One
of the things I acquired when we moved Mother from the old family home was her
old aluminum pot. I wouldn’t be surprised if she started housekeeping with that
pot. With its lift-out basket (probably some technical name for that), it was
so handy for cooking corn on the cob. So, I brought it to my house where it
didn’t get much respect for many years, finally ending up in the storage loft.
It’s
just the kind of pot that we surreptitiously separate from the wares at the rummage
sale. “We mustn’t sell that,” someone will whisper. “Cooking on that stuff will
make someone sick.” So okay – I won’t take this pot to the rummage sale, nor will I use it for a stock pot.
But
I was glad to think of it today when I needed to provide a hot water bath for
some jars of pear preserves. My limited canning supplies are all on the farm
where we have a gas range. This glass-topped stove is really not meant for
canning and I knew it when we bought it. I wasn’t a canner then.
Friday
I made a batch of “preserves” and stored the finished jars in the freezer since
I had no way to seal them. Yesterday I cooked pear slices in sugar water and
froze them. I also made a small pear crostata with lemon zest. (Note to self:
Use old-fashioned pear pie recipe and leave the lemon zest to someone else.)
But
today, as I struggled to finish the remainder of the pears, I thought about
that old aluminum pot and wondered if maybe I might be able to use it as a
canning kettle. I climbed up into the loft to get it. I knew right where it was
– except that it wasn’t there. I had already brought it down and put it on a
shelf where I could find it. At least it was there and ready to serve.
Two
wonderful things about this pot – it’s large enough and deep enough to provide
a water bath for five jelly jars and it has this inner basket that lifts out –
so handy. And I was successful with it, too. I sealed eight jars of spicy pear
preserves. Can you hear that beautiful sound? “Thunk!” I’m really thinking I’m
going to take this pot to the farm with me to use during Elderberry Fest. So
much more manageable for small jars than the big canning kettle.
We’re
having Elderberry Fest early this year because of Hallie and Nick’s work
schedules. They’ll be here Thursday. KW
7 comments:
Fun! Our latest experiment is huckleberry jam sweetened with agave necter and a batch sweetened with honey. We used Pamona pectin rather than Sure-Jell. It seems to be setting up nicely!
Can't wait to eat pears!
Kathy, good on you for the preserves. I put my pear harvest in the freezer for pie & made some pear pineapple jam, too. I actually am a canner of quantity, note that is quantity but also it would be quality, too as I would not want but the best for my family, LOL.
I don't anything about Pamona pectin. They must not carry it at the nameless marts. We had no pears left over but we can get some for eating.
I'm not sure all the sugar that goes into the preserves is the best for my family. However, I did choose recipes that called for half the measured fruit in sugar rather than double the amount of fruit.
After the pears were gone, my sister shared with me her method for freezing pie filling. Can hardly wait for next year.
I laughed at your search for the pot. My memory, as I age, is very good. But my memory works ONLY to the extent that I remember the first place I put something. If I moved the thing to a more logical place, doesn't matter. My memory only remembers the first place.
Back in the "olden days" (late 50's), we sterilized baby bottles. I had a kit with a large pot, an insert to hold the bottles & a pair of aluminum tongs. Actually the kit was like a canning kettle. I kept the tongs for cooking and still have it in my kitchen drawer. The tongs will outlast me.
So glad you found use for your mother's pot. Spicy pear preserves. Sounds yummy!
Twenty years later, my pediatrician, an elderly gent, insisted we boil everything for the baby. He said he didn't think those bags were good. So I had one of those pots, too, and I used it in the kitchen for years but I don't have it now. The tongs were plastic. They're gone, too.
A friend tells me things have really changed in baby care. Much more casual than we were.
How fun to have your mom's pot. A special treasure for sure, and you even found a use for it. No canning up here this year. Our zucchini didn't even grow.
Your zucchini didn't grow? I thought I was the only one! I hate to admit when my zucchini doesn't grow. My four tomato plants are mostly a lot of bush and very little fruit. Frankly, with some plantings my seeds didn't germinate. Mike and I were discussing the high cost of groceries this morning, but this year we didn't have enough garden produce to count. Next year we plan to make some changes. (Easy to say.)
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