"Of Course I Can!"

I'm in one of those slumps where crocheting isn't floating my boat so I decided just this morning to start pickling and jamming. This was my first attempt today:



I only got tiny two jars (one for us, one for Ma and Pa) because of these:

They were delish - super tarty because of the lemon rind and tons of juice!

The whole idea of canning or preserving still freaks me out. I'm afraid that boiling full jars of anything is going to cause the lids to blow off or the whole thing is going to blow up. But I'm into it now and tomorrow I'm getting myself a boiling water canner if I can find one.

Up next: mustard bean relish, sweet crescent pickles, very garlicky dills, plain strawberry jam (I had a request for that one, with big chunks), rhubarb/pineapple jam, apple butter (maybe), pickled eggs, pear/ginger marmalade, and salsa.

I'm going to clear a space in my hutch so I can show off my newly acquired preservation skills!