I have a friend that is into preserving meats. He makes jerkies, smokes, etc but he's never thought about canning. Well, the other night we meet for drinks and I take him a half pint of strawberry balsamic preserves. The next day, he demolished the preserves in about an hour...and he wanted more. So, he looks up a recipe online and goes to AJ's (he's a single, childless, very successfull man that has more money than he knows what to do with) and buys about 8 pounds of strawberries, an ungodly amount of sugar, high end balsamic vinegar, and half pints. He proceeded to make 36 (36!) half pints of Strawberry-Balsamic Jam. I asked him, "what are you going to do with 36 (36!) half pints of Strawberry-Balsamic Jam?" He replied with, *shrugs* "Eat it". He then proceeds to tell me how he's buying all these pint & half pint jars in bulk. I have a feeling he's going to preserve anything he can get his hands on now.

Hide the women and children, I think I've created a monster!

I beg your pardon! I think that should read "All women should be taught to can." ;)

I have been married twice, dated more women than I care to admit, and I have never found one that could cook, much less can food! LOL

I was the youngest of 5 boys growing up on a farm, so I was Mom's "helper". I was cooking by age 7, canning by 10. My brothers are a lot older than me and were too "grown up" to do that sort of thing!

Dad would put me on the tractor, at about 8 years old, fill it up with gas and put me to plowing while he went to work at the mill. After it ran out of gas I would walk back to the house and start supper! Mom worked too.

I can cook anything with a recipe, almost anything without a recipe and can food! LOL!

No brag, just fact! :)