Friday, July 16, 2010

canning or can't-ing?


Last week my son Mark hauled in bag upon bag of apples from the farm. He and Jill commenced to make applesauce FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME. They've been married not even a year and they made a very delicioso applesauce.

I've been married almost 32 years and while I can cook my face off, I have never achieved success in the realm of canning. It seems so hot and steamy and laborious, ya know? I once tried making strawberry jam and it resembled syrup. Come on, how hard can this be?

Tonight, my second batch of apples is simmering. Mark and Jill made it seem so easy. Mine's a hot, gloppy, sticky mess that refuses to strain. Further, it doesn't smell like July, it smells like October!

Maybe my aversion to canning has deeper roots. My mother used to can green tomato relish, a favorite of my father, who plopped it on his black-eyed peas. Blech.

I think I'll stick to zip-loc bags and the freezer. Tell me, do you can?

5 comments:

Karen Dawkins said...

I love to make strawberry freezer jam :). A happy compromise!

-d said...

"Yes" to home-grown tomatoes so they will last a bit longer than the season. And I love making homemade applesauce. (We keep the skins on.)

LPool said...

Yes, jams, beans, tomatos,corn and peaches and plums when we have a good year. I love looking at my jars all lined up and purty. :)

Barb said...

I'm impressed, Lyn. Maybe I should visit you!

Unknown said...

Do you have a Foley food mill? I love using it for applesauce. I freeze mine in freezer bags that freeze flat on cookie sheets because I don't have room to store the containers. I used to do bread and butter pickles as well. congrats to Jill and Mark!