Going Back To My Roots

I come from good roots.  All that I am and all that I have been taught have come from those that came before me.  You see, every harvest season I look back on my roots and especially think about these two:
  

This is my Grandpa and Grandma Culley.  My maternal grandparents.  When I was growing up, my grandparents had a farm.  I spent countless hours on that farm.  Sometimes I would help with the harvest, but mostly I just played and explored.  How I wish I could ask these two questions, talk with them and soak in all their knowledge!  I would love to ask, "Grandpa, when should I pick my pears?"  Every year I ask that one in my head.  My grandma used to process and can all the fresh fruit and vegetables from the farm.  My mom was a master canner as well.  I hated canning when I was growing up.  It would take all day and the house would get so hot!  I guess I didn't mind it so much when I got to eat farm peaches in December.  Nonetheless, I swore I would never can.

But you see, I inherited my grandma's processor steamer when she passed away.  And although I didn't think I would ever use it, no one else wanted it so I took it.  Spring ahead about 10 years later when I had a house of my own and my own garden.  Jeremy had the crazy idea to plant a salsa garden.  I agreed.  When I was time to harvest I hopped on the internet and found a great recipe for canning salsa and that is how it all began.  Ever since then I have canned salsa every year.  Now I live in a different house with a bigger garden and my own fruit trees.  In addition to salsa, I now process and can apple sauce (apples courtesy of my parents) , apple pie filling, grape juice, jalapeno jelly, peaches and spaghetti sauce all using the processor steamer I inherited from my grandma.  That is until today.

My beloved steamer processor that I inherited from Grandma Culley.

I made a batch of salsa today and went to process it and behold there was a small hole in the bottom of the steaming pan.  It could no longer hold water to steam and process my jars.  I got sad--really sad.  In fact, I started to cry--a lot.  I think of my grandma every time I can and use her steamer and now suddenly her steamer was worn out (after all the steamer is older than me) and it broke my heart.  I will have to buy a new one.  Canning won't be the same, but I will still can and think of Grandma and my mom while doing it.  Canning is definitely part of my roots.  Hopefully someday my one of my granddaughters will inherit my new steam processor and continue the canning heritage.