Skip to main content

San Antonio cannery

This morning I drove the back roads south through Dripping Springs, and beautiful Texas Hill Country, with a blue sky a perfect temperature of 78 degrees outside, and all alone in my Toyota Camry, as I headed to the church cannery to dry pack some basic grains and such for our family's home food storage, as we've been advised over the years to do. There were only three of us from our ward who took advantage of this opportunity, including Monica, Minda, and me. So I could rest my stress fractured foot off and on, I brought a stool with me to sit on, and operated the can sealing machine to close each of the lids once they were filled with white flour, white wheat, red wheat, sugar, oats, rice, pinto beans, white beans, dried apples, non-fat dry milk. This machine is heavy duty and requires a firm tug of the handle to the right, to seal in the food tightly. A little silver oxygen foil pouch is included inside every can or mylar bag except for those containing sugar, which doesn't need one.
Here we are at the end of our canning. We got a lot done in less than two hours. It was a lot of fun! I'm not sure I would consider it very exciting to do on a regular basis, but it felt really good to be preparing for any unforeseen needs, knock on wood, and to have these basic necessities available at a low price to use on a daily basis too.
There's something unflattering about plastic aprons and hair nets, but it felt good on the inside to be doing this. I loved this experience and look forward to a future trip to the cannery.
Here's the stash of goods I packed inside my car--where they still sit until I clear out a place in my pantry for them. Now I need a wheat grinder.
Brother and Sister Johnson are service missionaries who run the cannery for the next year and a half. They applied for this service mission to be able to stay local and not leave their homes. They work very hard helping everyone on a daily basis, sometimes in the evening too.
Sorry, Sue, they ran out of potato pearls and no longer stock them. I tried.

Comments

sexy hair net. i hope they let you keep that. i have never been to the cannery, but i really hope to go at some point. i need some food storage!
Bobbi said…
Good for you! Too bad the potato pearls were gone, we love them! There's something about the cannery that feels a bit sacred. Whether it is service for others or canning for one's self, it is obedience and provident living. I need to get back there, too.
Heidi said…
I would love to go to a cannery someday!
Lonna said…
food storage what? I think that ours would have to stay in the car, as we have very little room for much more in the house. I would love to take a trip there too, do they do meat on Saturday's too? Just kidding. I am glad that you had a good time.
LaNan said…
I'm headin there Saturday. Whoopee! Gotta get some more wheat.
Summer Adams said…
I'm soooo proud of you for doing this! I need to go in a couple of weeks. I told you it was fun! Didn't ya think? You girls are awesome!

Popular posts from this blog

Book of Mormon Stories Pool Party!

Hopefully this title, Book of Mormon Stories Pool Party , does not sound irreverent, because as an Activity Days leader, I felt compelled to come up with a fun end-of-the-summer event that is also uplifting, and after all, who doesn't love a splash in the pool on a hot day in August?  My current church calling, or official role that I volunteer for, allows me to plan two activities each month for girls ages 8 to 11, that will encourage them to learn and live the gospel, serve others, and use the talents Heavenly Father has given them, to learn to do many good things.  This year's seminary course of study for high school students is The Book of Mormon, and since I am a huge fan of this inspired book of scripture, I came up with this idea to have each girl show up to my house with a written summary of one of her favorite stories from within its many pages, and share it with the rest of the girls, while outside in our swimsuits near our backyard swimming pool!  As each girl shares

Our new daughter!

This picture was taken at church a few days ago while Kelly was on his way to the US for work this week. We have some wonderful news to share.  We are adopting 7-year-old Yeh Min Yu, who has been in our home off and on the last couple of months.  There's a lot that goes into making this official, dealing with US Homeland Security to arrange for her immigration visa, Taiwan courts and Chinese documents, getting a home study done by a licensed, qualified person, applying for a passport.  You have no idea.  I'll be glad when it's all done, but I couldn't wait to share this bit of joy with everyone.  We will name her Hannah to go on her new US birth certificate.  She's excited and nervous to go to America with us.  She can say more than 100 words in English so far.  Some of her favorite things to say are "small dog, butterfly, apple, pig."  She says it more like pig-uh.  We love her and feel this is one of the reasons we came to Taiwan.  Who would have thoug

Elder Larson to return from Thailand soon

Soon is relative, I suppose. Our son has been away from home more than a year and a half as he has been volunteering as a full-time missionary in the Thailand Bangkok Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since September 14, 2016. He will be home in four months and is working so hard, knowing his time there is winding down. He has been assigned to train Elder Ben Meyer, from Sydney, Australia, as they serve in Ubon, Thailand. Christopher has been there since November. We are very proud of his dedication and hard work. This week in Thailand, the new prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, with his wife, Wendy Nelson, along with one of the Twelve Apostles, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, and his wife, Patricia Holland, will be on their world ministering tour and be where our son is. The Church members and missionaries in Thailand are very excited and happy for this special visit! I can't wait to hear how it goes, and I look forward to pictures and stories to come.