I Am My Mother...And It's a Good Thing

I have fond memories of our crawlspace filled with food when I was little. I thought nothing of eating peaches, pears, pickles and other tasty treats that were conviently stowed beneath our house. Then my sister, sister-in-law and I invested in 70lbs of peaches, 30lbs of tomatoes and most recently another 70lbs of pears and learned a few things about the labor intesive and extremely rewarding task of home canning. This was our first attempt and we were soooo glad to have mom on hand to share her wisdom and save us from ourselves. Mom came, set up and quietly watched as we attempted to can un-ripe peaches. She was so patient with us as we finally put the fruit aside and wizzed through the boxes of tomatoes. I loved this fun day we had together.

Aubrey was the adopted sister that night and came armed with a great pressure cooker that speed up the job.

Denia enjoying the "wonderfully easy to can" tomatoes, start with this one ladies!!

The first batch, that was quickly joined by a grand total of 108 pints of peaches and tomatoes and 60 quarts of pears. The satisfying pop they make when they seal is the equilivilant of having all your children to bed, asleep before eight! Now to find a space for my three month supply of fruit.
(The boys will have fond memories of making race cars with the empty pear boxes, pics to follow)