Can you can

Here's a little tale. Last summer I learned to can with my friend Shirley. You may remember some posts from June/July about peaches, green beans and corn. Since then I have been coveting the infamous pressure canner that she uses, but since she was right down the road and we canned together, I really couldn't justify the expense.

Skip to the present. Shirley has moved back to her home in FL and taken her canner with her. Spring is in the air and Mr. Johnson (our neighbor) is promising another bumper crop of collard greens and tomatoes. Hence the whining (from me) has begun.

I'm not a pretty whiner...I'm more like a hint dropper. A seriously, annoying hint dropper. Or so I've been told. When we were talking marriage, Mark sent me to pick out my ring, and put it on layaway for him to go in later and buy it. That stinker let my ring sit there for over a month. Every time we drove by the store, I'd hint about the ring and Mark would nod, acknowledge me and then remind me...the more I bug him about it, the longer the wait. (Little did I know he had already bought it and was waiting for the right time to officially propose...we are weird like that).

Finally, last Saturday we were surfing around the web and he brought up pressure canners. Which one do you want. Next time I knew he was ordering it!!!

SO...here's what came in the mail yesterday!!!!

Could wait to rip it open!!

Oh...it's a thing of beauty. Made myself stop to take a picture.

And here she is. We will of course have to name her...I'm thinking Mabel. And you know today I ran up to the Farmer's Market to find something to can. Saturday I will be putting up quarts of apples and pickles. WooHoo!

Just another crazy day on the "funny farm"!!!!