Monday, September 13, 2010

I'm So Proud of Myself


I canned hot peppers!

All on my own!!

 I'm so proud of myself! 

I kept putting it off, because quite frankly it seemed like a tedious, overwhelming, difficult task to take on.  But I REALLY wanted to try my hand at it.  #1 to prove I could do it  and #2 to help preserve and stock up some food for my family....Food that I grew with my own two hands, that I tended to and canned on my own, rather than just shopped for at the grocery store.

All summer long, I have enjoyed going out to the garden and picking fresh vegetables to feed my family.  My zucchini grew wild this year and I have over 40 bags of frozen shredded zucchini in my freezer to prove it.  Now my family can enjoy zucchini bread or cakes all year round.  How awesome is that?! To not have to go buy a zucchini out of season in the winter if we got hungry for it.  We also enjoyed stuffed peppers and fajitas with fresh garden peppers.  There is just something special about gardening.  If you garden, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.  It's thrilling and exciting.  Of course, it's a lot of hard work as well, but totally worth it.



This was our second year at gardening.  So, we are still experimenting on what grows best and what to do with all the bounty we've gotten from it.  Mostly we've been eating the vegetables fresh from the garden.  But I also wanted to try my hand at canning.  I was recently given the opportunity to review a product from CSN stores.  I decided to chose the Columbian Graniteware 12 piece canning set from Cookware.com.  The set came with a 5 piece tool set (funnel, tongs, lid wand, etc.), a canner with a wire rack, a blanching pot with strainer and colander and lids.  Basically, everything I needed to get started.   I was super excited when it arrived on my doorstep.  It took less than a week for it to be delivered once I placed my order. 


It took another week or two of reading books and internet articles on canning and preserving food.  And also gathering up the nerve of taking on such a task.  But once I started, I realized how easy it was.  The actual process itself was time consuming, especially the food prepping part.  After the job was complete, I couldn't believe that I had put it off for so long.  Having the right equipment made all the difference in the world.  I highly recommend the 12 piece canning set.  Although they sell all the products separately and in smaller piece sets. 

I think I kept pushing it off because I was afraid I wouldn't do the job correctly.  However, seeing those jars of peppers sitting on my counter was very satisfying.  I was so proud of myself at what I had accomplished.  And to be honest, I can't wait to do it again.



*Disclosure:  This review was based on my own honest opinion.  I received the 12 piece canning set to review.   No other compensation was received.  The opinions stated are my own and in no way influenced by CSN stores or Cookware.com. 

9 comments:

Becky Fyfe said...

How woonderful! :)

Lately I have been thinking about trying to do some canning. I'm also thinking of making making some jars of preserves. The blackberries are growing EVERYWHERE here, as are apples and plums.

Emmy said...

So awesome! Growing up we always had a garden and my mom canned tons of stuff.. Sadly I did not inherit that desire or ability.

Kyrstin said...

Way to go! I have to learn how to can too. I froze our zucchini and we just made applesauce - I froze that too!!

Eastlyn and co. said...

I'm proud of you, too, Charlene for the gardening and the canning. That looks like some job, but like you said, you'll be enjoying the fruits (and vegetables) of your labor until this time next year! I gave you an award just because I think that your blog is about as sweet as they come. Speaking of sweet...those banana oatmeal cookies sound tasty; and they're displayed on such a cute serving platter!(LOL) http://eastlynandcompany.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

That is so awesome! Way to go. I remember when I was little my Mom and Grammy used to take all day to can things. It was so much fun to play around the house when all that fun stuff was happening in the kitchen! :)

Helene said...

Wow, I had no idea it was that easy! I'll admit that the whole process seems intimidating to me!!

Our garden did super well this year too. In fact, my tomatoes and zucchini will not stop growing and I'm not even watering them anymore. Not sure if we'll do a winter garden though...it's so much work!

Aleksandra Nearing said...

Good job, mama! They look awesome! TGIF :)

Charlene Juliani said...

Thanks for the award Eastlyn, you always have such kind words for me!

Helene, it was alot easier than I thought it would be.

Crystal said...

I have always wanted to try canning, but I don't really have anything to do it with. We live in a condo, so no gardening for us! My husband tried using an upside down tomato planter and planting some herbs, but nothing really took. You would think sunny Guam would be a great place to grow stuff, but we have no luck with it so far!!

Checking out your blog from Bloggy Moms.

www.crystalizedreflections.blogspot.com