By June Mathews
I love learning new things. In fact, I might love it a little too much since I’m constantly shelling out money for instructional courses or software or books. And even if the learning itself doesn’t cost me a buck or two, as in the case of the “free” course I took at a local crafts store, the subsequent outlay of cash on whatever I need to utilize my newly acquired knowledge can get out of hand.
For instance, when tole painting became all the rage among the local arts-and-crafts crowd back in the 1980s, I plunged in wholeheartedly, enrolling in various classes and purchasing brushes, pattern books and dozens of bottles of acrylic paint with unrestraint. After all, I “needed” all that stuff to practice my art, and since I could use some of my masterpieces as gifts, I was actually saving money in the long run, wasn’t I?
This went on for a while until I moved from part-time to full-time employment in a law firm. At that point, my tole painting skills grew rusty, and so did some of the associated supplies. Years later, when I ran across a gigantic stash of moldy pattern books and bottles of gummy paint in the basement, the thought of how much money I’d invested – OK, wasted – on all that stuff kind of set my teeth on edge. But that hasn’t stopped me from pursuing other new interests.
In the past two decades alone, I’ve taken lessons or at least developed some level of curiosity in furniture refinishing, calligraphy, needlepoint, scrapbooking and other forms of paper crafts, houseplants, piano, quilting, dance (from which I learned I’m blessed with two left feet), knitting, crochet, collecting teapots and antique glassware, and – until I learned the dang things don’t clean themselves – aquariums filled with exotic fish.
And those interests – some passing fancies, others a bit more enduring – comprise only the tip of my “Things I’ve Felt Compelled to Learn About” iceberg.
So given my history, I guess it’s not surprising that I discovered yet another budding passion this past week. Although I’ve never been one to spend a lot of time in the kitchen or gardening, I’m a decent cook and have recently become interested in growing some of our own food. Thus when I spotted an ad for a canning class in our church newsletter, learning about food preservation suddenly seemed the next logical step in my journey to self-sufficiency.
Feeling intimidated by what I consider an advanced domestic skill, I invited my friend, Susan, along for moral support. So we plopped down the nominal fee, collected our handouts and spent part of last Friday afternoon chopping tomatoes, peppers and onions for homemade salsa alongside a dozen or so fellow students. Then we learned how to safely preserve the resulting concoction in cute little quilted glass jars.
Much to my surprise, canning is a fairly straightforward proposition, not the difficult and somewhat mysterious process I’d always thought it would be. And once you finish canning something, you have some nutritious food to put on the shelf for later consumption. So on the practicality scale, canning is way up there.
Better yet, thanks to some canning Jimmie did a few years ago, I already have most of the equipment on hand. Once I buy a few jars and some produce, I’ll be good to go, no big expense required.
So all in all, it seems that canning and I could be a match made in heaven, especially since I learned about homemade peach-mango salsa and spicy gingered pears. After sampling (or more accurately, chowing down on) both during class, I’m pretty much hooked. Hey, if canning involves making things that go well with tortilla chips or crackers and cream cheese, you can count me in.
Email June Mathews at jmathews120@charter.net.