Manatee must not know me very well. Amidst finishing our registry today at Bed, Bath and Beyond, he threw down a challenge. As I hoisted up a package of canning jars, he looked at me and said, “Come on, you’re not actually going to can anything.”
I think my jaw may have actually hit the floor. Aside from the fact that I have been happily planning all the things I wanted to can/preserve (preserved lemons, some kind of delicious berry jelly, tomato sauce, pickles, relishes) and have been setting aside countless recipes that were just waiting for me to get canning materials, did he really think that telling me I wouldn’t do something wouldn’t make me want to do it even more?
So, the canning challenge has been thrown down. I will can something or preserve something or put a bunch of stuff in all of these glass jars in the next few months. You readers are my witness, and you readers that are close friends may be getting some pretty jarred gifts in the next few months.

You have been warned.