Who here cans??

[Kozzi Acres]

I can. So far I've put up strawberry, blackberry and blueberry jams, Green beans, potatoes, chicken noodle and veg beef soup, bean-n-bacon soup (my hubby loves this, I came across the canning recipe and gave it a try, turned out really good, VERY close to store bought kind) and this morning I put up 28 pints of salsa.. Tomatoes are rolling in now, next will be tomato juice, stew tomatoes, pizza sauce, spag sauce and so on.

Gardening and canning both are a lot of work, but I can say I love the feeling I have putting up the harvest we have be blessed with..

 

[me&thegals]

Oh, tomatoes--I'm jealous! We will have to wait about another month here in WI... What wonderful bounty you have, Kozzi Acres.

 

[Nuggetsowner:)]

We have few weeks to wait for tomatoes here in MN too. I have made strawberry jam, strawberry rhubarb jam, and today I made two batches of mixed raspberry jam. I also made two loaves of White chip zuchini bread and two loaves of strudele top zuchini bread this morning. My boys already gone through one loaf.

 

[me&thegals]

Sounds delicious! What type of raspberries do you mix for jam? We've been eating summer squash bread around here

 

[heatherv]

Everytime I've brought raspberries in this week, they're devoured before I can make it back into the kitchen.

My zuchini and summer squash plants have pretty much been demolished by the chickens (thanks to DH who let them roam unsupervised while i was gone over the weekend). They already destroyed my pumpkins and herbs that were growing.

Last year it was the deer, this year the chickens. I'm just havin' no luck! I still have apples to look forward to!

 

[Nuggetsowner:)]

Sorry it has been awhile since I have been able to get back online. Summers are busy around here!!

Sounds delicious! What type of raspberries do you mix for jam? We've been eating summer squash bread around here

I mix red raspberries and wild black raspberries. The wild ones actually hold up a little better and give more of a whole fruit texture to the jam. The red raspberries just kind of fall apart and I seem to get more of a jelly if I use just red ones. The mixed jam is what my family likes the best!!

 

[me&thegals]

That sounds great. I've never done the mixed berry before today, but some of my red raspberry sauce got so thick that I dumped in a bunch of black raspberries to thin it out a bit and take down the sweetness. It's pretty, too, isn't it?

Is anybody here from Oregon? My husband and I went there for our 10th anniversary a few years ago and while hiking near the ocean founds loads upon loads of wild berries that look like flattened blueberries, small. Any idea on what those might have been?

 

[CityChook]

Tomatoes already? OH I AM SO JEALOUS!

I am still learning to can, but I try to add a little something new to my repoitoire each year.

Last year it was tomatoes of all sorts - salsa, diced, sauce, slow roasted, dried - we made it nearly all winter without buying from the store.

The year before that we made apple cider from our neighbors tree using an antique press of her parents - the kids had a a BLAST and no one got stung by the zillions of bees. Man that was good stuff.

For the freezer each year I make pesto from the summer's left over basil, roasted tomatoes with garlic, basil and parmesan (wonderful in pasta with a little olive oil) and of course, corn cut from the cob. Maybe this year I'll try some green beans and carrots...

We simply freeze blueberries for use through-out the winter in pancakes, muffins, on ice cream. And of course, where would we be without strawberry and raspberry jam?

Just this month I made a rhubarb chutney (with cranberries), brandied cherries, and peaches.

Summer's bounty is just starting to come on here in MN, so I'll need to find something new to try.

Here are a couple shots of my 6 yo from last year's tomato-fest:

 

[plucky]

Been canning all day here! Quarts and quarts of green beans, tomatos, salsa, and relish. This is my first year graduating up to actual canning (even though I'm in my 30's! This is our first year with space for a real garden with surplus produce)...in years past, I was just the "assistant" to Mom or Grandma as the peeler, snapper, slicer, grinder, and washer of dirty utensils.

I still have to call for pointers, but it feels great to see all those pretty jars in the cupboard!

 

[Beekissed]

City, adorable assistant you have there....what sparkle! Man, do you guys have talent with the varieties of things you put up. My family just always did the basics...you know, the grandma stuff. You'll have to post some of the recipes that you use for your tomatoes!