Can You Can It? Yes I Can Can!

I fell in love with canning back in 1990 when we lived in Rifle, Colorado. I had a really nice garden and decided I would try my hand at canning. I loved it! I was able to make pickles that my family still loves to this day. I could put up my tomatoes, green beans and anything else that came out of my garden. At that time I just enjoyed it.

Fast forward to present time, 23 years later. I still enjoy it. I love that little pop the lid makes when the jar seals letting me know I have another successful batch of food for my family to enjoy. 

I enjoy canning for several reasons. I love to garden and this is a way to enjoy the garden for many months. I also like the fact that I know how my food was grown and how it was processed. 

Also, I guess you could call us preppers. The way our country is going I sometimes wonder if we will have stores where we can just go in and buy what we want. I also can't help but wonder, if our economy were to collapse, would people be able to grown their own food? If they did, would they have the knowledge to preserve it?

Here are some seeds. From the top are green beans, cucumber and yellow squash. 

Seeds will keep for a long time if they are kept in a dry, cool place.

 Here is some squash and some green beans as they are beginning to grow a few weeks ago.

This was back when everything was just starting to produce. Now things are going crazy and I am having to check things almost every day. So my canning season has started.
Today I worked at putting up cucumbers. I had picked a five gallon bucket and they needed to be put up. Some were too big for pickles, so those I chopped up and made a relish for turkey salad and other things later this year.

 I also picked a bunch of squash. That one big zucchini is as big as my arm! That guy had been hid for some time. But I found him anyway!

So after washing, slicing a packing the cucumbers into the jars, they were ready for the juice and to be put in the canner. Now I like to use a dill pickle mix called Mrs. Wages Dill Pickle mix. I guess it is kind of cheating, but it sure makes good pickles. I add a couple of slices of fresh jalapenos to some of my jars because some of my family likes their pickles hot. The jars that don't get the jalapenos get a couple of carrots. It's just a quick way to know which are the hot ones and which are the mild ones.

 The top picture is the quart size. The bottom picture is some half pint jars I made for the grandkids so they could have their own jar just their size. I have six grandkids, so there will be more I need to make.

 
I know of at least one grandkid in North Carolina that loves my pickles!!

Here is a picture of some of the stuff I have canned so far this year. This isn't all of it because we have used some of it already. In this picture there are pickles, green beans and a few jars of yellow and zucchini squash. 

The pickles are water bathed,but the rest is pressure canned. 

Water bath is simply placing the jars in a large pot that is full of boiling water. The you let it cook for a certain length of time. For a quart jar of pickles at our altitude that is 13 minutes. 

Pressure canning is a little more involved. You have to use a pressure cooker which is fitted with a tight seal and has a pressure valve. The amount of pressure and time the product is cooked depends on the product, altitude and size of jar. 

It really isn't as hard as it sounds. If you can read and follow directions, you can can your own food and enjoy it for many months to come. 

 When we go to our place in Colorado, this is our view out the back door. I know this doesn't look like much. This was early spring of this year and things had not greened up yet.

When we are up there we love to go hiking. One of our favorite destinations is on top of that hill you see. It doesn't look like much. And it doesn't look hard. But looks can be deceiving.

The first time my husband insisted I needed to climb this thing was almost two years ago and I was much heavier than I am now and I was very out of shape. And we were starting at an elevation of 8,000 feet. We live at 3200 so this was a big change in elevation for us.

We started out in this meadow and walked on the left of the picture, then started up. It was so hard and I had to make several stops to catch my breath and rest. My husband is great at getting around and knowing exactly where he is so I was following him. Now myself, I have NO sense of direction. If I were up there alone with no compass or GPS I would be lost. There are mountains and trees all around and you can't see the big picture. All you see is what is right there in front of you. KInd of like this next picture. Trees and rocks.

This is the point where you have to stop, look around and follow your guide a different way. Sometimes you have to do some climbing. Sometimes the walking is fairly easy. Other times you have to stop and rest a few minutes.

But you keep going. You know that even the journey is tough, and it is tiring when you get on top the view will be great. And the sense of accomplishment is even greater.

Along the way you will some beautiful things. Up this high the trees get some fierce wind and lightning damage. There are some beautiful formations.

Then along with some of the beauty in front of you, there are some mountains, snow capped of course, that you can begin to see.

But there is still more climbing and hiking to get to the good stuff.

The first time Billy took me up there I wanted to quit so many times. I even prayed that if God would let me get back down safely I promised I wouldn't beat my husband with my walking stick. God did, so I kept my promise. We kept going.

Now let me say this. Before we leave for any hike we are prepared. We take water, snacks, compass, GPS, flagging tape, first aid supplies, pistol, etc. We are prepared. We know what this country can be like. We know it is beautiful, but it can also be dangerous.

The world is like that also. It can beautiful, but also dangerous. We are on a journey in this life time and God is our guide. We follow Him. He knows the terrain. He knows where we are going. He orders our steps.

I have been using a devotional book "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. The July 14 devotion really spoke to me and reminded me of our hikes in the mountains and made me also think of our journey in life. In the devotion for that day she speaks of walking along the path with God. This is the passage I really liked: "I could instantly grant you the spiritual riches you desire, but that is not my way for you. Together we will forge a pathway up the high mountain. The journey is ardous at times, and you are weak. Someday you will dance light-footed on the high peaks; but for now your walk is often plodding and heavy. All I require of you is to take the next step, clinging to My hand for strength and direction."

This is what our hikes are like. Arduous at times, but together we forge a path. We keep going. After a while we make it to the top. And the reward is great!

 The view is fabulous!

Don't give up on your life's journey. Hold onto God's hand and let him guide you. He has GREAT things in store for you. Just keep going!!!