Treasures

Last year my dad told me that he had found several boxes of canning jars that belonged to my Great Granny Hare. I was so excited to pack them up and bring them home with me. This summer we finally got to see them. They were dirty and dusty and packed in old boxes but they were absolutely perfect. We brought them home and set them in the garage until it was time to start canning. This past weekend I got them out.


I love the colors, shapes, sizes and names of these jars. I wondered why some of them had the blue color. It's mesmerizing to me. I have some of them up in my kitchen window right now just to gaze at. As I began canning I realized that when you place green food inside of these blue-tinted jars it gives it a rich and appealing color, as compared to the clear glass. I love the names; Presto Supreme Mason, Ball Perfect Mason, Knox Mason and, my personal favorite - Atlas Strong Shoulder Mason.


Holidays 1977: Me at age 6 months with Great Grandad and Granny Hare during the holidays. My mother says they absolutely loved me.

I don't know if I can put into words how special it was to me to get to have these jars and to use them. I know they're just jars but, to me, they are treasures. I don't even feel that they are mine, but that they are hers and I'm being allowed to use them. I believe that our ancestors watch us and take joy in seeing our interests, especially when they mirror their own. I went to the garage this Saturday morning and began opening the dusty boxes and pulling out various jars to wash and can with. It felt almost sacred to take them out of their resting places and revive them. I wondered if she was the last person to can with them and pondered what she put in them. I held one up to my nose and closed my eyes to take a deep breath, curious to see if I might be able to catch just a trace of what had been there. There was no smell but I was delighted to find a brittle old sticker on one that read, "Apples."

I enjoyed the rest of my day canning. I canned jam, green beans and dill pickles. I used a pressure canner for the first time ever. It's safe to say I'm hooked. I love this new hobby and I love that I've learned a skill that my great-grandmother had. I especially love these little treasured jars.