The Art of Canning
Welcome back!
Harvest fresh from the Garden
One weekend not to long ago I received my first lesson on how to can tomatoes. I have always been interested in the process but I have never had the chance to learn until now. My mother-in-law called me one Saturday and asked me if I would like to learn how to can tomatoes from their garden. I am always up for learning new things, especially if it was save me money down the line. So off I went to learn how to do it.
The process was relatively simple. Here is a quick breakdown.
1. Wash your tomatoes in a cold water bath to wash off dirt. Inspect them for holes, mold and anything else that you would not want to eat.
2. Boil your washed tomatoes for about 2 minutes or until the skin starts to peel.
3. Peel the skin off the tomatoes, cut into medium size pieces and put into a bowl
4. We choose to leave the seeds in our tomatoes so we simply mashed them with a potatoe masher.
5. We made sure to boil our Mason jars and lids prior to starting this process- This is VERY important.
6. We filled each jar, leaving about 1/2 inch unfilled at the top.
7. We submerged each jar in boiling water, using a canning pan, until each jar made a “pop.” You must wait until you hear the “pop” noise to know that the jar is sealed. Do not store jars that do not seal as the contents will spoil.
I had a lot of fun learning how to can tomatoes. I think I may actually do it again in the future. If you are interested in canning, I would picking up a book on how to do so at your local library. The process may look overwhelming but it is actually pretty easy. Happy Canning!
Back to School for the Last Time
It is official this is my very last semester of college. I have been working on my degree for almost eight years. I had to take a break in my education due to financial reasons. I feel like my entire adult life has been spent in college. I am so ready to enter the workforce and put this stage of my life behind me.
As the weather is turning cooler where I live, it means that the college semester starting. As so many new students enter college there is some wisdom that I would like to share with them, tips of the trade so to speak.
Never Buy Text Books Brand New
I see this every semester, the book store attendant on the campus tell parents with incoming freshmen, that new books are a wonderful investment. That the books will hold up better. I fell for this myself as a child of parents that did not go to college. I did not have anyone to tell me any better. Listen to me all incoming freshmen…. THIS IS A LIE! Never buy new books if you can get around it. When yo sell your books back at the end of the semester you will not receive half of the value back. New textbooks are like new cars, they are both devalued as soon as you walk out of the store with them.
Buy Your Books On-line
There are wonderful deals to be had online on textbooks. My advice here is to get your book list as early as possible so price out what your books will cost you. The best was to search for text books online is by searching by ISBN number. I have been buying my books online almost exclusively for my entire college experience. Stick to trusted sites as alway. The same goes with selling your books back at the end of the semester.( yes you can do that!) Sell your books online at the end of the semester it is the most lucrative way to sell them back.
College May Resemble High School… But It Is Not
The beauty of college is that it is not high school. I hated high school, and I am not afraid to say it. To all incoming freshmen, you are an adult now and you are treated as such. There are no tardies in college, you can eat in class and you are accountable for your actions. College professors expect you to be accountable for yourself. Lame excuses will not get you anywhere.
Have Fun
The biggest piece of advice I would give to an incoming freshman is to have fun. Keep in mind college is a unique place to be in life. While I had to work my way though my entire college career, I recognized that this may be the only time in my life when I did not have to hold a job with an eight hour workday and a forty hour work week. Cherish this because for most of us, it is inevitable. As long as you keep a balance between studies and fun, you will do just fine.
