Hitting the Jackpot

As I was mentally fortifying myself to get in the kitchen and make some jelly out of the grapes that I picked, I was searching for jelly recipes on the net.  All of them mentioned things like canners and canning tongs, so I was making a list of things I would need to get before I could start the jelly making process.  Of course, as usual I was using that as an excuse to procrastinate.  I don't like to cook.  I don't want to make jelly.  I don't want to can beans.  I don't want to dry herbs.  I don't want to preserve zucchini.  It all reeks of cooking, but it all must be done.

Anyway, I suddenly remembered that my friend, Janice, had given me a canner/pressure cooker before we moved out here to the farm.  In addition, she had given me a box marked "canning supplies".  It's been two and half years since she gave them to me and I've managed to put off learning to can this long, so I hadn't even opened the canner or looked in the box.  But, I was down to the wire.  I had picked the grapes and something must be done.  So, I dragged the stool out to the laundry room and climbed up to peek into the canner stored there.  Voila!  There were some canning tongs right there in the canner!  Yay!  No buying tongs.  Boo.  I have all I need to make jelly.

While I was up there, I spied the canning supplies box, which I had totally forgotten about, so I dragged it out along with a package of jars that I had optimistically bought two summers ago.

And, man did I hit the jackpot!

There was this grinder thing with three sizes of sieves.  And see, there are the tongs.  They look vintage.  I like that.

And two other grinder things, which I have no idea how to use...yet.  And loads of lids and rings!  This is very exciting!  I even took them back to the bedroom, where Tom was watching TV, and spread them out all over the rug for him to see and admire.  :o)

Yay for friends who give us things!  And a big thanks to Janice for her generosity.