The Inventory from Today:
3 Pints of Animal Vegetable Miracle Tomato Sauce
3 Quarts Whole Tomatoes
5 Pints Tomato-Zucchini
3 Pints Lady Bird Johnson Pickled Okra
5 assorted jars of Jalapeno Pepper Jelly (thank you so much, Gloria!!!!!)
2 quart baggies of corn kernels
2 quart baggies of breaded okra
3 snack baggies of "sun" dried cherry tomatoes
Here's a couple of shots of just a portion of the bounty.
I'm going to do an accurate accounting of everything we have canned or "put up" just to know the tally.
It's amazing to see all this when I'm in the middle of the processing part. In fact, what I think about is: How much money am I spending in natural gas, canning jars, lids, ingredients other than what I grow (sugar, pectin, lemon...okay that doesn't count because Kathy Q and I harvested lemons from her trees and a good kind friend's trees and froze them last winter, etc) and TIME rather than simply buying the same things from WalMart or the local grocery up here, Main's market? It isn't incalculable but the satisfaction of not letting all that goodness just go to seasonal eating seems to be more the motivator in this case.
I enjoy canning for the most part and the next thing I think about is how GRATEFUL I am to not be doing this without the pleasure of air-conditioning. I cannot imagine how they did it "back then" in the heat of the summer. In those clothes, as well. I'm in my Thai pants and a short shirt and still it's hot in here.
Since we got that rain a few days ago, the clouds have been reappearing every afternoon and I expect more. So far, no luck but I am ever hopeful.
3 Quarts Whole Tomatoes
5 Pints Tomato-Zucchini
3 Pints Lady Bird Johnson Pickled Okra
5 assorted jars of Jalapeno Pepper Jelly (thank you so much, Gloria!!!!!)
2 quart baggies of corn kernels
2 quart baggies of breaded okra
3 snack baggies of "sun" dried cherry tomatoes
Here's a couple of shots of just a portion of the bounty.
I'm going to do an accurate accounting of everything we have canned or "put up" just to know the tally.
It's amazing to see all this when I'm in the middle of the processing part. In fact, what I think about is: How much money am I spending in natural gas, canning jars, lids, ingredients other than what I grow (sugar, pectin, lemon...okay that doesn't count because Kathy Q and I harvested lemons from her trees and a good kind friend's trees and froze them last winter, etc) and TIME rather than simply buying the same things from WalMart or the local grocery up here, Main's market? It isn't incalculable but the satisfaction of not letting all that goodness just go to seasonal eating seems to be more the motivator in this case.
I enjoy canning for the most part and the next thing I think about is how GRATEFUL I am to not be doing this without the pleasure of air-conditioning. I cannot imagine how they did it "back then" in the heat of the summer. In those clothes, as well. I'm in my Thai pants and a short shirt and still it's hot in here.
Since we got that rain a few days ago, the clouds have been reappearing every afternoon and I expect more. So far, no luck but I am ever hopeful.
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