Jar Music

Day 314: Plink! Plink! Plink! That's the sound of lids sealing on jars fresh from the water-bath canner. Plink! And it's a music unlike any other. It made me dance into a batch of gingersnaps and a changeout of old liner paper in the baking cupboard, and then urged me to organize the oils, vinegars, syrups and sauces. That done, I tidied pie tins and colanders, sifters and sieves. The sound of plinking continued as I washed dishes and put away the wares of cannery: jar lifter, food mill, pot, pan and pouring cup. The glittering brass smiles of the jar rings teased me as I boiled berry stains out of brand-new washcloths, rinsed sticky spills of jam from well-seasoned towels and threw the lot in the washer for a final treatment. Through the months of winter and spring, I tend to forget how much I enjoy the act of canning even as I savour its results.