How much is on your plate today? Is your to-do list already spilling over into tomorrow? Now, canning season’s here!
Time management is an essential tool when it comes to running a homestead or any household. Do you have a plan of attack for the perils that this day holds? One gem I learned years ago at a stay-at-home mother’s conference was the principle of first and fast. You take the task that you dread the most and do it first. First and fast: you attack that pile of laundry, and before you know it, it’s all folded and in the drawers! Then you have the time to scroll through Facebook or read blogs guilt-free!
I am thinking about first and fast as we approach canning season. Canning at its best is communal. I join my dear friends in Dix, IL for a full day of canning applesauce and apple pie filling. Or I’ll meet Joan to pressure-can tomato juice, but I mostly can alone.
Why would anyone bother canning foods? Have you ever walked out to your raspberry patch and picked berries brimming with juice and turned them into incredible preserves? Nothing beats it in the middle of winter spread over freshly churned butter and homemade bread. It’s summer sunshine in a jar!
You can save energy by not canning in the heat of the day if you don’t have a summer kitchen. I start canning prep early in the morning, harvesting the veggies and fruits at their peak, quickly doing the prep-work like sorting and washing the tomatoes and storing them until evening when the house is cooler.
Initial purchases include a water-bath canner, the box of canning tools, lids and rings and new jars made in America.
Canning is a skill set that takes time to master, but the benefits are outstanding! If you are on a budget, start buying one item at a time, but start! Let me know if it helps. I am here to help.
