Week 9 is fine*!

*Oh dear, I fear, I have resorted to rhyming titles for this contest now. 

The blueberries have been picked, so any day now I will be in a jam! Salsa and pickles will soon follow. All canning supplies are not created equal, and this week's letter goes out to my favorite (note: it was written back in February)...

Dear Ball Canning Creators,

Despite the feet of snow we have on the ground here, I had a little glimpse of summer days when my son grabbed a jar of homemade salsa from the basement. I don’t trust my canning efforts to just any products and instead choose Ball jars and lids.

Some of the Ball jars in my collection have made their way through several hands in our family, encompassing more than one generation. I remember my smaller hands pulling the quart jars of pears out of my grandparents’ refrigerator, and years later, using those jars to can peaches with my grandmother.

I have been helping my grandmother clear out some things from her basement. As I looked at all of the metal clamped jars, I did remember her making grape jelly with the wax. She even had some of the original blue Ball jars with glass lids. I smiled thinking about all of the women in our family whose hands had held those jars.

Please help me with this question…Is it proper etiquette to return jars after enjoying their contents? Is there not some sort of unspoken rule that says you only get refills if you give your jar back, or is this another of life’s great mysteries? Speaking of mysteries, why can I never keep the right lids and rings on hand to match up with my jar inventory?

I know this is crazy talk, but can you imagine if the jars came back filled with someone else’s specialty? What a delicious cycle that would be. Thank you for being a part of our family for so many years. I look forward to passing the tradition on.

In a pickle…with the jar half full,

 Andrea Casarsa

Mother, canner, blogger

The response?

Yay! Confirmation that jars should be returned. Oh and 5 points for free lids! add that to my previous 22 points, and I am at 27 POINTS!

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