Tin Cans

tin cans

Pop was born in 1938 and although I have known many folks in my lifetime, who were born before that, I have had more opportunities to listen to his many stories of "how it was back then".One story he tells is how he was a grown boy, before he ever knew his grandparents to bring store bought cans of foods into their home.Ninety five percent of what they ate, was raised right there on the farm. If it wasn't, they just didn't eat it.

That concept is hard to imagine,even for me, and I was born ten years later. With nine kids to feed,Mom did can every morsel she could get her hands on, but you knew by the Bob White syrup jars, that we had eaten a lot of store bought syrup over the years.I think the peanut butter came in a bucket, or we would have used a lot of their containers for preserving foods,too.Every nook and cranny in the old farm house was filled with boxes of canned goods.Mostly, I remember pumpkin,squash,green beans,tomatoes, apples,and pickles.And possibly,some kraut.We did buy some things in tin cans, but not a lot.
Nowadays, cans of foods,from the grocery store, is the norm, for many folks.It is much easier to open a few tin cans than to raise a garden each year, but then there are many folks who don't have the luxury of having a place to grow a garden.Then there's the price of fresh produce which is outrageous at the groceries or markets.I suppose there are many other reasons why folks buy their foods in tins cans today.

As for myself, I do buy more foods in cans than I like to admit.I don't worry so much about filling up the landfills with my garbage,because I do recycle ninety percent of the packaging that comes through my door. But there are other things that should concern us more, when it comes to eating foods from the grocery stores. that are packaged in cans.Truthfully, we should be more concerned about any prepackaged foods that are coming in our homes.

But even though I feel this way, I do use foods canned in tin cans, as well as in other type containers, but I like to utilize the container whenever possible.We use coffee that comes in half gallon plastic resealable containers, and they can be found all around our property. They are so handy for so many purposes.I don't like to buy foods in jars that do not use a regular size canning rim and lid, although I, too, am guilty of doing that on occasion.I have a friend who buys a lot of those pricey sauces that use regular rims and lids, and she saves them for me. They are a good size for us to can our vegetables in for a family of two.The recycling place I use, has stopped taking glass, so I will need to be more selective from now on, as to the kind of glass containers that I bring into the house.

My topic today is on tin cans because I have been incorporating my love for fabric, and my desire to make something simple,but pretty and useful.Thus, I have been decoupaging a few cans with my pretty remnants of fabric.I am enjoying this project to no end,and it is a very calming activity. I can sit with Pop after dinner,while we watch his Western Movies, and cover a can a night. I have high hopes of making many more pretty covered cans for use as catch alls or pencil holders,etc. Who knows. Some may even end up in my little gift bags.