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Preserving and Canning: Keeping Traditions Alive
Trivia: Who became the first woman to solo anchor a nightly network evening newscast in the U.S. (2006)?
RetireHub
October 04, 2025
Rise and shine, RetireHub community! ☀️ Your Saturday newsletter is here!
Today we’re sharing great tips on Preserving and Canning: Keeping Traditions Alive, along with the best deals, fun trivia, and more!
Top Deals From Around The Web
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🍁 20% OFF – Battery-Operated Fall Leaf Lights Garland (Autumn Decor, 9ft)
Add a cozy seasonal touch to your home with this warm LED garland featuring realistic maple leaves. Battery-powered and easy to hang, it’s perfect for mantels, windows, staircases, or holiday tablescapes. A charming way to bring fall vibes into any indoor space—no outlet required.
What We’re Reading
Get these e-book deals before they’re gone.
 | By: Tess Thompson Abigail never planned on raising her cousin’s kids in small-town Vermont—or falling for her rugged neighbor. Luke is a single dad with no time for romance, but holiday lights and a mischievous dog spark something neither can ignore. Can Christmas magic bring them together? |
On this day in 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1—the world’s first artificial satellite—ushering in the Space Age and sparking the fierce space race between the U.S. and USSR.
Preserving and Canning: Keeping Traditions Alive
There’s something deeply comforting—and even empowering—about lining your pantry shelves with jars of homemade preserves, pickles, and jams. For generations, home canning has been a symbol of self-sufficiency, care, and tradition. Today, this timeless practice is enjoying a modern revival, appealing to folks of all ages who appreciate the value of homegrown and homemade.
At its core, preserving and canning is about capturing the flavors of the season to enjoy all year round. Whether it’s tart blackberry jam from summer’s bounty, spicy dilly beans from the garden, or hearty tomato sauce simmered to perfection, each jar is a memory sealed with love. For seniors in particular, canning can be a joyful way to reconnect with past traditions—or to teach younger generations a valuable (and delicious) life skill.
The health and economic benefits are also noteworthy. When you can at home, you control the ingredients—no hidden preservatives or excess sugar. You can stretch your grocery budget by buying produce in-season and in bulk, or even better, using what you grow yourself. And it’s not just about food storage—it’s about slowing down, savoring the process, and celebrating the rhythm of nature.
If you're just getting started, there’s no need to be intimidated. There are two basic methods: water bath canning (great for high-acid foods like jams and pickles) and pressure canning (used for low-acid foods like vegetables and meats). A few essential tools—a canner, jars, lids, and a bit of patience—are all it takes. Many local libraries and senior centers even offer canning workshops or lend out equipment.
Best of all, preserving food is a beautiful way to share with neighbors, give heartfelt gifts, and ensure that the goodness of summer can brighten even the darkest winter day. It’s not just about what’s in the jar—it’s about the story behind it.
Do you can or preserve foods at home? |
Yesterday’s Poll Results: What’s your favorite natural way to support your health?
Looks like healthy habits are top of mind for our readers! The most popular natural approach? Eating an anti-inflammatory diet—25% of you are reaching for colorful veggies, whole grains, and healing spices. But good sleep isn't far behind, with 23% focusing on restful nights to support overall well-being.
Stretching, yoga, and tai chi also made a strong showing, as did herbal remedies and personalized "other" methods. And while only a few of you turn to breathing exercises, we see you exhaling stress one breath at a time.
It’s inspiring to see how many ways our community is caring for their health with intention and curiosity. Thanks for sharing your go-to wellness habits!
TOP COMMENTS
“I have gout (hands and feet). Besides the medicine I take (religiously because a gout flare is incredibly painful and you just have to suffer through days of pain), my rheumatologist sent me for physical therapy. Besides the daily stretching, walking and band work, the physical therapist recommended weight lifting. Game changer. I have lost weight, gained muscle and strength.”
“I do all of the above but also use a Tens Unit. I feel that it helps more than all the above.”
“Walking and moving is my preferred method. Getting the blood moving really helps with stiffness and pain.”
When Love Changes: Understanding Divorce in Later Life
Divorce after 60—often called “gray divorce”—has its own unique challenges and emotional layers. For couples who have built lives together for decades, ending a marriage later in life is rarely just about new disagreements or unmet needs; it's often rooted in deeper shifts: the empty nest, evolving roles, retirement routines, or gradual emotional drifting over years.
One thorny issue is dividing shared assets—especially if the couple owns a business together. Questions about what’s “marital” vs. “separate” property, valuation of long‑standing enterprises, and transition of roles all add complexity. The process often requires careful negotiation, expert guidance, and a willingness to find creative compromises.
Beyond the legal and financial logistics, late-life divorce brings profound emotional work. Many face grief over the loss of identity, fear of solitude, and the daunting task of redefining one’s life after years of partnership. But it can also become a time of reinvention: exploring long-postponed dreams, forming new friendships, and discovering personal strengths you may never have known.
If you or someone you know is navigating this path, know that you’re not alone. With the right support—legal, financial, emotional—this chapter can lead to unexpected clarity, freedom, and renewed purpose.
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Slang Phrase of the Day
Phrase: Beige flag
Meaning: A beige flag is a relatively new term from internet slang that refers to a personality trait or habit in someone that’s not quite a red flag (a warning sign) or a green flag (a good sign)—but instead something that’s mildly odd, quirky, or boring. It’s the kind of thing that might make you pause and think, “Hmm, interesting,” but not necessarily in a bad way.
In a sentence: "At our senior socials, Martha says her new gentleman friend’s beige flag is that he narrates everything he does out loud—but honestly, she finds it kind of endearing!"
Good News of the Day
Rat Removal Sparks Revival: Island Ecosystem Surges Back to Life
After invasive rats were eradicated from two small islets in the Marshall Islands in 2024, conservationists returned just a year later to find a remarkable transformation. Native seabird populations have rebounded strongly—thousands of chicks are now flourishing in colonies where none existed before. At the same time, the forest floor is sprouting thousands of seedlings, and the renewed flow of seabird nutrients is helping restore soil health, marine reefs, and the balance between land and sea.
The revival is already adding resilience to both nature and local communities. With healthy ecosystems returning, there’s renewed hope not only for the wildlife but also for generations who depend on these islands for resources, tradition, and connection.
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RetireHub Trivia
Want more trivia? Play our “Nostalgia Trivia Game” on our site! We add fresh questions daily, so there’s always something new to test your knowledge.
Not into trivia? No worries! We’ve got plenty of other fun games to enjoy, like:
Which European capital is famously built on 14 islands connected by bridges? |
Who became the first woman to solo anchor a nightly network evening newscast in the U.S. (2006)? |
Which soul singer’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” was released posthumously in 1968 and became a No. 1 hit? |
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