This morning, I finally did it. (Missed Part 1? Read that first.) The cucumbers that had been haunting my kitchen like green ghosts of good intentions are now… in jars. Six of them, to be exact. Six neat jars that look deceptively innocent on the counter, as if they didn’t cause me mild panic before 11 a.m.

Before I even began, I consulted not one, not two, but three cookbooks—because I like to complicate things. Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan, The Preservation Kitchen by Paul Virant, and Joshua Weissman’s An Unapologetic Cookbook  (one of my favorites) all sat on my counter like wise elders, offering slightly conflicting advice.

The pressure was real. Sometimes the easiest kitchen processes are the hardest to master—case in point: the Great White Sauce Debacle of 2010. That béchamel nearly broke me, but I came back stronger and refuse to be beaten by cucumbers.

Cookbooks are one thing, but the live version of phone-a-friend is better. My mother came over as backup—a canning guardian angel armed with decades of experience and a calm that needs to be on the required list of canning tools. I was determined to do this myself, but her presence kept me from spiraling into a jar-related meltdown, and all of the little questions, the teeniest details that weren’t covered in any of those books, were answered effortlessly by my mom. Infinite wisdom, that one.

And…I did it. Six jars of cucumbers, sealed and sitting proudly on my counter. Are they good? Who knows. I haven’t tasted them yet because—full disclosure—I’m still slightly terrified of what I’ve created. That’s a problem for another day.

But here’s what matters: I conquered the fear. Was it easy? Absolutely not. Will I do it again? Probably, because I’m stubborn and because not backing down from a challenge is in my genetic code. It’s not cathartic yet, but I refuse to put the jars in the cupboard – they will sit and adorn my counter for weeks to come as a gentle reminder that no matter what the fear or the obstacle, it’s always better to face it.

Here’s to confronting whatever is in front of you, friends. Happy Weekend.