Newbie Canning and Pantry Dreams

This weekend I canned for the first time and the process went smoother than I expected.

I canned something truly newbish- strawberry jam.

And it’s true- canning is addicting! I can’t wait to can again. I’m thinking about canning pickled okra next.

At this point, I only have a water-bath canner so I’m limited in what I can can. No biggie, I’ll make the most with what I have.

I also picked out where all my canning is going to go- in an underutilized pantry near my kitchen.

Here it is…

Kind of embarrassing but this is the way it looks 90% of time. In it you’ll find *a few* prepping supplies, disease-causing cleaning products that my husband cherishes, and all around clutter if you ask me.

And those food-grade buckets equipped with gamma lids aren’t full of food. They used to contain oats and wheat but now they sit empty and oh-so-sad. The only “food” in here is that bucket you see sitting to the bottom left. It’s dehydrated long-term food storage that tastes like dirt. No, actually, it tastes worse than dirt.

So while this is pantry I’m working with, this is the pantry I dream of…

Will it happen? Oh, yes it will happen. As God is my witness I will be that smiling lady on the right. It may take a while but slow and steady wins the race.

I don’t believe in stock-piling Swiss Miss and Ramen Noodle. I want food- real food- in my pantry. When I’m done you won’t even find commercially-prepared salad dressing (their full of rancid vegetable oils) in my pantry. Nope. Only whole, real food like you see in those pictures.

I have a long way to go but stick around and I’ll show you one heck of a before-and-after pantry pic!

Yep, I have a long way to go.

P.S. Here’s a classic canning recipe for you to try. I’ve actually had this relish before. It tasted amazing on hamburgers.

Photo Credit: Well-stocked pantry of Mrs. M.C. Houser 

Tagged as: canning, nutrition, real food, recipes