I went to the grocery store today and saw that they had strawberries on sale for 99cents a quart. I got 5 quarts to make some more strawberry jam. As I was checking out, the clerk said, "Good price on strawberries!" I said, "Yea, I'm going to make some jam." One of the assistant managers was bagging for me and started to talk to me about making jam, but the checker kept interrupting.
I'm the kind of person that never wants the baggers to take my groceries to the car for me. I NEVER have them help me....never. I don't know why, I think I just feel uncomfortable having them do something that I'm perfectly capable of doing by myself. This assistant manager had his hands on my cart, so I said, "Thanks, but I can get it." He said, "I've already got it. I can help you." I realized that he just wanted to finish telling me what he had been trying to say. As we walked out to the car, he told me that in the past they used to only have to order canning supplies during the holidays. I'm not sure why people can more then, unless they are canning leftover turkey or something. Or maybe they are making jam as gifts. But he said that lately, they have had to order canning supplies consistently. He said that the pectin was totally sold out the other day.
I told him that I grew up in a home where we canned, and made bread, and other things like that. He said he felt that it was good for people to get away from dependence on stores. I agree with him, but I think the kind of canning that most people do is just jams and jellies. I wish that I had the acreage to really grow more of what I would need for the winter so that I could can it and really be self-sufficient. Maybe some day we will be forced to do more of that out of necessity.
I could have taken my own groceries to the car, just like I could buy fresh foods and can them myself. But I have to admit that it sure is easier to depend on the stores to do the work for us. I won't be asking for help with my groceries any time soon, but I might just stock up on some more canned vegetables.
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2 comments:
Strawberries are so abundant over here that I've just been itching to make some Strawberry jam. I guess I'll just have to squelch that.
I have only canned once - I made peach jam. It took a lot of work and was quite hot standing over the boiling pots, but I've always wanted to do more. I'm like you and would like to can other things, like that jalepeno jelly, and other vegetable type stuff. I have a small cookbook that has just canning recipes, one of these days I'll get around to doing it
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