I have always loved a garden. I was lucky enough to grow up on my grandparents farm in the rural south. My summers were spent pulling corn, picking peas, and running “tea parties” (AKA a canned drink and your choice of a moon pie or pack of nabs) to the local high school boys who were barning tobacco with my Pa. My Mema taught me at a very early age how to put up vegetables for the freezer. I am forever grateful to them for all of the lessons I learned growing up.
I continued to garden and freeze as I got older, and was always looking for something new to try. Fast forward to July 2020 . We were in a worldwide pandemic, I had a broken foot, and a blueberry bush that was out of control. My abundant crop of berries had already provided three gallons of berries for the freezer. I couldn’t bear to see any go to waste, so I went back out there. After picking for about 15 minutes, that bowl was full. I had never moved from the spot that I was standing in. The bowl was full and the blueberry bush was still loaded down.
What in the world was I going to do with all of these blueberries? I couldn’t give them away fast enough and had no more room in my freezer. I had read a little about making freezer jam, but again, I had no room left in the freezer. What if I made jam and canned it? I had never canned anything, but we were in a lockdown, so I had all the time in the world to learn something new.
What does someone starting a new hobby do first? Get on Amazon and order the essentials, of course! This starter kit is perfect and very reasonable. I also had to buy a case of pint jars to get me started. I had no idea what this small investment would turn into!
Y’ALL! That first batch was delicious and every single jar sealed! As the kids would say, it was satisfying to hear each one of those lids pop! That was the beginning of my canning journey. And this, my friends, was when I entered my grandma era.
Now I’d be lying if I said every single batch always sets and seals. I’d also be lying if I told you that I made that blueberry jam and never tried anything else. If it can be canned, I’m going to try to preserve it! Not only does it bring me happiness, but I am able to share all of my goodies with friends and family! They know the deal is that as long as they return the jars, I will keep filling them up!
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