i got that canner for my 23rd birthday.
during my farming apprenticeship years i had learned how to put up food.
i remember how excited i was to have my very own canner.
one year i canned salsa in a water bath before i had received the pressure canner.
that winter i opened up a jar to taste with my mom.
i had used garlic in the salsa and had read that it could cause botulism in goods that were improperly canned.
so of course that was in the back of my mind as we were eating it.
after a few bites, my mom and i looked at each other and at the same time asked “do you feel funny?”
we started panicking and swore we were to drop over dead.
i frantically looked up botulism in the encyclopedia (we didn’t even have a computer back then!!)
every symptom we read, we had!!
my dad walked in and just rolled his eyes and said we were creating the symptoms and that it was all in our heads.
he was right.
my mom and i still laugh about it.
it didn’t keep me from canning. though i did ask for a pressure canner for my birthday that year.
that canner has sealed many jars since.
i haven’t used it in a few years but have planned a canning party for thursday with a few friends.
i unearthed all the supplies and am ready to go.
tomatoes and pickles here we come!
today i even scored a huge wooden shelf in someone’s trash for storing all of our goods in the basement.
and while on vacation at the lake i found that ironstone fruit jar funnel at an antique store.