'Tis the season for canning, and the jalapeños in our garden are going absolutely crazy.  I needed to do SOMETHING with them and so I finally bit the bullet and canned them.  I won't deny that I am looking forward to fall for many reasons....crisp leaves, tall boots, knit sweaters, and pumpkin scented candles.  But perhaps the greatest of all will be the new season signaling the end of canning season.

   It's no secret that canning and preserving is not at the top of the list of my favorite things to do, but I will admit to a great sense of satisfaction when I make myself do it.  And I have been doing a lot of it lately....applesauce and apple pie filling, pickles, plums, pears, and today, jalapeños.

   But for me, when it comes to canning, I need to keep things quick and simple or I get overwhelmed.  Luckily, I found a really simple recipe online and you can watch the tutorial over here if any of you are interested.  Anyway, here it is!

Add these ingredients to each pint jar:
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 clove fresh garlic

Fill each jar with sliced jalapeños.

   Mix these liquids in a pot on the stove and bring to boiling: (makes 4 pints, double or triple as needed)
8 oz. oil (olive or canola)
2 C vinegar
1 C water

   Pour hot liquid over jalapeños and seal with hot lids and rings.  Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.

   And that's it!  See, I told you it was simple!  And simple, quick, canning is obviously, the very best kind.  Oh and P.S......wear gloves. ;)

   The canner is bubbling on the stove,(what what?!) there are clean, folded clothes sitting neatly in their piles on the living room floor and the girls are both sleeping like little angels.  It has been a cloudy day so far, so we have mostly stayed indoors and did laundry and watched a movie and made tomato messes and other sorts of things little homebodies do. 

   You know me, I like to gogogo, but I need these days every once in a while.  Days to just be home.  To catch up on all the homey things.  I wear homemade aprons and put on something to listen to (did you know they have a PG comedy station on Pandora? Hilarious) and it just all feels good.

   This morning was a treat.  I actually got up before the girls for once.  Every time I actually do that, I think (of course) "Why don't I do this every day??"  But oh, that squishy little alarm clock with two arms, two legs, curly hair and sloppy kisses happens to have 3 molars coming in and is usually sleeping right beside me, ready to wake at the slightest noise. It isn't that rare to be up before one, but up before BOTH feels like a special treat.  I want to work harder and harder at making that the norm, but in the meantime, I will enjoy each sacred, stolen moment.

  
   I was able to drink my coffee in peace and have my quiet time in....well, quiet.  Such a concept!  Such a notion!  I even chatted amiably with a neighbor lady taking her early morning walk and felt like such a responsible, mature, morning-type person and it felt goooood.  Remind me of all this tomorrow at 6:30, mmmmkay? 

    Then it was time to get to work, and get to work I did.  I started a load of laundry, fed the girls scrambled eggs, and then set them down to play and watch a movie while I dove into the tomatoes.  I didn't tackle salsa or pizza sauce or anything too ambitious (baby steps, people!).  I figured diced tomatoes would be enough for one day.  And we go through those pretty quick, so it will feel so nice and healthy and frugal and other pleasant adjectives to be pulling out a homemade jar of them throughout the winter.

  
   *Little-known fact*  For maximum results when canning, make sure you have a bag (the larger the better) of peanut butter m&ms close at hand.  Reward yourself for every batch you do.  Or every jar.  Or every tomato.  It's really your call on this one.

   But that's not all!  (!!!!!!!!!)  Yesterday I did green beans.  It wasn't canning mind you, just snipping the ends, rinsing them and putting them in the freezer, but it was still some sort of produce-preservation!  So I've got to get some points for that, right?

P.S.  The best way to snip green beans is while wearing your swimsuit, sitting in the hot sun with a sprinkler misting you while your phone plays music from underneath a towel.  Bet your mom never taught you that.

   And these were no ordinary green beans, oh no!  They weren't ones I had to buy at a farmer's market or produce stand, or even ones that I had to slave over in my own garden.  They were free.  That's right, FREE.  Not many things in this life are free anymore, and so when something is, you jump on it!  My sister, (in her amazing, frugal ways) or maybe it was her husband,  happened upon a place that they score these free beans from, and they passed on a garbage bagful to me. Score!


So I guess it just all goes to show that maybe I don't always sit on the sidelines blogging after all. 

*grin*