I can can! And I can pickle, too.

I've been wanting to learn to can food for years now. I always pictured my pantry full of Ball jars with salsa, pickles, relish, jam, and all sorts of fruits and vegetables that would last me through the winter and, well, a nuclear explosion, if that were to happen. But I was afraid. Yes, afraid...to preserve.

Why so scared, you may ask? Well, it stems back from childhood and a pressure cooker incident. Apparently, my grandma was canning and her pressure cooker exploded (or did whatever is the opposite of what they're supposed to do). I guess the little topper thing hit the ceiling. So my mom wouldn't let me go near the kitchen when my grandma was canning. She was afraid the topper would fly off again and pierce my skull or my eyeball. (You can see where I get my tendency to be a little on the paranoid side. See nuclear explosion comment above.) I spent many days at my grandma's house, running full speed in the opposite direction every time I heard the familliar "weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" of the pressure cooker.

But as I've gotten older and wiser, I decided to put my childhood fears behind me and can something. So the last time I went home (home-home...like where I grew up), my aunt gave me a Ball book of recipes for canning. As I looked through the recipes, I was baffled. What's this about heat processing and water baths? Turns out, you don't have to use a pressure cooker to can. (Unless you're canning meats or low-acid veggies.) All I had to do was sterilize the jars and lids, boil some water, and ta-da: salsa for family Christmas presents!

After looking through the book, I decided on some pickled asparagus. I know, it sounds nasty, but it's totally yummy in place of regular pickles. And since I control the ingredients, I kept it as healthy as possible. (Salt and sugar were the worst ingredients, so not too bad.) $21 worth of asparagus and $30 in jars and supplies (my mom gave me her canning pot and rack) later, I was ready to can. I did the sterilizing just like the book said, then made my pickling liquid and loaded the asparagus inside. I let it heat process, then took the jars out and waited patiently for them to "pop" to ensure they'd sealed. I figured that since it was my first time, I'd be lucky to get 3/6 to seal. To my surprise all six jars sealed!

To my dismay, it takes 4-6 weeks for them to pickle. Boo. So I'd have to wait until October before I could enjoy my six hours' worth of work. Not known for my patience, I opened a jar 23 hours later. It was delicious! Liza had some, too, and she's also a fan. I'm sure it'll be even better once the pickling is finished, but we polished off that first jar the next day. Two thumbs up!

Moral of the story: Don't be afraid of canning. Now is the time to do it. With tomatoes falling off the vine and corn so cheap at the farmers market, you could probably can six jars of corn and black bean salsa for less than $15. In fact, that's my plan for tomorrow.

I'd love to hear your canning stories. What works? What did you can that failed miserably? And has anyone tried the pressure cooker? Is it something to fear? ;)