This is one of my favorite times of the year: canning season! The peppers, tomatoes and fruit are rolling in and it's time to get them put up for the cold months.
This is one day's bounty- and my sinks are true double sinks- 24 in square each. That is over 7 pounds of hot peppers, with a couple bell peppers mixed in.
We've had a lot of cherry tomatoes this year. While I love eating them, I don't can them. If I do anything, I'll dehydrate them and store them dried.
All those peppers! I only canned half of them and got all these jars of hot pepper relish. The other half went into the freezer. Peppers freeze really well- just cut them to the size you would normally use them fresh and put in a plastic bag. For bell peppers, I cut them into finger-length strips; the hots just get the tops trimmed off.
There are 3.5 quarts of crushed tomatoes there as well.
I had 12 pounds of peaches, so I made this peach jam (minus the cinnamon and added 2 T of vanilla extract). It was so good we ate almost a whole jar before it even got cool. Would be a great ice cream topping as well! I'm also quite pleased that all my jars sealed this week; I had been having some problems with sealing earlier in the year. I think it might have been a bad batch of lids.
I think there will be more tomato canning this week, but that's probably about it for now!
Its beautiful! I love the season's harvest. I really enjoyed it when my mom did her canning, especially the jam making!
ReplyDeleteHappy canning! We're hoping to do some grape jelly this year...a local farm stand run by the descendents of Italian workers always sells home grown Concord grapes. (yet I'm feeling so lazy...wanna come jam some grapes for me???)
ReplyDeleteI remember so fondly the canning my mother and grandmother did. Carl and I used to have a small garden and put up "chow chow" every year, but now that it's just me, it seems like canning is more work than it's worth for just one person. I still love to see what other people are putting up though. Yours is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteLooking good girl...keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteMaryD
OMG what an harvest! I've had 4 peppers so far....It happens.
ReplyDeleteHappy canning :)
Aww! Looks great! I want to do that, but it was so hot, I don't know how long the tomatoes will last!
ReplyDeleteNo doubt about it, canning is hot and messy work. I don't particularly like the process, but the end result is what keeps me going! I love the fact that I haven't bought jam, pickles or tomato products at the store in years. Keeps me in touch with my inner Depression-era housewife!
ReplyDeleteWow! Looks like you've been busy! Paul and I have a couple of things growing in our "fall garden" right now, but we're really going to get things going next spring. I've never canned anything before, but I'm planning on preserving part of what we grow. I'm a little scared, but looking forward to it!
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