to reseal, I did it, but some things only got mushy if you tried again.

Tomatoes were touchy. You had to sure that no seeds got between the sealing lid and the jar. Sometimes I simply used the unsealed ones to make something.

Pickles were my favorite things to can. They were not easy, but most of my trials in that area worked out. I made bread and butter pickles, dill pickles, mustard pickles, pickle relish, watermelon pickles, pickled apple slices, and pickled pears. There was a seckle pear tree at our neighbors and they always gave us some. They were fun to do because you did not need to peel the tiny pears. They went into the jars whole.

While I was canning pickles the kitchen always smelled so good. If company came, they always noticed the good smells.

Now I seldom can anymore since it is just me. I do still make pickles. I have a recipe for freezer bread and butter pickles and I have a quick pickle recipe that I use on some of my vegetables.

QUICK PICKLES

7 thinly sliced cucumbers

1 c. thinly sliced onions

Mix: (This same mixture can be used to make the freezer pickles)

1 c. vinegar

2 c. sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. celery seed

Let stand for 1/2 hr., then pour over cucumbers. Put into glass container to store in the refrigerator. Ready to eat in about three days. I keep adding cucumbers until the vinegar loses flavor. I have even used thinly zucchini.

To make the freezer pickles, pour the mixture over the same amount of cucumber and onions. Let stand an hour then put into freezer containers and freeze.

Ann Swanson writes from her home in Russell. Contact at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.