Now, if you know me at all, you know that the skill of canning was a skill that I never desired to attain. My sister cans fruit every year, and all the family loves her canned fruit. I've been to her house when she cans. I saw the jars of fruit everywhere and was quite convinced that I never needed to acquire that skill. However, when we first moved 7 years ago, and my life pace changed I began to think that maybe SOMEDAY I could do that.

Then, when we moved back to Idaho in 2005 I was tricked. My husband asked me to make pear butter. The house we were house sitting had a pear tree and he remembered his mom always making pear butter and how yummy it was. Honestly, I had NO IDEA what pear butter was. I knew it was made with pears and I kept waiting for his mom to tell me how much butter to buy for the recipe. So, me wanting to please my husband, I called up my MIL and invited over for a day of helping me make pear butter.

It started off on the wrong foot. She could not find her recipe! I googled pear butter and read off several recipes to her until we found one that was at least similar.

We then spent the entire day (or at least it felt like it) preparing this pear butter. The pears from the tree were very little, which meant it took forever to peel and slice them. Somewhere towards the end of the whole process I realized that I was going to be canning these. I felt tricked!! I couldn't believe that I had been duped into CANNING!

But, I felt accomplished and thought that this was for my husband, so I could do this again. He came home, tried it. Do you want to know his first comment? ... "It doesn't taste like my mom's."

Um, your mom sat right there and told me what to do each step of the way! Apparently you don't ever want me to make pear butter again! I haven't. And, that's been in large part due to the fact that we still have a jar, maybe two left.

It kinda confirmed in me that I really didn't want to can.

But, last year we moved to our own place. And, this year we planted our first garden. Gardens mean abundance of food. The best way to utilize the abundance is...canning it. We planted beets. Really the only thing I've ever heard that people do with beets is can them. I guess I was stuck.

So, I googled it and found a step by step, including pictures, guide. I followed it and made a couple phone calls of confirmation to my sister...

I NOW AM THE PROUD OWNER OF FIVE PINTS OF CANNED BEETS!!! I did it all by myself. OK, Dave helped wash the beets and kept reading the directions to me, as he was on the computer. But, I did it all alone.

I've got plenty of beets left to do more, so I'll be busy.

And, then we'll have green beans, tomatoes, and I really want to make salsa and spaghetti sauce too.