LEARNING A NEW SKILL

I've discovered that if you make and stick to a budget, know how to stretch a dollar, shop and cook in bulk for the purpose of freezing or dehydrating food for later, plan menus, and have gardened at various times, then people assume you also can your food. If they find out you homebirth and homeschool, then they definitely have you in a "she must can, that's what those folks do" box and are shocked to find out you don't. 

It's true that I  do all those other things, but I don't can. My family never did and I never have. I know it's not hard, but it intimidates me, which I realize is completely absurd given that I spend hours in the kitchen and am comfortable there. 

However, last year I decided I'd just go for it. It's definitely something that fits with our lifestyle, which is why I don't blame people for being surprised to find out I don't can food, and I didn't have a good reason not to try. So I bought a water bath canner set at Costco ... and it sat in the cabinet for a year. I got it with the intention of canning applesauce (I usually freeze it), but the season got away from me and it just didn't happen. 

I'm frugal and don't spend money on things that don't get used. I lean toward minimalism and don't want things in our home that aren't earning the space they take up. Those two facts meant I had to can this year!!

I asked a friend to come over and walk me through a batch of applesauce, but she had a kid wake up sick that morning and had to bail. The apples really needed to be processed, so I decided to put on my big girl pants and just do it alone. I pulled out Ball's Blue Book Guide to Preserving that a friend gave me last summer when I thought was going to can and watched some Youtube videos (one, two, and three). Then I got busy!

I had the kids take some pictures along the way because I wanted picture proof of my little adventure if it was successful. I used my apple peeler, corer, & slicer to process about 20 pounds of apples from our trip to Beilke Family Farm.

Peel, core, & slice. Repeat. Repeat again. And again. And again.

My stockpot was finally full of apples and cooking on the stove. I don't think they sell my exact one anymore, but this IKEA stockpot is very similar to mine. I've had mine for a couple years now and I love it!!

Anyway, back to canning. Our stove has one large burner and three small ones, so I moved the apples to stay warm in the back while I sterilized the jars in the front.

Finally, it was time to fill the jars.

And wipe the jars.

And put the jars back in the pot.

The result? Seven quarts of canned applesauce.

And one gal who's glad she finally stretched her comfort zone in this area!

What's something you want to learn, but are intimidated about? I encourage you to give it a try! Whether it ends up being as great as you hope or something you never want to do again, at least you'll know you gave it your best shot. No regrets, right?

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