Completed: #29. learn to can my own food

Well, hello! It's been awhile. This has not been for lack of goal progress -- but, rather, the opposite. The semi-sad quiet listlessness of my life has faded and been replaced by little else but love, appreciation, and creation. It's a nice change of pace.

Post the first (prepare for many!) will bridge (1) my 43things-goal-inspired love of foraging, with (2) canning. 

For the former, well, the new yard of my new home is a forager's dream. I harvest cedar from the many trees around the yard to make smudge wands for myself, for gifts, and for trade. In spring, the large white spruce starts emerging with new tips and I pluck them like berries from the overgrown branches that need to be pruned. I made both spruce tip pickles and a simple spruce tip syrup:

For the latter, well, I didn't realize that hot water baths and mason jars constituted as "canning". This is something I've been doing as long as I've been making pickles. However, since these are new 'products', so to speak, I'll mark this as "complete".

I hope one day to do some metal canning, with crimpers, and thermometers, and high pressure cooking pots. However, it's going to take lots of reading and care to ensure good results and minimize risks of food poisoning.

In the meantime, the simple syrup is an unbelievably delicious marinade for tofu. I ended up keeping 3/4 jars for myself, because I like it so much. I also read it's good with fish, poultry, and mixed drinks.

The pickles I've tried both in a salad and in a stir fry with mushrooms. Next time I'd like to pluck some tips fresh to cook immediately, because the tang of pickles is a little much in cooked dishes, I think. It definitely keeps them awhile, though.

CANNING, YAY.

[Original goal list posted here.]