So, after my virtual meltdown on my blog yesterday, Mr. FixIt and I had a really beautiful day. We’ve been binge-watching West Wing and we are down to the last disk in the collection…the final three episodes. We have really enjoyed this series and I was thrilled to introduce my husband to its intricacies. I think he had only watched a couple of episodes back when it was on the air, and it’s one of those shows you really should watch in succession in order to bond with the characters.

We decided in the afternoon to head up to Marietta, Ohio. It’s a college town, so there’s a level of sophistication mixed with Midwest charm that I find really cool. I never really spent time up there when I was growing up. Going to Marietta would have been a BIG trip for us…it was in a whole other state! Granted, you could SEE that state from the house I grew up in, but still…it seemed so far away.

After we finished our errands, I asked Mr. FixIt if he’d like to go over to Barlow, Ohio to Seaman’s Mercantile to check it out. When we were at the nursery last week getting tomato plants, the owner shared her love for canning with me. We were chatting about the best place to buy jars and lids when she told me about Seaman’s and I just had to check it out.

The original business in the building was started in 1857. The business has changed hands, and names, over the course of time and has been owned by Charles and Kara Seaman since 1983. I fell in love the second I crossed the threshold. There were flyers to the left of the door advertising butcher pigs and other assorted farming interests. The front window was filled with canning supplies. There were little treasures to be found at every turn.

I went with a singular purpose. I wanted to buy a large sieve to drain tofu, yoghurt, and cheeses. I knew what I was looking for but couldn’t find it in the local shops. When I went around behind the cooler filled with soft drinks, there it was…hanging on a nail high above my head. I climbed up the step ladder and plucked it off the hook. While I was up there, I spied a clear plastic half gallon jar with a screw on lid that I could use for storing dry goods so I picked that up. I also noticed a box of canning and pickling salt. I want to try my hand at making sauerkraut and you can’t use table salt. The iodine will ruin the kraut. Bingo…just what I needed.

As I was checking out, Mr. Seaman and I struck up a conversation about canning and preserving. He told me he had a couple of glass jars this same size if I was interested. They were a good price so I picked them up as well. They will work as my pantry storage for flour to keep it fresh. The owner at Sim’s Greenhouse told me about a large stainless steel canner that is made by the Amish. She had just received one for her birthday and it came from Seaman’s. It’s huge! It is a large rectangular box and fits over two burners. It was $121. I was tempted…but decided to wait and see how much I actually can this year. I told Mr. FixIt, if I were thirty years younger with a large family, that would definitely be a worthwhile investment. I just don’t know if I will be canning the kind of quantities that would justify such a purchase, so I passed…for now.

It turned out to be such a lovely “date day” and we were reminded yet again why we really do enjoy each other’s company. You can find Seaman’s Mercantile HERE.

❤️

“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”

Proverbs 24:27 ESV