NOW I remember........

Now I remember why I haven't made any jam, jelly, preserves or put up any vegetables in a couple of years.

Let me illustrate using a mathematical equation:

10 lbs pears + 9 cups of sugar + 4 lemons+ 12 jars = 3 pints of pear preserves.

Doesn't seem to be really balanced, huh? I guess it would be a frugal thing to do if you already had the jars and the fruit grew in your yard, but that ain't the case here. Oh well....I did it so my kid could see where stuff like that comes from, and I remember my grandmother making it. Funny the things you remember because she has been gone since 1973 and I remember seeing the lemon slices in the jar when it was sitting on her counter.

There was only one casualty in the whole preserve making process ( which took all afternoon) - the head part of my melon baller broke off. I was using it to core the pears because it makes a nice round hole. I guess the things were a little on the hard side. Now I'll have to find another one somewhere, or just buy an apple corer, which is what I use it for anyway. Not much melon around here.

Now that I have 9 extra jars, maybe I'll make some apple butter. I figure about 30 lbs of apples might fill them up!