On the horns of a dilemma

[Ldychef2k]

I just got off the phone with a lady who saw my newspaper article. She emailed me that she had some canning supplies that she and her mother had used, and she wanted to donate them to me to use in teaching canning skills. Of course, I was thrilled.

And I still am, but I have a problem. Along with the canner and the utensils, the peach pitter and the apple corer-peeler, she has 150 cases of jars. Full of food. This woman is 79. She canned with her mother. Her mother had canned since this lady was a child, and the last time they canned was in 1990, and when her mom died the rest of the family bought a shed and put it in this lady's back yard, and filled it with boxes. She only recently learned that the boxes were full of jars of food. She offered them all to me to do with as I see fit, as long as I do the emptying of the jars. That's 1800 jars. I sure could see myself sharing with my students!!! And as well there may be some older jars that could be sold to collectors. I already have a dozen or two like that.

So, the question is -- what do I do with the food? Bury it? City dump? I am guessing compost is out. I am not really sure what to do. Any suggestions?

 

[freemotion]

First:

Oh, boy.....what a dilemma..... Aren't jars safe if sterilized? Can you pass them on free as is to students and they can deal with them.....make them not a gift from you but a gift from that lady? Then keep the equipment yourself. You can always use a second canner, especially if you are doing classes. You can have longer classes and can more than one type of item.

 

[freemotion]

Keep some jars for yourself. Jars break. Gifted jars don't always come back. It also will allow you to give to more needy people.

 

[SKR8PN]

I would compost the contents of some of the jars , bag some of it for the trash, and flush a little at a time down the drain(assuming you have city sewer) I would never dump the stuff into your septic tank.


That has to be the Holy Grail of canning jars stashes!

 

[noobiechickenlady]

Wow! I mean, really WOW! What an awesome gift Sad that no one got to enjoy the fruits of all their labor though.

I like SKR8PN's suggestion. Spread it out over your different options.

 

[Ldychef2k]

So a multipronged approach. I can do that. Hmm...and any potential toxins will be killed in the compost pile?

Free, yes, the jars will be fine. When I get new jars anyway, I first soak them in a bleach solution, run them through the dishwasher using ammonia to take off any stains or calcium, and then run them through again with soap and using the sanitize cycle. Then I sanitize them again before I use them. OCD anyone?

I have found so far that probably a third to half of the people in a class will actually go on to can. Of course, that's just judging by the followup emails and phone calls. So I think giving a few to those who are interested enough be the best use of this lady's amazing gift.

According to the city, I am not allowed to give away filled jars. That was the original plan, to make salsa or pickles or jam, maybe applesauce, at each class and have the students take home a jar. Nope, can't do it. Not legally anyway. I have, however, made some dear friends at these classes and there are no rules about giving friends a gift.

Any more thoughts on disposal?

 

[Ldychef2k]

Sad that no one got to enjoy the fruits of all their labor though.

Could not agree more. It is not going to be easy emotionally to empty those jars. Not when I know that the woman who canned them lived through the depression, and spent her life making sure her family always had enough to eat.

Truthfully, that worries me as far as my own pantry is concerned. That if something happens to me, the investment I have made will fall by the wayside.

 

[freemotion]

Well, could you will them to a deserving and appreciative offspring or friend?

 

[Ldychef2k]

Deserving is so relative ! LOLOL

 

[freemotion]

Exactly why I qualified my statement with "deserving and appreciative," then added "friend!"