This week has been a turning point for Mom. She is home in her new apartment, and doing very well by all accounts. Welcome home Mom!
Organizing canning jars is a full time job at Mist Cottage.
The cycling of the jars is an annual ritual, marking the seasons, heralding a change in how our time is spent.
From October until June jars of food are brought up from the pantry and the contents transformed into delicious meals. The newly emptied jars are cleaned and stored in the basement, closed with used lids and rings, ready for next canning season.
From June until October empty jars are brought up from the basement to be filled with garden produce. The newly filled jars are cleaned and labelled and carried to the pantry shelves for storage.
This past week was our turning point, the last canning project was completed. Although we might have canned more produce, we were prevented from doing so; our very last empty canning jar was filled and stored in the pantry.
The last few days have been busy orchestrating the transition. The steam canner, which resided on the kitchen stove since last June, was washed, dried, returned to its box, and carried down to the pantry to be placed on the shelf where it resides when not in use.
Used canning lids, that had been on the empty jars in storage, were gathered from the various boxes and nooks and crannies in the kitchen, where they had been collecting since last June. I am spending time with a magnifying glass, looking at each lid, assigning them to one of three piles. There are those that are pristine, to be used for canning again when appropriate (e.g. part jars of food that will be kept in the kitchen for more immediate use).
There are those that have scratches or pinholes on the inner coating of the lid. They will be kept to use with dry goods storage jars, and to place on the clean empty canning jars as they go into storage.
The third pile are lids that are corroded. These will be kept in a plastic container in the garage, to be used for projects yet to be determined.
Some of the rings I use for canning have corroded. Those rings are 40 and 50 years old. They are set aside to use on the clean empty jars that are going into storage. They are no longer used for canning, as they do not function reliably.
The pristine rings are strung on strings, and stored in a tote in the basement.
The turning point in the canning season feels festive.
This year the turning point has arrived on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, making it even more festive.
Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!
Attila roasted a turkey, with all the trimmings, for our Thanksgiving feast. We have been enjoying a weekend full of delicious turkey dinners, we love leftovers. The roasted turkey also provides broth for soup, and diced cooked meat for the freezer. The diced frozen turkey is an ingredient for some our favourite meals!
There is so very much to be thankful for this year!
Worldly
Weather
14°C
Date: 9:29 PM EDT Sunday 11 October 2026
Condition: Light Rainshower
Pressure: 101.5 kPa
Tendency: Falling
Temperature: 13.5°C
Dew point: 12.1°C
Humidity: 91%
Wind: S 23 km/h
Visibility: 19 km
Quote
“A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop words when speech becomes unnecessary.”
Ingrid Bergman
1915 – 1982