Storing Food

The days are getting warmer, the weeds are peeking out of the ground, and the bugs are coming out in mass ... it must be spring! Last winter was the longest one yet ~ but then I say that each spring. Each year at this time, the burden of winter and the weight of winter clothes seems to lighten almost to the point of feeling giddy.

I'm learning something new these days. Yesterday I canned up several jars of chili. This is the first time for me to can non-acid foods like meat. Let me tell you, I was a nervous wreck. Mostly because I'm scared of pressure cookers. I'm told frequently how safe they are, and how there are safety features built in to the new cookers to prevent an explosion. But back when I was a kid, Daddy wanted me to help him keep an eye on some beans he was cooking. I was warned about the dangers of letting it boil dry, but not to the degree that would instill trauma. What Daddy didn't know at the time is that my very distractible brain can find all kinds of things to wander off to if left unattended. He stepped outside and I followed my wandering brain off to somewhere else. When he came back in, the cooker was scorched and about ready to blow. I don't really remember him punishing me too badly, I just remember the sense of danger.

Now years later, I've got a healthy respect for my pressure cooker, and a growing desire to rely less on electricity to store food. We loose electricity alot here in the Meadow. Even though we have a generator, the gas to run it 24-hours a day is too expensive. I've thought about this for quite a while now. The old-timers didn't have deep freezers and many didn't even have electricity, yet they often stored food for a year or more at a time. There is something to be said about their wisdom. The old ways are more work, but there's a sense of satisfaction when I see the jars of food stacked on the shelves and knowing that my fears didn't stop me.

It's going to be a busy day and my coffee cup is empty again.
Have a wonderful day and may the Lord bless you.