In a free fall, it sometimes helps to look back

After a really awful day in politics and the markets, there have been more pontificating talking heads darkly referencing the Depression. Since for many people canning evokes images of the Depression and World War II, I thought I'd ask some of my relatives about their family memories of canning. And boy did I get some great responses! I particularly loved the notion of cooperative canneries, which make so much sense given the room required to can a lot of stuff. (I think the doctor would have a chortle over the idea of her kitchen being a cooperative cannery, however!)

So this posting is dedicated to my wonderful family (anyone else have family stories like this?). Enjoy!

• Since you are in the business of preserving, perhaps the following memories are worth preserving, as well. When I was a little boy, starting when I was about four years old, I remember that my father and mother would drive to Indiana and Michigan and buy pears, rhubarb and peaches by the bushel and berries by the peck. Once home, we would cover the kitchen floor with newspaper to catch the peels and prevent the staining of the linoleum, then my father, brothers and I would sit around in a semi-circle and peel away, wearing as little clothing as possible and keeping the oscillating fan on high. I was allowed to wield a very dull paring knife - what joy, whittling! The skinned and pitted fruit would be cooked and then "put up" in Mason jars closed with rubber gaskets and screw tops. The berries would be put up with pectin and sugar and sealed with wax in smaller jars. But the best of the fruit would not be preserved but used by my mother to make my favorite "cobblers." Yummm! We also "canned" green beans and tomatoes. All of this would be taken to the basement larder for the winter, when fresh fruit and produce were unavailable from October through April. Opening the fruit would bring back sweet memories of summer, sun and our adventure in prudence and family self-sufficiency.
• Mr. Nalls, the man at the farm who basically did the farming and took care of the livestock, would pick the vegetables and such fruit as there was (I vaguely remember raspberry bushes just beyond the flower garden) and bring them to the kitchen. There were tomatoes, green beans, lima beans, corn, cucumbers. The cukes were used for pickling along with watermelon rind for pickling with mustard and spices, yummy. We ate various pickles all year long, enhancing meat dishes. Everything was put into Mason jars, and I can still see the steam coming from the huge pots at the cannery as the jars were placed into the baths. My favorite were the tomatoes, many of which were squeezed into juice; in the middle of gray winters, the yellow juice in particular was especially welcome. Everything was well seasoned. Nana also made Nesselrode sauce to put over vanilla ice cream for dessert. Just try to find that today!!!
• Nana used to do a lot of canning in late summer. My memories are of lots of jars being sterilized, the kitchen very hot (no air conditioning in those days), big pots on the stove top and hours in that hot kitchen. My memories are of beans, corn, tomatoes (yellow and red), etc. and my favorite, yellow tomato juice!!!
• The vegetables were put into the car, and while Cy drove us over the railroad tracks, Nana, mother and I sat eagerly awaiting the task ahead. I just remember there being a number of other women at the cannery; Nana seemed to know some of them if not all. And I don't remember if we left to do other errands and came back to pick up the jars later.
• Yes...I remember the cannery well....Charlie and I used to ride in the back of the big truck with Mr Nalls driving...we got into trouble once throwing tomatoes off the truck on to the windshields of the cars behind us and laughing as they splattered...such fun...remember it well!!!! And the delicious and well seasoned yellow tomato juice and "Cy's crackers" before dinner and wonderful Lima beans.