Can It!

Yep, I haven't lost my desire for canning. This canning session was for tomatoes! I actually haven't done them before in this way, but decided it was about time. Luckily my neighbor, Chris, who shares my love for local food and preservation, wanted in on the action.  Four hands are most definitely better than two in this situation (Noella's hands do not count).

So we bought 50 lbs from the local farmer just up the road and went to town!

Says it right there - "Oregon Grown"

Noella, learning to be a master canner

Preparing the jars 

Finished product

"Helping"

Her own version of tomato canning. I don't think I'm interested in canned giraffe though....

Canning is always such a production. You must have EVERYTHING in place before you take the plunge and even then it doesn't ever go as smoothly as you'd hoped. But it was a success! And I'm always so thankful when its done knowing we will have delicious local, healthy food ready for us this winter when nothing is ripe or tasty!

One last tid bid about food preservation: I have found that it is only worth it for us if we choose the foods that we really love and miss during the winter. These foods (for us) include: blueberries, raspberries, peaches, cherries (for Adam), tomatoes, pesto, applesauce and pickles. Luckily, all of the fruit and pesto can be frozen, and works best that way. We still have pickles left over from last year - so tomatoes had to make the cut this year. Applesauce is next on the list for fall --- there's nothing better than homemade applesauce!

"taste a little of the summer, my grandma put it all in.... jars" - Greg Brown