Thrifted Sunday--Thrifty Canning

With everyone in some sort of school this last week you might think I was in a thrifters heaven with all my 'free' time. That's a big negative right there, I hit a thrift store exactly once this week. I did enjoy having the time to dig a little deeper and spend time where I saw fit but still it was only once. I plan to at least double my time this coming week.

One thing I look for repeatedly anytime of year is canning jars. I buy them by the case, usually for around 50¢ a jar. I consider this to be the going rate for jars but sometimes I find them for as little as 3 dollars a case. I love to find old boxes of jars with writing on the sides of of the box, memories of someones life scratched out and written over. Will someone buy my boxes of jars someday and wonder what kind of person I was? Will my handwriting get as wobbly as what's already on the box showing my progression of age? I hope so, I hope there is always someone willing to snatch up old canning jars to fill there pantry with homemade goods. Repeating the lessons learned and passed through the years, on and on.

This is my pantry and every single jar in here has been a thrift find. I still have a store room full of jars to be filled and so many more things to put up.

one side

another patch of canned relish and pickles

the big gallon jars are NOT thrift finds!

I grow a lot of our own food. This year some crops were better than others, for instance crab apples are abundant and we'll have enough for apple sauce, apple butter and apple jelly. On the other hand our rhubarb has not forgiven us for dividing it two years ago and we harvested next to none this summer. This is where the other part of thrifty canning comes in, forage, trade and glean. I ask my friends who have abundant crops if they want to trade for something they don't have. Most of them are quite ready to kick down with something they are damn sick of eating and love to get eggs or apples or sugar snap peas in trade. I pick wild berries as much as possible too this is great way to spend a lovely day outside with family or friends.

these are green tomatoes given to me by a friend and neighbor who has a huge greenhouse

 Gleaning is an art. You have to spot something not being used, then get up the courage to either go pick it or ask the owner if you can pick it and share some of the finished product with them. Our town has planted crab apple trees down main street and these are a great place to pick. A few buildings in town also have currants planted around them another great place! If it's on private land make sure to ask the owner if you can pick there and share with them. Some farmers will let you in to their fields after their harvest is done to pick crops deemed too old or unable to be sold. I love this and wish more farmers felt at ease with it, when I was a kid this was a great way for my mom to fill our freezer each fall with broccoli and cauliflower.

Here are a few other treasures I found this week: love this old old pot holder

 isn't the owl adorable?

and these Celtic knot work potholders are pretty cool too.

How about you? What did you find this week, anything good? Why not share it over at Apron Thrift Girl and Southern Hospitality? I love to see what other people have found. If you are visiting from either of those blogs why don't you enter my Canning Giveaway or link up to Just Another Meatless Monday