by My homeschooling friend and I got together today and canned pickles four different ways–bread and butter, dill, refrigerator dill and pickled okra. Mmmm. Our next canning day is later in August with peach lemonade concentrate up for processing!
My mom always had a neat way of comparing canning to Christianity. Life’s pressures and how they hone us. So many things are important in canning: clean hot jars, veggies/fruits need to be softened, air bubbles need dissipated, lids need to seal so the contents will stay preserved…the water in the canner needs to be boiling, and pints and quarts have to cook for certain lengths of time. All that pressure in these combinations result in a good product.
Today my friend and I had one jar break while canning…the glass bottom just blew off and all the okra in that pint went to waste. It happens. Not sure what went wrong, perhaps it was just a weak jar or maybe we filled it too full.
What causes a Christian to stumble downhill…weakness during testing? Discouragement? Pride?
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
That follows with one of the quotes from the Dean of Students at my college which referred to each Christian is a tea bag– you don’t see what’s inside until they are in hot water!
Very good quote! Thanks for sharing it!
Hi, Good Morning!
I know all about caving under pressure. Unfortunately, I’ve failed several tests that have come my way!
Thanks be to God for his Mercy and Grace!
Being a city girl, I don’t know anything about canning. However, we are living in my husband’s hometown now…Country, Country, Country! Canning it’s very popular here (a necessity). A lady at church has offered to help me learn to “can”. SO, I’m looking forward to her lessons!
thanks for sharing your analogy about Christianity! and thanks for the encouraging words you left at my site! Going to go wake the girls… 🙂
Wow! What an analogy. Thanks for this thought.
Thank you for stopping by!
What a nice way of summing it all up. I love the Biblical quote too!
Thanks, Geri, it’s good to remember under pressure…and I’m getting a lot of practice in “Considering it joy” this week!
Canning is such a great skill to learn. New generations are loosing that art. Last month my grandfather told me that in the 50s they canned a lot of meat. There were no fridges or in most cases no power in rual areas in those days. So there’s something eles you can try lol. I do like home canned pickles though. Nice blog.
Thanks, Keith! You know, many families in our area were without power for 2 weeks back in December, and it really got me to thinking about how ill prepared my generation is for “roughing it”…what would we have done without gas for our generators? Or w/o generators? Thankfully, our power never went out, but still, I know I’d like to sometime learn about canning meats! I don’t even own a pressure canner, maybe I should keep my eye open for one. Never know when it might come in handy. Of course, worse case scenario, how does one can over a campfire? Lol.
I don’t really know anything about canning meat either. My Grandfather did mention chickens. On the farm the family would eat the youngest first during the winter. In Canada here they kept well frozen then in the spring when they thawed out you canned the older tougher birds.lol They get very tender after their canned.
Like you said in your comment it would be better if we when back to roughing it, at least be set up to rough it. Having lots of home canned goods is a great way to start. I like your blog Mary. I will come back for a visit soon. I live very simple life too, here check out my blog at http://myspace.com/kdryla
I want chickens so badly! We had them for a while, but kept losing them to foxes. I’ve got my eye on a “chicken house” and have been hinting to dh about fixing it up with a coop, so they can still free range somewhat w/o the worry of losing them. There is nothing better than farm fresh eggs… Dh doesn’t think I’d be that great at butchering, even though my mother made me kill a chicken at the tender age of 8, just so I’d have the experience. 😉 If I ever do, I’ll remember your advice! Perhaps my crockpot would tenderize a tough bit of poultry almost as well as canning would!
I will check out your blog, it will give me something fun to look forward to tomorrow. I got on here really quickly tonight to check things, my 7 yo daughter is feverish and to her I must go! Thanks so much for sticking around, and for your kind comments!