A Canning Inventory

My mom gave Matt and I boxes and boxes and boxes of canning jars and lids that she picked up at a garage sale this summer.  It was great and saved us quite a bit of money.  There were lots of jelly jars and as last year was our first year making jelly we didn't have many of those at all so that was an especially good bonus.  It was a mixed-bag of all sizes and shapes, including some square jars which are always my favorites because you don't see them as often.  Like the blue glass jars.  They are different and special. 

The boxes had just been sitting in a stack on the utility room floor since she gave them to me...months ago now I think.   There wasn't room for them and we were too busy to make room.

But, Matt and I (on one of our newly found evenings together) recently went through all the shelves in the utility room (which serves as tie-dye studio, laundry room, and preserves storage) and did some much needed rearranging.  Things had been put away when we moved in five months ago, but now since we'd had five months of using them and weighing the pros and cons of their placement (as well as some new additions to put away) we decided to totally reorganize. 

We took tally of our preserves still on the shelves as we put them away again.  There are not too many of them at this point.

We have:
3 qts. apple juice
2 pts. grape juice
3 qts. apple pie filling
14 pts. applesauce
2 pts. tomato sauce
4 pts sour cherry jelly
1 qt. dill pickes
2 pts. pears
1 1/2 pts. pear butter
2 1/2 pts. persimmon jelly
1 pt. strawberry-rhubarb jam

We actually had 4 quarts of apple juice, but the project inspired in us a strong desire for some of that fabulous nectar!  So we got out our extra-special heirloom glasses (which are used in every day living because every day is a special occasion) and filled them up.  I set the camera to snap as we took a drink and I think it completely captured sheer joy of the treat on my face.  "Oh man, that is good!"

We're starting on filling the jars back up now, at present with the focus on apples--applesauce, apple juice, apple pie, and apple butter.