For those of you not familiar with the traditions of Italian families, there is something called a garden which is the most important thing EVER…in life. And from that garden comes all the produce that will feed you throughout the year, at least that’s how it’s supposed to work. There’s just one tiny stipulation, YOU have to CAN all those fruits and vegetables in order to keep them…
The guilt that consumes a first generation Italian American woman who is gifted a giant bag of home grown tomatoes cannot be overstated. The first thing she thinks is, “Oh God, what will my parents think if I don’t can these?” Never-mind that her parents passed away anywhere from a year to decades ago, the disgrace over not utilizing every fruit, or vegetable down to its nub will…