Because I Can

I am a canner. Not physically, obviously, though I somewhat resemble a big round can right now. Especially if I wear black.

I like to can stuff. I always wonder why they call it “canning” when you use jars. I guess saying, “I’m going to jar some peaches” doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.

I didn’t grow up with this love of canning (or preserving, if you will). Grew up in a small town with nary a farm to be seen. Moved to the Big City of Vancouver, and still no farms (at least downtown). Plus, I was too busy enjoying city life.

When we moved here, it was a whole new world. Farms are everywhere, as are fruit stands. The first summer I was working, a co-worker told me she was going to be canning peaches. I was intrigued. I love to learn new things. I chatted with her about it, then went home and consulted my friend the Internet for instructions. Went to Wal-Mart and bought the big black canner, some jars, lids and tools.

My in-laws have a neighbour on one side who grows peaches, and a neighbour on the other side who grows apples. I bought a box of peaches and went to work. When all was said and done, and the jars were lined up like little soldiers, I was a proud woman. I wanted to do MORE! I decided to branch out into applesauce. Yummy! I also made salsa that year.

Those were my three standards for a few years. I haven’t tried jam yet, because we don’t eat much of the stuff. Two years ago I made antipasto with Karen. It’s the “Best of Bridge” recipe and is beyond fantastic. I think I’ll put the Recipe on our Disaster site later – I really need to get some recipes on there.

Last year my canning season never happened, due to the fire. We were out of our house and out of sorts, so I didn’t bother.

This year, I had great intentions. I bought a box of peaches from Dad’s neighbour. Matthew & Graham started eating them like they were going out of style. Then we made our extended trip to the United States of Outlet Shopping. By the time we got back, some of the peaches had turned. The ones that remained just stayed in the fridge to eat. Matthew went to pick me up some more the other day, but they had sold the last peaches the day before. So, no peaches this year.

Dad also brought me some fallen apples from his other neighbour, which I had put downstairs. We brought them up on the weekend, and let’s just say they weren’t too pretty. The chickens enjoyed them though. I still may make some applesauce. My good friend Amanda had a poor canning experience this weekend and vowed to never do it again, but maybe I can sway her with an applesauce party. She lives on an apple orchard, after all…and has a baby girl who will be eating solids before we know it

Yesterday morning the boys and I headed into town and got the makings for antipasto. I thought it would be a good one for me to make, considering my track record this year. It’s made from all canned (jarred?) goods. I could chop at my leisure, and then put the ingredients back in the fridge, to be preserved when it would work for me.

In true Angella style, I chopped everything yesterday afternoon. Can I just say that the mini chopper from Pampered Chef is fantastic? Last time we cut everything by hand (olives, pickles, mushrooms, pickled onions, etc.) The chopper made it FAST and easy. Here’s the array of ingredients (excuse the bad lighting):

I put everything in the fridge with the intention to can it on Nathan’s nap today. After supper, Matthew took the boys on a quad ride, so I decided to leap into action. Here is the final result:

When they were done, I had that proud feeling swell in my chest. It was accompanied by lower backache and some “irritation” in my belly area. I lay motionless on the couch for the rest of the evening. But don’t they look just swell?