Canning Success!

I, Rachael Hoffman, am a self-proclaimed horrible follower of complex instructions. I don't bake for this reason (all those rules about mixing dry and wet ingredients separately . . .) So, I've always felt daunted and a bit fearful about canning. However, necessity is the mother of all invention, right?

I've recently mastered freezer jams- peaches and strawberries, that we serve for our morning breakfast. These are so easy to make because you don't have to worry about the technique of canning, and we eat jam fast enough here that it's gone in a week or two.

And then, I dug up our glorious beet harvest last week. So many beets! There was no way we could eat them all in one sitting, and space in our refrigerators is often at a premium. My fate was clear- I had to learn to can. I studiously read the Extension Office directions for how to can, borrowed a water bath canner from lovely volunteer Sandy, and gathered all of the necessary supplies. And then, I got started around 9 pm Tuesday evening. (I figured I'd be done in an hour or so). HA! Well, at midnight I heard the most glorious sound- the popping of the seals, indicating a successful canning venture!

So, we have 7 cans of homegrown beets in our basement, and I'm looking forward to beets in January.