An Introduction to Canning and Preserving

When I was little, my grandparents had a small but robust garden in their backyard. Each summer, they preserved the fruits of their labor with the generations-old pastime of canning. In their cellar, there was a little room lined with shallow shelves that held can after can of their homegrown produce, ready reminders of the summer's bounty and waiting to be enlisted at the supper table for the seasons to come.

There was something that captured my fascination back then when I'd run my finger along the light film of dust that had gathered on the rows of glass containers in their basement. And now that I'm older, and dreaming of my own someday-garden, the desire to pick up that pastime of canning has only grown.

Which is why when I came across Canning and Preserving by Ashley English (who also blogs for ReadyMade and Design*Sponge), I was thrilled.

Her book is a primer on canning, offering an overview of the science behind the process, a list of all the essentials you'll need to get started, a handy reference guide to which fruits and vegetable varieties are best suited to canning, trouble-shooting any difficulties that might crop up, in addition to all the how-to's of canning itself, which are thoroughly illustrated step-by-step through instructional diagrams and photographs.

There are recipes and complete instructions for making jams, jellies, relishes, pickles, marmalades, chutneys, butter, sauces as well as preserving whole fruits and vegetables—basically whatever you might dream of that will fit into a glass jar.

I have not gotten to make any of the recipes just yet—I don't want to waste my effort on store-bought produce—but have pages earmarked that walk you through making strawberry jam, apple butter, and tomato basil sauce (although I'll need a pressure canner for that one). Those are some pretty basic recipes, but there are also more exotic ones like Fig and Thyme Jam, Curried Winter Squash Chutney, or Peach and Lavender Butter.

I think that if you're just starting out with canning and preserving, like I am, this is a great resource. However, it's not an exhaustive guide if you're looking for tons of recipes: In total, there are 28 recipes provided, which cover 8 canning classics and then 20 unique seasonal recipes (like the examples listed above). Personally, I wish there were more of the "canning classics" recipes included, but I guess they figured that you can look those up easily anywhere?

Regardless, I look forward to the day when I can line my own pantry shelves with little glass jars that suspend summer for just a little bit longer...

Find Canning & Preserving by Ashley English on Amazon.com.

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[ Disclosure of Review Materials ] 

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Some Good News...My Husband Got a Job at Starbucks

I haven't written too very much about the job search going on in our household lately. For awhile, it was all I thought about and fretted about. But at some point along the journey, the Lord reminded me that I'm here for now and not to waste the here on all those cumbersome worries. It was then that I decided to relish the joys of our uncertain state of employment, and what do you know but all those worries wouldn't have done us much good anyway!

A little refresher for those of you who might not be up-to-date on all the deets:

• Last August, I quit my job in Michigan so that my husband and I could move to Atlanta.
• When I quit, I told my boss that I'd happily work from home while they searched for a replacement. From the beginning, this has always been a temporary situation, but I've been able to continue doing that job freelance for them for more than a year now!
• Meanwhile, my husband graduated in May with a teaching degree for high school history. Alas, we soon learned that those jobs are incredibly hard to come by.

So nothing permanent has arisen for either of us, yet.

However, my husband just got news yesterday that he got a job at the Starbucks down the street! That's been some exciting news, hopefully providing some extra money to build up our savings and also feed our love for coffee! He starts tomorrow and then we should have more of an idea about what to expect, as far as hours, pay, etc. Plus, he'll be working alongside one of his good friends (another musician), which I know he'll love.

We're still holding out hope for some of the full-time jobs he's been looking into and patiently trusting the Lord with those. But for now, this is great news and quite an encouragement to us both.

And as for me, I continue praying that this temporary little gig of mine will continue stretching itself farther and farther, raining down our own modern-day manna day after day as proof of God's continued, plentiful provision.

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I've got a sewing itch that needs scratching...

When I was in high school, I was really into "t-shirt surgery" or "reconstructing" clothes, where I'd go to a thrift store, find some cheap but promising article and stitch it into shape. I did this mostly with
vintage t-shirts that were well-worn in all the right places, usually just five sizes too big. There were also some skirts and dresses and occasionally a pair of pants (but that didn't go well...inevitably they'd literally bust at the seams).

But it's been a very long time since I've pulled my sewing machine out. And I'm starting to miss it...

Mostly it's because I haven't been shopping in a very long time, either. I've found that the shopping sprees of post-college still suit me quite well, and since our income has been questionable, I haven't
felt right going shopping for things I am too well aware that I don't need.

But the itch to create and tweak and personalize and transform has been begging for my attention more lately, as I get visions of decorating cardigans with little bouquets of felt flowers or turning a scrap of fabric into a fun belt or dreaming up some high-waisted skirts.

So, I decided to invite a couple girlfriends from church over to a monthly craft night. We'll get together, bring whatever projects we're working on and catch up with each other while catching up on our creative endeavors. I'm really excited about this, and it will be a great motivator for me to scratch this itch of mine. (And to finally get around to #13 on my List of 27 Things To Do While I'm 27: "Undertake a new craft.")

Our first get-together will be next week! In the meantime, I think I'm going to dig through my closet and see what items I discover that are ripe for scratching this nagging itch of mine...

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What's On My To-Do List for This Week

Every Sunday I share what's on my to-do list for the week ahead, and mark the items off as I go. See all my past to-do lists here. Read my list below, and then join in and share your own via the link-up that follows!

