I'm So Proud of Myself

I canned hot peppers!

All on my own!!

 I'm so proud of myself! 

I kept putting it off, because quite frankly it seemed like a tedious, overwhelming, difficult task to take on.  But I REALLY wanted to try my hand at it.  #1 to prove I could do it  and #2 to help preserve and stock up some food for my family....Food that I grew with my own two hands, that I tended to and canned on my own, rather than just shopped for at the grocery store.

All summer long, I have enjoyed going out to the garden and picking fresh vegetables to feed my family.  My zucchini grew wild this year and I have over 40 bags of frozen shredded zucchini in my freezer to prove it.  Now my family can enjoy zucchini bread or cakes all year round.  How awesome is that?! To not have to go buy a zucchini out of season in the winter if we got hungry for it.  We also enjoyed stuffed peppers and fajitas with fresh garden peppers.  There is just something special about gardening.  If you garden, then you know exactly what I'm talking about.  It's thrilling and exciting.  Of course, it's a lot of hard work as well, but totally worth it.

This was our second year at gardening.  So, we are still experimenting on what grows best and what to do with all the bounty we've gotten from it.  Mostly we've been eating the vegetables fresh from the garden.  But I also wanted to try my hand at canning.  I was recently given the opportunity to review a product from CSN stores.  I decided to chose the Columbian Graniteware 12 piece canning set from Cookware.com.  The set came with a 5 piece tool set (funnel, tongs, lid wand, etc.), a canner with a wire rack, a blanching pot with strainer and colander and lids.  Basically, everything I needed to get started.   I was super excited when it arrived on my doorstep.  It took less than a week for it to be delivered once I placed my order. 

It took another week or two of reading books and internet articles on canning and preserving food.  And also gathering up the nerve of taking on such a task.  But once I started, I realized how easy it was.  The actual process itself was time consuming, especially the food prepping part.  After the job was complete, I couldn't believe that I had put it off for so long.  Having the right equipment made all the difference in the world.  I highly recommend the 12 piece canning set.  Although they sell all the products separately and in smaller piece sets. 

I think I kept pushing it off because I was afraid I wouldn't do the job correctly.  However, seeing those jars of peppers sitting on my counter was very satisfying.  I was so proud of myself at what I had accomplished.  And to be honest, I can't wait to do it again.

*Disclosure:  This review was based on my own honest opinion.  I received the 12 piece canning set to review.   No other compensation was received.  The opinions stated are my own and in no way influenced by CSN stores or Cookware.com.