I stumbled upon some mason jars while thrifting and it made me think of just how useful they are. They can be used for a beverage, for pickling, or even for hiding the scent of weed from disapproving parents! Seeing this humble jar brought back some memories of each aforementioned use... but the most prevalent memory is from when I was a child and would help my grandfather pickle vegetables from his garden.
My grandfather is old school Italian. He immigrated here as a child but continues to live his life similarly to how he did back home. In his backyard, he has about a half of a square acre that is tilled for gardening. He grows an assortment of vegetables. Rows of beautiful bright red tomatoes, clusters of deep purple eggplants, crispy cucumbers, peppers so hot you'll need a glass of milk, and so much more. I always was astonished by the meticulous care he took of this garden; it was like a child to him. He would teach me how to water properly, when to pick vegetables, and how to preserve them as well.
In my grandfather's basement, you can find hundreds of mason jars, like the one pictured, lining the walls with garden vegetables soaking in a delicious, pickled brine. The rubber in the lid keeps the product inside airtight and fresh. When I would go over to his house in the summers, we would swim in his pool, pick vegetables, make a meal, and pickle what we didn't use. My grandfather is only one person, he can't eat endless amounts of veggies, but he refuses to let things go to waste, especially food. Even today, I could drive to his house and choose from an assortment of pickled veggies, some of which I pickled myself. My personal favorite were his pickled hot peppers. Adding some of those chopped peppers to a sandwich brings any boring sandwich from meh to incredible. This skill has been passed down to me and I plan to continue pickling and using the ever so useful mason jars for as long as I live.
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