Tuesday, September 14, 2010

{Eye} Candy

Every three weeks I have a stretch of 6 whole days off in a row.
I LOVE those 6 days.
They are sacred.
Don't mess with 'em.

During this 6 day stretch I put it to good use.
Instead of watching soap operas and eating bonbons I canned.
And canned.
And then I canned.

I made Spaghetti Sauce.
I made Connie's Tomato Soup.

I made Connie's Salsa.
Then I made Jan's Salsa.
(I don't think Jan has a blog, I got it off FB. I used to work for her when I was still a hairdresser. She was my boss.)

I can't decide which one I like better.
Connie's is ahead so far as we've tasted as I canned.

We're having a taste test later.

I say later because NO ONE!
Not Oprah!
Not even the President of the United States!

Nobody gets to touch or taste this deliciousness for awhile.


For now it's just eye candy.

It was too much work for people to just eat it!

I have been canning for 31 years.

This year for the first time in history.
I have filled
EVERY. SINGLE. JAR!!!!!

So you can understand why I don't want anything eaten.
Can't you?
No?
Really?
Have you ever canned before?


I might share with Em.
But I'll have to pray about it first.

35 comments:

TisforTonya said...

I've canned... once... and I'm not sure you can convince me to do it ever again. Certainly not in 106 degree weather.

too bad those tomatoes ripen when the weather is so sucky hot.

you rock... I think I've mentioned that before... but it's true.

DCHY said...

Your post made me smile. Good job on getting every single jar filled. :)

Kristina P. said...

Listen, I will give you my address if you send me a jar. I will even let you stalk me outside my window, like Edward AND introduce you to my naked Neighbors. Although, they have been completely modest lately. Boo.

Valerie said...

Wow! That's a lot of canning.
I need to get back in the groove of canning.
Nothing prettier, or more satisfying than bottles filled with yummy stuff!

Julie Harward said...

LOL..pray about it huh?! I so admire you..working plus canning! I have done so much of it..too much, I am burnt out and I just don't want to do it anymore! But you are wonderful and so is your bottled goods! :D

Debby@Just Breathe said...

I am so impressed. I wouldn't want anyone to eat it either, that is hard work.

Anonymous said...

I really admire you. I have never canned. It all looks so good. You should really be proud of all that hard work.

mCat said...

I remember my Mom canning tomatoes. There were more swear words, and stress and contention that I get the shakes just thinking about it.
Hats off to you.

Now pass the salsa - the hot kind!

Shelle-BlokThoughts said...

I would love to come up there and can with you. We should plan that. I loved canning foods but rarely have ever done it.

Once in about 5 years.

So I'm due to can :)

Connie said...

I'm ahead so far!!?! Woo hoo! I don't blame you for wanting to keep the jars as is until further notice. Canning isn't easy! But it's oh so satisfying when it's done!

You're amazing! Maybe next time you get 6 days off you can eat bon bons - your homemade ones of course.

CB said...

Pray hard girl! Pray that the Salsa makes it to M, and C, and A, and Mo, and K, and B, and Ke, and H!!! Pray like you've never prayed before - I'll bring the chips!!!!!

Your canning is beautiful - I don't even can and I can totally understand why you don't want anyone to touch it!

Are you still praying?

Unknown said...

i love, love, love seeing bottled fruit on my shelves. i say fruit cause that is all i have ever done. it has been a few years since i have canned anything. time to get kicking, don'tchathink?

Queenie Jeannie said...

I've seen my ex-MIL can before and it always looked like a lot of work. Plus it made her extra crabby and with that witch, that's really saying something!

I wouldn't share either. LOL!

Have you been stamping???

Nutty Hamster Chick said...

You go girl, and I am just as impressed with you storage area. I would die for something like that. Well done.

JoAnn said...

Way to go, Idaho! You are my canning mentor. We didn't garden this year - obviously - so I was actually GLAD that I didn't have to can anything. Pooo - I'm so unworthy!

But apples are loading our trees in Menan and that means applesauce, apple butter, apple pie filling -- all that schmack -- just waiting to be canned. *sigh*

Barbaloot said...

Looks amazing! Good for you for being ambitious on those six days. I probly would've gone for the bon bons... :)

gigi said...

Last week I canned 36 jars of pork loin and made Hot Pepper Jelly. Does that count? We get a second crop of tomaotes in October. I can't wait. I'd like to have 365 pints of Salsa. The recipe that my SIL gave me, I just love and I can eat it right out of the jar with a spoon. I don't even need any chips :) I need a jar for every day of the year, and I ain't sharin, that is unless you come to visit!

Mikki said...

Those jars are gorgeous!!!

