Old School

Last year I had a garage sale.  My first one as a "grown-up".  I know, I know that's kind of funny, but really we haven't ever amassed enough stuff to even have one by ourselves, which is a good thing.  It wasn't even that big.  In fact my mom brought over some of her stuff too just to help fill it out and of course help out. In the stuff she brought there was a big box of old books and guess what I found? My mom's old canning books.   Even the one for her old pressure cooker.

These are straight up from the early 70's...as if you couldn't tell from the pictures.  I stashed them of course because they just seemed a little too cool to let some stranger nab them for 25 cents.  Check out the sweet food photography.

I even found an recipe for preserving chili. The date on the newspaper was Wednesday September 9, 1981.  I was 1 and 1/2 years old.  Egads.  The 80's don't make me feel "old"...yet.

Then while wandering thru the local hardware store one evening I saw a massive Home Preservation setup.  Ball's put out a fancy, schmancy new canning book.  Complete with updated recipes, but honestly nothing's changed between the two books other than maybe the food cravings of different generations.  I really don't know if I'd ever "can" meat, but I won't say I'm not curious.

I'm glad I found and kept them all.  Looking thru all these makes me pretty nostalgic for those busy, hot days of canning.  If I can manage to find pictures of my dad and I tilling up our garden I'll be sure to post them up.  They're pretty cute.