A New Hobby

It seems I have found a new hobby! As strange at it may sound to people that know me, I have found that I love canning!

Why do they call it canning, though? You seal the stuff up in jars, not cans...

Seriously, though... Eric and I talked about how with our garden out back, we need to try to preserve some of the great stuff we get every year. So after talking about this a lot, I finally decided to dabble a bit, starting with the loads of raspberries we had from our bush. Apparently, raspberries thrive in our soil. So I made some jam.

It was so easy! Why do more people not do this??? Granted, I haven't tried anything overly difficult yet - I made some salsa today, which was still pretty darn easy. But I want to do more! At least a little more practice jams to get it perfect (consistency it not yet my strong point).

My mom said it's in my blood - her mom canned and she thought she remembered my dad's mom canning, too. Back then, it was more of a process, too - you had to wax seal things shut, which with today 'technically advanced lids', you don't have to, anymore (unless you just really want to).

So while I promise not to become 'that friend' that passes out homemade jam to everyone she knows, I can't say you're never get any of it. But I do assume it'll be a seasonal hobby - just when the fresh produce is there for me. Unless I get really crazy about it... then maybe I have an addiction, though, not a hobby...