Twenty years I’ve waited …

.. to hear that POP!  What pop?  The pop of the lids on the canning jars as they seal!

Remember when I told you about Mabel, the dear, sweet woman who lived next door to us when I was growing up?  The woman who was my step-in grandmother when I was growing up (since my real grandmothers lived states away).  The woman who taught me to garden, made me my first quilt, let me play with ceramics, and cooked lovely scrumptiously delicious apple turnovers?

Well, Mabel also inspired me to make jelly and to can things.  Mabel made the absolute best Mayhaw jelly and pickled okra ever.  Although inspired, however, I’ve never actually had the courage to do anything about that inspiration until tonight.  I was convinced it was too hard.

But as of an hour ago tonight, there are three jars of okra pickling and one jar of cucumber slices. SWEET!  And as they cool from the processing, the lids go POP! I’m so excited about this I can barely sit still!!