Just because I can(ned) doesn't mean I will again

After a very brief and very intense obsession with canning, I will need to be talked into trying it ever again. It was a great idea in theory: next year, I would grow double the vegetables, preserve the bounty in a variety of ways to enjoy throughout the year - jams of course, pasta sauce of course, but also special chutneys and sauces that would be the envy of the most expensive shelf at Whole Foods. Though it was immensely time consuming and nerve-wracking, I did accomplish the latter goal. Below, I will chronicle the production of seven perfect jars of bruschetta. I estimate each eight ounce jar to cost $24.


Here's the rundown on canning night:

• 8:30pm to 8:35pm - figured out how to jerry-rig a rack to put on the bottom of the pan. I ended up using screw rings tied together with yarn.

• 8:35pm-9:15pm - cut tomatoes (my own heirloom beefsteaks). I really can't tell you why it took so damn long to cut the tomatoes.



• 9:15pm-9:30pm - gathered the rest of the ingredients (white wine, white vinegar, dried basil, dried oregano, water, my own ajo rojo garlic, sugar...

...and also balsamic vinegar.




• 9:30pm to 10:10pm - washed and heated glass jars and lids, and also cooked the liquid and herb ingredients.



• 10:10pm to 10:30 - filled jars. Since I was not using a true canner, and only my large pots and pans, I could only process three jars in each pot! I had 3 burners going to process my seven half-pint jars.

• 10:30-11am - processed the three batches of bruschetta

• 10:50pm-11:15 - cooled jars and cleaned up a bit

Total time involved: 2 hours and 45 minutes!!!

Here is the finished product - a gorgeous little jar of bruschetta. The plan is to give as gifts (to very special people!) along with some french bread or crackers, and a little bottle of olive oil.

How I calculate the cost for each $24 jar of bruschetta - my hourly work wage (I would imagine my free time would cost even more though!!!), the cost of jars, new tools (a kit that contains a jar lifter, magnetic lid lifter, etc.), vinegars, wine, tomatoes, garlic, and herbs. I didn't even calculate the "cost" of my tomatoes - always a precious commodity in the Greenish Thumb garden in August when blight, pests, neglect, take over. Each tomato could easily be a $64 Dollar Tomato, though I only used a market price to calculate my cost.

As I conclude and reflect on the business of canning...

Along with some very beautiful and certainly costly little jars of bruschetta, are many questions. First and foremost, why would I ever want to do this messy and labor intensive project again?

I do recognize that much of what slowed me down was my lack of experience and the fear that was put in me by the book I read on preserving. I stood with a kitchen full of measuring cups, timers, pots, and pans having learned that if every minute detail is not followed exactly, the jar will burst, or I will feed my family botulism spores.

Though I basically read a 2 inch book cover to cover (including most of the recipes) before I began, now as I conclude, I am left with more questions than answers:

• Does a concave seal mean there's nothing to worry about with regards to the seal? Ever?


• Is it ok to see very tiny air bubbles near the top of the jar?
  
• Is it possible to deviate ever so slightly from the recipe - for instance, by using fresh instead of dried herbs?


• Can I stack jars in a canner?


• How can I chop tomatoes more efficiently!?


• Should I buy a canner?


• Will I ever gain confidence using the jar lifter?


• Is my fear that glass will explode into a million shards all over my kitchen warranted?


• Was I justified in screaming at my child, and later my husband, when they got too close to the jars right after I JUST said, "Don't touch the jars for 24 hours or you'll mess up the seal and all my hard work will be for nothing!"?

Any ideas, tips, comments, thoughts would be appreciated!!!