I've never canned alone. Always kind of watched and helped (a very little) my mom when I was much younger.
It's a lot of work I think, and I'm not sure I would spend six glorious days off doing that. You're amazing and awesome for doing it!!!
I definitely wouldn't want anyone touching it for a while afterwards.

Cluttered Brain said...

Mmm. Freshly canned salsa. YUM.
Eye candy?
Are you kidding me?
Matthew M WINS hands down.
or perhaps you like 'EM older.
George Clooney nice eye candy for you? LOL.

Love ya babe!

Laura Lynn said...

I am now singing my rendition of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" only I'm calling it "Canning Queen" for you.
I have canned before but I'm sure I am rusty at it now. I need to get back in the swing of it - yikes!

Scrappy Girl said...

I have never canned, but the idea has come to my mind occassionally. My grandma just sent me a jar of her apple butter...heaven in a jar!

Brenda said...

Your canning looks awesome! I can understand your philosophy! I love to make salsa! I need to can it! Thanks for inspiring me!
Congratulations! Let's trade pumpkins for salsa! Ha Ha

Thanks for visiting, you always brighten my day!

Love, Brenda

Saimi said...

You are truly amazing!! Seriously look at all your hard work just sittitng on those shelves! WOW!

I've never canned, maybe tagged along my mother in law while she did it, but my cans come from Costco.

I'm in love with your pantry!

LKP said...

AWESOME LADY!!! YOU ARE MY CANNING HERO!
well and my regular hero too. (:

i can understand the no-touchy rule for sure. my mom used to have her own rules about canning....the finished product was soooooooo rationed out. lol.

aside from helping my mom when i was a wee little girl, i haven't canned yet. want to. am afraid of what i don't know...well, and botulism.

....and GIGI? do i WANT to know how you can pork loin????? i'm almost afraid to ask. (:

Ann Marie said...

I like Cherie's idea!

I will pray for some Tomato soup.
I have never had canned.. and it sounds like it NEEDS to be IN my belly!!!!

PS: You are on FB? Why are we not friends? PSH.....

Kimmie said...

Okay, SO I just feel like the luckiest girl in the world that I don't have "Eye candy"... I actually get to enjoy your generosity of sending your hubby to work with a jar of homemade salsa just for me!!

I LOVE YOUR FOOD STORAGE ROOM!! I had to click on it and see your beautiful jars you canned.

SO, because I can be nosey as well, I would LOVE to know what is in the jars that have beans in them. Did you bottle just beans only, OR, did you bottled bean soup? I would love to know and maybe get recipes, or instructions. That looks like a great way to preserve some of the many pounds of dried beans that we have stored.

You are going to LOVE the tomato soup!! It tastes SO yummy and fresh and you would swear that it wasn't out of a bottle when you are eating it.

SO happy that you were able to enjoy your 6 sacred and precious days off from work and that you were able to have such a productive time. I still can't believe your bottled beauty you worked so hard on.

What a JOY and honor it is to call you my friend!!

tammy said...

Don't blame you a bit!

Happy Mom said...

Wow! I'm impressed! I haven't canned very much and whenever I do, I am amazed at how exhausting it is!

The bottles are beautiful!

Camille said...

I've always wondered why those things just sit on a shelf after SO much work went into making/canning them! But they do look pretty :) Let's hope for a natural disaster or some state of emergency that will justify opening up a few jars, eh? :)

Yvonne said...

I haven't canned for years.

Way to go--I'm very impressed.

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

That's funny, I have a big old vat of spaghetti sauce simmerin' right now. I freeze it though...betcha didn't know I was the 'freeze queen' heeeheehe!

Now it looks like your pantry is quite set for the winter.

May God bless your beautiful day!

wendy said...

Hi my sweet friend (I am at the dang library typing this)
YES I USED TO BE SO DOMESTIC...goddessish
When we lived in B.C. where everything grows in abundance, I canned EVERYTHING
My storage room looked like yours.
pretty
don't touch
I even bottled salmon

it's kinda like when I clean the toilet. YOU DON'T WANT ANYONE TO USE IT FOR AWHILE.
Um...I just lysoled the bathroom, could you please just go piddle outside, thankyou

Braden Bell said...

I love it that you get six days off!!!!! that is way cool. And major props to you for being so industrious. I would have wasted it on frivolous things like writing and sleeping

Laura said...

First of all, I'm ASTOUNDED at how much you've canned! Dude, that's awesome. Secondly, I can totally related. I don't can, but I freeze, and I also do not want to touch the things I've put up. It just feels weird so eat something so quickly that you spent so much time preparing. But it's going to get eaten anyway, so why does it matter? I don't know. It just does!!!

Heather said...

You go girl!!! First time filling all those jars!! I don't even know how to can! I've gotta learn!