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[sjc <indexer AT fairpoint.net>]

Clansgian AT wmconnect.com wrote:
> Curious though, why would you hot water bath on a wood stove rather than
> pressure?
>   
If you're asking me, we I know of no pressure use where I grew up until 
I was probably 11/12 years old.  No clue why, I just tried my best to 
get out of doing it at all. :-)

I'd guess they just hadn't been introduced to pressure cooker/canners 
yet.  They use them now.

I know the first time I heard of one was when a townie friend and I had 
made out to go to Deer Creek swimming one time, must have been about 12, 
13 y/o, and instead had to spend THE WHOLE DAY cleaning in her mother's 
kitchen, where that morning somehow and entire pressure canner full of 
beets had exited it's contents all over floor, walls, ceiling, and into 
every cabinet.....humongous mess and I thought it patently unfair that I 
had to give up a very hard-won free day......kids.

I think it was things like that that caused them to have a slow 
acceptance some places. 

Once I got the logic of the thing, it all made sense to me, and I'm by 
nature inclined to treat machinery/gear carefully and keep it in good 
repair, so have never been afraid of it, although I'm likely as careful 
with it now as I was in the beginning, try to keep my mind on what I'm 
doing, and don't work with it when I'm overtired.  And the beauty of it 
is, for me, that I never have a failure with it, so no waste.  That 
alone ranks high in my book.

SJ