Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Do the Can Can

Reading my friend Sheila's( http://atticusfinchtkm.blogspot.com/2007/08/canning-and-revolving-door.html )blog this week got me thinking and that got me blogging. She wrote lovingly about canning fruits and veggies for her wonderful family. It brought a smile to my mind thinking way back to me as a youngster picking currents from my grandma and grandpas backyard in southeast Portland. My grandma in a hot steamy kitchen boiling jars ready for current jam. My other tantalizing favorites were her canned peaches and applesauce. My mouth is totally watering while I write. Then I looked into my cupboards and found this....

Store bought easy nutrition. It's not ideal but I don't feel bad about my inability to preserve ripe goodness for my family. Dole does an adequate job but what I feel like I may be lacking in my life is the time or energy to tackle a process. I am an instant kind of girl. Matt replaced some of our light bulbs with those eco-friendly ones and I get annoyed that it takes a half a second for the lights to come on. I like cake mixes and dryers and computers and microwaves! I love that God in all his wisdom forces us into processes such as cooking a baby or adolescences and life journeys like finding the right job or husband.
So in an effort to slow down and enjoy a process. . . I will call my grandma and ask if I can join her in canning this season. I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

11 comments:

Sharon said...

I know what you mean about those lights! The "warm-up" can drive you nuts! I've had to learn which outlets they can go in and which ones they are strictly forbidden!

Sheila is a wonder in the kitchen, and I am not. Fortunately you and I both married wonders, however! : )

I love the cupboard organization, however. Very nice.

Angela said...

Your cupboard looks nice and clean!

Unknown said...

It's the thought that counts...plus, why do all the work when Dole does a great job for you?? I am so not surprised that your pantry looks so neatly organized, did Matt have anything to do with that? Ha Ha!

LizzyG said...

Ahhh....you hit a sore spot with me. Every spring I tell myself "this summer we will pick strawberries, blueberries, peaches, pears, apples, green beans...etc." I have this fairy-tale picture in my mind of my children and I standing on ladders in the middle of an orchard happily harvesting fruit from the trees. And each summer, we get strawberries and that's it. I too have friends that are wonderful canners, and I envy them greatly :)

Lion Heart said...

wowo i too like the looks of your cupboard. and i totally hear what your saying when it comes to home made jams, apple sauce and peaches so tasty! luckily my mother in law cans a variety of goods my family benefits from!

Hosmerita said...

Umm, will you come over and organize my cupboards? Please? Oh and why do they call them CUP BOARDS? Do your kids really eat all those veggies? I am soooo envious.
I had faucet envie from the rub a dub post (which I went out and got one sort of similar pictures of my new kitchen to come) and now I have toddler eating ability envy.
Are those veggies in those fun sized containers? Where do you get them?
I always contemplate canning but then my bio-major husband tells me stories of botulism and thing if you don't get things just right. Knowing my luck I would end up poisoning all who touched my canned good.

Jen said...

Becca...

Your organized cupboards inspire me. Time for Jen Green to get re-organized. I need to "de-cockroach" anyways. Your crisp and clean goodness totally makes my heart happy.

Alida said...

Your cubboards are a hit! I too thought, "wow, what a well-organized pantry." I was once like you...well I still am actually. We grow tomatoes and bell pepper and we have a huge wild blackberry patch out back. We just EAT them, no canning.

I have however re-discovered how much I like to bake. When I was little, my dad and I would make cookies, then my parents owned a bakery, then I grew up and had kids and it all seemed so overwhelming.

Now that the kids are a little older, I really enjoy it and so do they.

Lisa Tawn Bergren said...

Ooo, to have cupboards like yours...fess up, did you make them that pretty for the picture??? I too, fantasize about having a cupboard full of home-canned veggies and fruits!

One tip for busy moms...you can make freezer jam with fresh fruit, sugar and a pack of SureJell in about 20 minutes. I feel like quite the Fabulous Farmer when I see a row of fresh strawberry, peach or raspberry jam in jars, ready to pop in my freezer or give away to pals. Not as good for you as plain ol' fruit or veggies, but it's SOMETHING, right?

So get thee to the store to buy fresh fruit, jars and SureJell and you too, can enjoy some "canning" success!

Atticus Finch said...

Okay I laughed so hard when I saw your post. I have none of those items in my cupboard. A can of green beans is near blasphemy. I have organic, frozen goods if it is not something I canned myself. You are so funny. Also I am completely eco-friendly. Another source of contention Steve and I have besides parking lots is when he throws plastic in the garbage can. I am Big on recycling. I am laughing so hard I am crying. Your cupboards do look very organized. My canned good are shoved wherever I can fit them. What a stitch!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love blogging!

Atticus Finch said...

where are you Glory Laine? We miss you.