In a Pickle...

I’ve spent the last three days pickling and canning. It was a bittersweet experience. The best advice I can give is: If you are not allowed to ride a rollercoaster for a medical reason, you probably shouldn’t be canning either! I’m sure given the strenuousness of the process, you could keel over at any moment from a heart attack.

First, you have to make sure you have everything you need, like the right size jars, all the necessary ingredients, and lots of time! I was venturing into some unfamiliar territory, so I re-read all of the instructions several times. Also, you must be able to multitask. If you are not quick on your feet and/or you feel you cannot meet all of the above requirements, this job is not for you.

Sunday: Pickled Okra

I begin the process by washing the fresh okra. While it soaks, I put the jars into some hot water to keep them warm because apparently, the soon-to-be hot liquid can break a cool jar. The jars rest on a beer can chicken device inside of the largest pot I own. You’re supposed to have a rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot, and that’s the best I could come up with. So, the jars are heating, the liquid is boiling, and I’m chopping down okra stems. The liquid is primarily vinegar, so I’m doing good to stay standing and not pass out due to the nose hair-burning aroma. I carefully pull out the warm jars, stuff them with okra, and add liquid to them. It seems as though I didn’t stuff the jars full enough because I’ve run out of liquid. I frantically start mixing ingredients for a new batch of liquid; I don’t want the liquid-less jars to cool off too much.

After the jars are filled with liquid, I wipe the rims of the jars with a wet paper towel to remove excess liquid, etc. It seems as though this simple step can keep your jars from sealing. I center the seal (which has also been in the hot water) on the jar with one hand, while I screw the cap on with the other trying not to burn myself in the process. Finally, all 5 jars are ready, so I add them to the boiling water in the beer can chicken pan to set and seal. I take a breath. I begin to clean up all of the stuff I’ve dirtied up in the kitchen for this process, which seems to be half of everything I own. After 10 minutes, I take the jars out of the pot to cool and impatiently hope for the pop of the seal that tells me I have succeeded in pickling my okra. I had intentions to make pickles and jelly as well, but one project is enough for me today. And after all of that, I still don’t know if the okra tastes any good…yet.

Monday: Dill Pickles

I’m feeling a little more confident about my canning abilities today. After all, I got my 5 jars of okra to seal on the first try! I rinse off all of my fresh cucumbers in my teeny tiny sink, which takes a while seeing as my dad grows the weirdest shaped cucumbers I’ve ever seen. I have one that is curled in half, one that is two feet long, and everything else you can think of in between. My biggest challenge today is that I’m using quart-size jars, and they don’t fit very well into the pot. I have no fear; I’m determined to make it work.

I boil the jars inside and out to sterilize because I’ve had these jars for a while. I start chopping my crazy-shaped cucumbers into spears. The bag of seasoning I’m using tells me ice water will make my cucumbers crispier, so I fill two giant bowls with cucumber spears, water, and ice. I start cooking the liquid, which is a bit easier than with the okra because I’m using a bag of seasoning instead of measuring out a bunch of ingredients. It still produces that nose burning smell however.

I proceed through the familiar process of stuffing, filling, wiping, sealing, and boiling. This time I’m a little more nervous about the seals because the jars are too big for the pot and the hot water doesn’t cover them as with the pint jars I used yesterday. Luckily, the experience proved successful; 5 more perfect seals later, I know these will taste good because I’ve tasted the exact product before. Once again, I had planned to make the jelly today but just couldn’t find the strength to go on.

Tuesday: Blackberry Jam

First of all, my intention was to make jelly. After reading through the instructions, I realize jam is much easier, and my patience is already wearing thin with this canning thing. Jelly requires draining the juice away from the berry pulp and seeds; I can’t handle taking the extra time for that process. I justify my decision with the fact that this is my first time and jam will definitely be acceptable!

I mash the fresh blackberries in layers with a potato masher until I have the desired amount for the recipe. I quickly realize this process will be the messiest of them all! As I heat the mashed berries, I add the pectin, which will help make the liquid gel. That continues to a boil, so I begin measuring sugar. I realize that I am adding more sugar than berries to this recipe. Note to self: must eat in moderation. I begin to add the sugar and realize that the stickiness has begun.

I begin filling the warm jars quite messily with super hot liquid. These jars are now smoking hot because there is no cold vegetable already in the jar to even out the heat. I can’t touch them because they’re too hot, so I use towels, pot holders, paper towels, now all stained with the color of berry. Berry liquid is running all down the sides of my pint-size jars. Did I mention this has become quite messy? I do my best to wipe the rims of the super sticky jars and then seal them. Using a pot holder, I drop the jars into the boiling hot water. As I wait for the jars to finish processing, I begin to clean up the enormous mess now in my super sticky kitchen.

After 3 days of canning, I am left with 5 pint-size jars of pickled okra, 5 quart-size jars of dill pickles, and 5 pint-size jars of blackberry jam. I am confident that I can do this again in the future, yet more efficiently. After all of this, I’m still not sure if the fruits of my labor will be edible.

After this experience, I will never take a homemade canned jar of anything for granted…