Alright, so this has blossomed into a sometimes semi-monthly round-up. So be it. I like to think of this blog as a slow blog, you know, like slow food. I take my sweet time doing the mise-en-place, put a post on the burner and simmer it, bake ideas for a week or more at low temperatures. And I promised myself when I started blogging that I would never apologize for not blogging “enough.” What is it with blogger’s guilt? How many times have you read a riffs on the “Sorry I haven’t been posting, I’ve been so busy with work/my baby/getting drunk, I promise I’ll try harder…” missive? Bloggers: blog or don’t blog but never apologize. Isn’t this online nerding out just for fun anyway? Say it loud: “I’m slow and I’m proud!” Wait. That didn’t come out right.

And now, a few newsy jar tidbits:

* Spring quickie pickles

Here’s a snappy selection of quick pickling recipes from Carolyn Maynard-Parisi who contributes to the NY Times‘ The Local New Jersey-related blog. For first-time canners and instant-gratification types, Maynard-Parisi offers up three vinegar-soaked quickies: quick-pickled red onions (adapted from a recipe by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette) quick-pickled asparagus (adapted from Sunset magazine) and pickled ramps (adapted from One Spice, Two Spice by Floyd Cardoz).

* Amish chic

Their motto says it all: “At Lehman’s, being old-fashioned is always in fashion.” Sweet. Anyone near Kidron, Ohio today can scurry down to this giant Amish general store to catch the tail-end of their 55th anniversary celebrations. Seems they’ve got 32,00 sq. ft of space, including a HUGE selection of canning and preserving gear (much of it you can order on-line), plenty of home butchering supplies, a home dairy section stocking butter- and cheese-making gear and a pantry that stocks such tempting treats as Amish popcorn kits, hickory hams and plenty of jams and fruit butters.

* Jars of light

Another Orangette reference – purely coincidental: Kitch’n posted about these pretty pendant lamps made from Weck canning jars a few days ago. They were custom made for Ms. Wizenberg’s Seattle pizza joint and now you can order them on-line here. They’re a little steep at $185 a pop, but any repurposing jars is always fun (I like using them as glasses, vases, candle holders). Another recent Kitch’n post involving those fetching Wecks, for esthetically discerning pantry keepers: the lovely look of Weck jars marked up in white pen.