It Begins with Peas

From now until late fall,

the pressure canner will be a constant part of the kitchen decor.

Peas are the first crop to harvest.

They are also one of the easiest things to can.

To can peas:

Fill the jar with fresh peas to 1 inch below rim,

add 1/2 tsp sea salt,

fill jar with warm/hot water to 1 inch below rim,

make sure rims are clean,

secure lid - just finger tight

place in pressure canner w/ water (follow canner instructions,)

bring up to pressure (often 11# but 12# here)

let 'cook' at that pressure for 40 min.

Note: check your canner chart for elevation / pressure requirements.

The peas start out a bright green.

After they are canned,

they become a bit darker.

Once they cool, the "water" in the jar will solidify slightly.

This is pea oil.

Peas are a bean so produce an oil.

When I heat the peas to eat, I leave this in the pan.

We add no color enhancers or chemicals to our foods.

(Yes, technically salt is a chemical.  I know.  But we can pronounce it:)

The first time I canned peas,

I called a friend, because I thought I did something wrong

when I saw the pea oil.

She was kind and didn't even laugh at me.

This has been our evening entertainment for the past couple evenings.

One of my goals this year is to keep better track of how much we preserve.
I have a hard bound cheapo notebook
that I have began keeping a log with the dates as well.
This will help us to know how much we eat each year
as well as when we need to be ready next year.

Until next time,
Nimble Fingers and Even Stitches