Mishaps Happen, I Guess

On Thursday, Nikki, Mom, Adina and I made salsa.  Gorgeous, colorful, chunky salsa...as perfect as it can get.  We had three 18 qt. roasters full of salsa, one batch each of mild, medium, and super-hot. 

It took all day (I didn't get home until midnight).  But, it was a wonderful thing to get done...it's one of those things you kind of dread until you just have to do it; then, you just want to get it over with, so you make a day and get it done.  We picked onions, peppers, tomatoes and corn from our gardens.  It took forever (or so it seemed) to peel and dice the tomatoes, slice and chop the peppers and onions, and cut the corn off the cob.  However, by 5 p.m., all three batches were completed and cooking. 

Everything went smoothly...we work well together...I'd fill the jars, hand them to Mom and Nikki to put lids and rings on, and into the oven they went.  Yes, I said oven.  It does work to use your oven to can, in case you didn't know.  It's a trick I learned from Matt's Grandma Jeanette.  It makes canning go way faster and doesn't heat up your house so bad.  We stuck the jars in the oven (on a pan) for 35-ish minutes on 275.   And, guess what? They all sealed. 

Fast forward to today.  We're going to Roseau in a little bit to hang out with Matt's family.  I was trying to get the house picked up so when we come home, it will be fun instead of overwhelming.  I was bringing my first box of 8 jars of salsa to the basement to put away with the rest of my canned goods, when the box ripped open and all 8 jars fell out and rolled down the basement steps.

I was shocked.

I wanted to cry.

They broke.

Salsa was everywhere.

It was so awful.

I feel so dumb.

Why didn't I hold the bottom of the box?



I cleaned up the mess...that colorful, gorgeous, chunky salsa mixed with shards of broken jars...yuck!

Three jars remained unharmed, even after they fell down 6 basement stairs.  How did that happen?  I guess they didn't bump into other parts of other jars...I'm sure the others broke from hitting each other. 

Anyway, what's done is done.

I'm mad about it.

It means I have to make a lot more salsa.....soon.

And repeat that really long day I had last Thursday.

But, I can assure you, I'll never walk a box of salsa (or anything else, for that matter) down the stairs again without holding the bottom of the box.  I promise.

The end.

Hope your day is better than mine!