• Make new batch of baking-soda shampoo
• Drop off recyclables at Whole Foods
• Download photos from camera, and type up a bunch of recipes that I've tried recently and plan on posting soon
• Find some photos to accompany a couple of posts I've typed up recently
• Add a couple of extra navigation buttons to the rainbow table-of-contents I have going on in the columns here (I'm thinking one for "green living" and another to keep track of my weekly to-do list projects)
• Transfer prescription and order some photos I've been meaning to print
• Organize the shelves inside our built-in hutch that houses all my projects for work and office supplies
• Go through my closet and get rid of clothes that I don't wear anymore (either to donate, use for crafts or find ways to update them so I'll wear them more often)
• Hang some small artwork in our kitchen
• Grocery shopping and determine menu to make sure none of the veggies we bought at the farmer's market go to waste!
• Print out and file away some new recipes I've found to try
• Read new book I got to review, Cooking for Geeks

Now, go check out the to-do lists other bloggers have linked-up and posted for this week:
A Chocoholic's Diary
Yours Truly, H
A Little Gray (where she shares some terrific news in her list!)

Link up and share your own to-do list!

If you want to join me in posting your to-do list (for the day/week/month/eternity!), all you have to do is copy one of the lil button codes below (a variety pack assortment, just for you!) and paste it with a link back here at the end of your post. (If you're reading in a reader, the code probably won't show up, so just come to the site directly to copy-and-paste.) 

Then just come back here and leave a comment with the direct link, so that we can all pop over and pay it a visit. And I'll manually add your link directly into the body of this post. Fun, right?! I hope a few of you chime in and participate. I'm looking forward to it!

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Last Week's To-Do List

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Thoughts on Change and Wondering What the Future Might Hold...

As summer wanes, and autumn inches closer, I've been thinking about the changing seasons and the future that will soon arrive with the chilled winds and knit scarves in the back of my closet that I look at longingly.

Sometimes when I try to think of "the future" it seems hard to think of things being any different than they are today. It is hard to see past this current limbo, while we try to figure out what's next for us and our careers and our finances and our futures.

The sensible part of me knows that change is inevitable and will at some point come to pass. That's exactly what time does, after all: usher in change of some sort, whether it's growing limbs, graying hairs or graduating into the next phase of life. Things will of course fall into place, because they always do, even if it's not the way we'd like it.

And lately, I've been feeling like that change is on its way. I have no idea what it will look like, the form it will take and the ripple effect it will induce upon our current "normalcy." But I can sense that this change that we've been awaiting is finally coming towards us and advancing.

And then I sit back and wonder, What will it be like when change does say hello?

I realize that it's likely I'll mourn the loss and the days of having Michael around to keep me company or chat to across the room while I'm doing some freelance work. I know that when change comes it will not be all wine and roses, like it appears from this angle. With the security comes other sacrifices, because there are always sacrifices.

And as I meditate on this more, I remember that one of the things that characterizes changing seasons the most is that we usually miss out on the changing altogether, until the old has completely dissolved and passed away. We open our eyes to realize that fall has become winter and our lashes are laced with snowflakes, or that spring has sprung into summer, just as we're cannon-balling into the swimming pool.

I realize that even though I might not see it happening around me, change must be taking place, because that's how life, that's how God, works. Even though I may not see it from this vantage point, I know that God cares intimately about us and hears our prayers, as he divinely ties it all together into one beautiful tapestry that we won't even notice until we look back behind us.

It's then, when I'm praying and am quiet long enough, that I  can begin to sense the feeling of change. That it's happening, even now, being woven together, bit by bit.

And so as I intermittently long for change and fear what it may bring, I submit to the fact that it is inevitable. And I try to remind myself to relish this now and this season of life—however long it sticks around.


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My List of 27 Things to Do While I'm 27: August Update Edition

It was five months ago that I turned 27 and kicked off my List of 27 Things to Do While I'm 27. Since then, I've been keeping track of my progress of the dozen-or-so items on that list. Some of them are easy, some are meant to help me spread my wings in this new-ish city of mine, some are nigh-on impossible that I'll be chasing after for years to come. But they're all worthy goals to guide this glorious year of 27.

Here's how I've fared on the list during the month of August. (I'm almost at the halfway point!)

Goal #5: Go swimming.
I thought this one would be easier than it was, but with such a stifling and scathingly hot summer, it seemed too much work to even enjoy the pool.

However, we did make one outing to the community pool down the street from us. And lo and behold it even has a (very, very, small and short) lazy river through one stretch that made me love it, in spite of the fact that we could only stay an hour because of the heat. (Think we're wimps? I'm fine with that. Not a single sunburn for me this entire summer!)

And, when we went on vacation with my in-laws to the beach, there was plenty of swimming (on purpose in the pool and accidentally in the ocean) that made up for our lack of it at home. We got to hop waves, spot dolphins, play pool games with Michael's little brothers and I even got to do some poolside reading: Iconicly summer and satisfying.

Goal #15: (Of course make trips back to Ohio, but that’s a given, isn’t it?)
As it would turn out, we haven't been able to make as many trips back to Ohio as I would like, and have only been back once the entire 2010 year! We managed to squeeze in a week-long trip and get to see some of my favorite familiar faces, which is always such a thrill to be able to catch up, even if it is only for a short jaunt over dinner at Panera or breakfast at First Watch. I miss all of you already!

Goal #19: Take as many walks outside as possible.
During the springtime, I would usually be able to squeeze in a walk if not every day, then every other day. But, due to the heat wave that's been unrelenting, my walks have seriously slacked of late. I could wake up earlier to get one in before it gets too hot, but I just haven't felt that motivated. Sometimes after dinner, if Michael and I don't have evening plans, we'll take a walk once the temperature has cooled off. I'm hoping to get back into my regular routine and ramp up the walks, since it's really the only kind of exercise I enjoy--and consequently will actually do with any consistency!

(Here's my original List of 27 Things To Do While I'm 27, along with links to my monthly progress updates.)

Related Links
My Goals for This Year
My Mid-Summer Progress Update

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