Deliciously Domestic
The thing I’ve really been able to appreciate about the screwy economy is the fact that there seems to have been a collective turn in this country to ever-forgotten principles of self-reliance. I love that the times ran an article about canning. I love that I see manhattanites clipping coupons and planting gardens. I love that we’re all saving more and making do with what we have. Hello again, responsible America. I’ve missed you.
I have been thinking lately about the idea of how we’ve all gotten used to so many luxuries that previous generations wouldn’t have ever considered. Namely, our somewhat strange demand that we have fresh summer fruits everyday of the year. I go to the supermarket in January and I get upset if I don’t see fresh peaches in the produce aisle. That’s starting to seem a little weird to me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the fact that I am not completely relegated to dried and canned fruits during the horrid winter months. I do, however get a slight twinge of guilt that I feel somewhat entitled to all these comforts. I think there is wisdom in reflecting on how everything won’t always be at our fingertips and that we need to appreciate what we have, when we have it. Rather than having the expectation that anything we want will be available to us anytime we want. This is why I’ve decided to learn how to can.
And by can, I really mean jar. Why don’t they call it jarring? You put the stuff in jars, not cans.
Behold! Strawberry Jam!
Today was my first real attempt to can jam. Amazingly, I was able to find a canning pot with a rack and Ball jars at Wal-Mart. The pick-your-own farms aren’t quite open for picking yet, but since strawberries are in season right now, I felt pretty good about heading to the supermarket to get some. The results were fantastic. I was so thrilled when I pulled the jars out of the water bath and started to hear the popping of the seal. I won’t know until tomorrow whether or not the seals actually held, but so far everything looks great. And the jam is really yummy. Straight up strawberry, but I might stop by the green market on monday and get some rhubarb and make strawberry-rhubarb jam for my next batch.
From a purely economical standpoint, I’m not really saving money. This mostly has to do with having to buy strawberries in smaller (more expensive) containers. Once the pick-your-own farms open it will be better. I’m especially looking forward to making applesauce, salsa, and tomato sauce later in the season. I might do peaches, but haven’t found a use for them other than making cobblers. Does anybody have any other uses? I’m also turned off by the fact that canned peaches are sugary.
Today I also bought a few more herbs and was pleasantly surprised to see how well my little window sill garden is doing. I have one tomato plant–which I didn’t expect to every produce tomatoes, but it is now flowering so my hopes are high–and the rest are herbs. Someday I’ll have a piece of earth to put them in.
Yeay, Hillary. I totally agree with your sentiments about entitlement. And now some thoughts about canning. Ann Morrow Lindberg said in her book “Gifts from the Sea” that housework is a drudgery but there is something about polishing bottles of fruit and placing them on the shelf that adds creativity to a boring job. About peaches. Definitely don’t can anything you don’t plan on using, but the reason peaches are sugary is that people put sugar in them. I think it is to mask the fact that commercial peaches are canned green (not ripe and naturally sweet.) Rick probably doesn’t remember this, but I canned peaches when we lived in Utah. I used half the recommended sugar. I understand they don’t last as long, but we ate them within a year or two anyway so it didn’t matter.
I know what you mean about not saving a ton of money right now. Derek and I feel that way about the garden. Huge initial investment. But I appreciate that, though we aren’t saving money, we are learning the skills. And maybe in the future those skills will help us financially. Good for you for canning!
The jam looks great. Tomatoes are wind pollinated so gently shake the blossoms and you should get some fruit.
I really like having a garden and learning how to can things. It seems so satisfying. And the self-reliance aspect is good too.
My sister-in-law puts less sugar in her peaches, then purees it for syrup on pancakes and waffles. I don’t reduce the sugar, but I blend the peaches with ice cream or milk, and voila! Peach shakes. Of course, if you are worried about sugar, that won’t help much.
Do you have a patio? If so, I’ve heard that if you plant tomatoes in a big planter (like 4 feet deep), it will have a strong enough root system to do better. Also, they tend to get top heavy, and the smaller planters tip over. Just fyi.