Can It

Have you ever canned vegetables? How about jelly, honey, pickles or salsa? The ‘daughters’ in my family mentioned they want to resurrect the art of canning again. With shopping organic we are contemplating what might be needed to get started. The possibilities to co-op, exchange jars along with recipes are endless. Sound fun?

However, canning is a process. If not followed carefully you could meet an undesirable dinner guest; Mr. Bacteria. Vegetables and fruits must be fresh. Cleaning the jars with soap and water is a necessity. Then you are to place them in a hot bath for about 15 minutes. Remove jars with a safe lifter then allow them to air dry on a clean cloth. Do the same procedure for the lids.

There are countless recipes for canning. Pick one that best suits your taste and follow the instructions. There is the cold pack method and the warm. Most require a good amount of salt for preservation (please don’t tell my dietician daughter-in-law how much sodium you use). When done, place the food in jars leaving an ample amount of space at the top to create a tight seal. Screw the lids on each jar, place jars back into the water bath and boil according to directions. The lids will pop up to indicate the proper safe seal.

It’s a process, isn’t it? Take a look at YouTube.com ‘How To’s’ on canning and you’ll be set! You might find yourself getting hooked on canning!

As we begin our 4^th of our 5^th transformation series I would like to move us from the question: Will it be easy or painful? to the new question: Will it be a process? The answer is, “Yes!” Our impatient society tells us, “We want it and we want it NOW!” As you can see—without a process you could be facing yucky spiritual bacteria.

“Thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

Have you thanked the Lord for your process? It could leave you smelling much sweeter.