Pressure Cooker Boils Over

Saturday morning, Hubby and I relaxed with our ritual cups of coffee and morning reading. When our two turbo-toddlers woke up, I expected the day to errupt in a frenzy of noise and activity, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that they played quietly most of the morning.

My plan was to spend the day canning corn. My husband picked a crate full of cobs, shucked the ears and brought them to me. After reviewing several websites for canning directions, I began cutting the corn from the cobs. In a few minutes, I found a comfortable rhythm and corn was quickly accumulating in my biggest pot.

After a short lunch break, I cooked the corn and readied the jars, lids, and bands. I poured 2-3 inches of water into the pressure cooker, set it on the burner and turned the heat to high. Once the jars of corn were filled, lids held in place with the bands, I set them in the pressure cooker, locked the lid and set the timer for the 10 minute venting period. It was then I realized I had not stirred the corn inside the jars to release air bubbles before I lidded the jars. New as I am to canning, I didn't know if it was a big issue or not. But, better safe than sorry, so I turned off the burner, let the cooker cool, opened it and took out a jar to see if I could stir the bubbles out.

Eeesh. What a hassle. After one jar, I decided to take the risk and just can them as they were, extra air bubbles in the jars. Back into the canner the jars went. I locked the lid in place again, set the timer for another 10 minutes and waited. I put the jiggler in place and prepared to wait again...until the pressure hit 15 lbs and the jiggler started...yep...jiggling.

Just moments later, the sound of boiling water hitting the electric burner caused me to run back to the kitchen. The canner was hissing, spewing clouds of steam, and spraying water from under the lid. It looked like an angry thunderstorm had errupted on my stove! I quick grabbed the children and started to run outside. Then I realized that I was going to have to turn the stove off so the thing would not explode. So, here I am, yelling at the kids to get back, running to the stove and fast as lightning trying to reach around this terrifying pot to turn the knob to off without getting burned, scorched or exploded on! By this time, the commotion had reached such a frenzy that the overflow had sprayed all over the stove and run down onto the floor. I turned the knob to off and rushed outside with the kids. I stood on the deck shaking all over. I have never been so afraid in my life.

We waited outside for awhile and then my husband went inside to check it out. It was finally safe to go back in, so we all traipsed inside. I tried to figure out what happened...was it because of the air bubbles? I called my mother-in-law and a friend, but couldn't reach anyone. Finally, I got in touch with my friend and found out that the air bubble issue was not an issue. It would just mean that there would be less liquid trapped in the jars when the canning process was complete.

I discovered that because I used our tap water (well water--HARD water) that it can leave buildup and harden the rubber seal on the pressure cooker. Several hours later, when I was sure it was safe, I removed the jiggler, waited some more and opened the canner. Ping, ping...ping...the jars started to seal. THIS was a problem. Yeah, they're sealed, but the corn (a low acid vegetable) hasn't been cooked long enough or hot enough to destroy all the bacteria. I ended up having to pop all the lids off the jars and heat new lids to use. (Since the lids were off, I stirred the air bubbles out.) I soaked the rubber seal in hot water for several minutes. Cleaned the pressure cooker and started over with the jars inside.

Thankfully, everything worked that time. Now, I have corn put away for winter and a (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime story.

Getting Outside and Cleaning It Up

My summer is going to be busier than I thought. Along with plans for a large organic garden, raising chickens (for the first time), learning to can vegetables, caring for two small children and the everyday duties of life, I now realize that the farmstead we just moved to needs A LOT of clean up. I don't quite understand why people will clutter up an otherwise beautiful farmstead with old rusty machinery, junked out cars, miscellaneous discarded equipment, and trash.

Hold that thought. I should make one confession here. I like the outdoors. I just prefer to look at all the beauty of God's creation from inside a nice, comfortable home. I would like being outside a lot more if there weren't so many bugs and if my fair skin didn't burn so easily. But, I'm not into spraying a bunch of nasty chemical pesticides on everything to get rid of bugs, sunscreen is annoying and so are sunburns. So, I just stay inside most of the time.

This summer, my goal is to break my habit of living indoors and spend most of my days outside. There will be plenty to keep me busy! Somehow, I need to rediscover that tomboyish 18yr old who loved excitement and adventure, fishing and exploring, hiking and rollerblading. Or at least rediscover that part of myself just enough to enjoy cleaning up trash, collecting eggs, feeding chickens, planting, weeding, harvesting produce, oh yeah...and playing outside with my two boys--I almost forgot about the one thing that actually sounds like fun and not work.

Do you know that feeling when you know something should be fun and it's good for you, and probably will be fun once you get into it, but you're kinda scared that you won't like it or that you'll fail at it? That's kinda what it feels like looking at this summer. I really want to garden, raise chickens, learn to can vegetables, make this place look awesome, but I'm a little scared that I'll 'chicken' out. That I won't like it and that I'll end up watching it all from inside again.

It probably sounds like I'm one of those agoraphobic people who never leave the house. Seriously, I'm not. I go to the store, appointments, church, wherever I need to be. But, this summer, I'm going to spend as much time outside as I can. In North Dakota, winters are long (especially this last one) and I don't want to find myself suddenly in October, full of regrets about spending so much of another summer inside --even if my outside 'to do' list isn't as exciting as it was when I was that 18 year old tomboy.