Canning for hard times

     Growing up in the 70's my grand parents always had a big garden loaded with numerous vegetables. Now I'd love to write about how I hoed summers away so you'd think I had a rough childhood but the only time I was allowed in the garden was when they were planting or harvesting. Through their garden was quite large it was more of a pass time for them.      Other wise I stayed on the baseball field and the hell away from all that hard ass work. By the second year of our marriage I was planting a garden of our own. I reckon I missed the vine ripened tomatoes, fresh half runners, new potatoes and my grandparents. I took for granted they would always be here planting, raising, harvesting, pickling, freezing, drying and canning food for the winter.  

     My first year gardening had a bit of a learning curve. I decided "the hell with staking those beans", "potatos don't need healed up" and "I got this shit". Dumb ass is what dumb ass does. I had such a mess going on out there that Mason and Dixon couldn't walk a straight line through it.  

      So I learned to listen to what I had been told years ago "remember the 3 sisters. I separated the beans with corn so I didn't have to stake them. Squash and cucumbers were planted to grow up the rows to reduce weeds. Potatoes were healed up till the bloom came on. Wow that year we had such an abundance produce we decided to learn how to can.  

     Carol's grandma had gave us an old wash tub she had used for years and gave me a rough idea on old ways of canning. Believe it or not we canned up a bushel of beans in 12 hours. I know that seams like a long time but its not when you don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out. Time is all you have when there's no TV to distract you.  

     Pressure cookers are the simplest way to can produce hands down, but what if you don't have access to one or no constant source of heat. A decent fire and a wash tub can be used. Simply clean your produce and fill your clean jars to the top of the neck. Fill your filled jars with water and a teaspoon of salt. Place jars in the tub with a towel between each jar and fill the tub with water to cover the jars. Once the water begins to boil keep it boiling for 4 hour. Let your fire go out and wait till everything cools.      I've canned in wash tubs, pressure cookers, ovens and col-pack. If there's a piece of advice I can give you its learn to ask questions on how to use what is available to you. I will over time blog on all these subjects but till then if you have any questions feel free to contact me. Thanks