Woo Hoo! Canning rocks!

Okay peeps. Since my last post I have canned 3 half-pints of jalapenos and 8 pints of dill pickles! I am officially over my home-canning-phobia and I am threatening to can anything that will stand still long enough for me to squish it into a jar. So, maybe the stuff I've put up in the last couple of weeks won't get my family through winter - but I have overcome a hurdle and that has to count for something. Plus, it has opened up a whole new world of homemade gift possibilities for Christmas and beyond. Did you know that you can make and can homemade mustard? And did you also know that you can now buy canning jars that feature more contemporary styling so you can give gifts that exude a modern gourmet flair? Well, you can. So now you know.

I want to take a moment to address the roots of my home-canning-phobia because I just can't help but think that I may not be the only person in this great big world who has suffered needlessly from this affliction. First of all, my phobia is not rooted in germ-o-phobia. Let me state for the record that even though I may suffer from myriad neuroses, germ-o-phobia is not among them. I know of a lady who spent a weekend canning jar after jar after jar of glorious produce only to be wakened in the night by fears of poisoning her family. She tossed out every bit of most-likely-completely-safe food. Yikes. In case you are affected by the germ-based version of this phobia, let me just say this: There has been a lot of research done about safe procedures for home canning. If you follow the procedures dilligently - including checking to be sure that the jars have sealed, and including checking the food for signs of spoilage before consumption - well then I just can't see any danger.

No, my phobia was actually rooted in an overwhelming feeling of being intimidated by the procedure of canning. It just seemed like so. many. steps. Then there's the image in my mind of being chained to the stove amidst bushel upon bushel of fruits and veggies. Add to that the fact that my garden did not produce the amount of food that I thought it would, which left me feeling that I didn't have enough to preserve. The recipe for pickled hot peppers in my canning book called for almost 3 pounds of peppers to make five pints of pickled peppers. Well, I only have two jalapeno plants and even though they have been very prolific, I did not have 3 pounds of peppers and it seemed a little silly to buy that many peppers at the grocery store only to wind up with more peppers than we would consume in five years. So this had me feeling a little stuck for a while as well.

I'm not sure what finally got me off of high-center, let's call it Divine Intervention, but I was suddenly struck by the realization that just because the recipe yielded 5 pints, it didn't mean that I had to make that much. Yeah, I know. I'm not that great at thinking outside the box sometimes, okay? There are a lot of good things about me, too. But I digress. Moving on. I made a half recipe of the pickling liquid and used half-pint jars. Then I just chopped up my peppers and decided to make as many jars as I could, which turned out to be three. I was able to use my regular old stock pot and I actually used my pasta/strainer insert as the rack to keep my jars off the bottom of the pot. This turned out to be a great way to start out for a newbie home canner because the procedures are the same whether you process one jar or twelve, but three or four jars just feels much more do-able. Also, my only investment was about seven bucks for a 12-pack of jars and I saved the leftover pickling liquid to use the next time my plants are flush with peppers (For pickling peppers, the liquid was only white vinegar and water, which it seems to me should keep indefinitely. Leftover pickling liquid that includes sugar and spices can usually be stored in the fridge for a week.).

Yesterday, I pickled five pints of cucumbers. I stopped at five because that is all my pot would hold at once, but I still had a bunch of cucumbers left. By the time the pickles were processed and dinner was done, I was too tired to finish off the cukes. So, I threw everything in the fridge and started again this afternoon. And you know what is so fun about that? When you have 3 pints of cucumbers in front of you and the liquid is already seasoned and waiting, your creative juices get going and you start thinking about "what if I add..." So today's three pints of sliced dills included a cayenne pepper tucked into each jar for a spicy variation on a traditional hamburger dill. It's so fun! At the risk of exposing the overall lame-ness of my personal life, I'm going to say that it's, like, the funnest thing ever. Seriously! You should totally give it a try. Even if it's just one jar. Even if it seems silly. It's a skill that could prove valuable in the future, so practice now. You will be glad you did!