>>>Delawhere, you’re not going to want to read this, but I have many unhappy memories concerning canning.<<<
Fortunately, my experiences were better... We always made a big deal out of canning, freezing, etc. My parents, Grandparents, Great Aunt and Uncle, my little sister and five cousins all organized and put up lots and lots. We would start Friday night, getting everything together, then Early Saturday we started, and went late into the evening. Then we all would gather after Church on Sunday and have a big family picnic back by the pond. Everything was divided up based on how many in the family.
It was always a happy, competitive time... We kids would brag about how many cans we sealed (metal cans - I still have the can sealer and all the tools and spare parts but can’t find a good source for cans.) Or how many ears we husked, or how many ears we had cut the corn off of. We always got peas and limas from the viners, so we didn’t have to shell them, but took lots of washing, cleaning and picking out pebbles and bad ones.
The only one I wasn’t too excited about was skinning the tomatoes, but we tried to make it fun. Oh, we always included some homemade ice cream for our breaks...
After many years of hearing about it, my two girls and their families are wanting to do it now too. So, my task is going to be to make it as much fun for everyone as it was for me.
What a marvelous family you had. And great memories.