Despite the lingering snow, late season canning and preserving is still happening around here.
In addition to our garden, we purchased a farm share or CSA again this season. However, it was through a different farm than we had used in the past. Unfortunately the CSA we used wasn’t the best. Even though it was disappointing, I was able to do quite a bit of canning. One of the main reasons was lack of variety. The standard family cannot eat a dozen jalapeno peppers in a week. But a large amount is good for canning as well as jams and sauces. So thankfully it wasn’t a complete waste of money.
I’m also drying some herbs right in the kitchen. In the past I hung them in the storage room but that area is honestly a little chaotic right now. I just used some bread twist ties to attached to the hanging fruit basket…ta-da. Once the herbs are good and dry, I’ll remove them from the stems and store in jars.
I thought I’d share this book I finally purchased from my Amazon wish list. It’s been on the list for a couple years. I’m thrilled with all the recipes and ideas its gives me for items I had never even thought about.
My mom had always canned quarts of whole tomatoes when I was a kid…so of course when I started gardening I did the same. Turns out my family doesn’t care for the recipes in which she used those canned tomatoes. So for years I’d mainly used our garden for fresh, eat it now veggies and hadn’t given much thought to preservation. Over the past 5 or so years my thoughts and interest has changed on gardening. It’s not just a fresh veggie patch, its food and seasonings for the coming year. Back to those “old-timey” skills.
My school life continues to consume most of my energy. The weekends are spent catching up on household chores. Perhaps as winter settles in and the outdoor chores are at a minimum, I will regain some creative momentum.
I keep making lists of things I want to try, ideas for projects, etc. I just need the time and energy to align.
Too bad your farm share was disappointing this year. Better luck with the next try!
be well… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Interesting way to get veggies. I have never heard of that arrangement. Maybe it’s not so popular here in New England. Too bad you got that many jalapenos though. You sounds like you are enjoying canning but school is exhausting. Hope things improve soon. Snow is on the way for here in NH too. Eeeeks. Hope it was a good T day. Hugs-Erika
I don’t do any canning and have never been part of a cooperative arrangement like this. I know people who’ve had access to farm products that way that they couldn’t find in stores. “Cowboy Candy” sounds like fun :)
Happy T Day!
Oooh, those jalapenos look delicious! Clever idea to hang the herbs to dry on the hanging fruit basket. A lot of “old timey skills” seem to be coming in handy during the continuing covid-19 lock down situation and shortages. And snow? Ugh. Happy T-Day!
I am leaving this generic message for everyone who visited and participated in T Tuesday. I want to thank you for visiting. You may have noticed I was offline off and on for three days. I kept losing electricity. Each time, I was able to visit a few people before the electricity went out again. The third time, I was leaving a comment for Valerie when I heard a huge BOOM. There was a flash of light, the windows and walls shook. It felt like an earthquake to me, but it only lasted a second or two. I believe they have finally fixed the electricity in my neighborhood. I won’t know until I get to explore the internet, but it may have been very local. I know I saw two bucket trucks driving up my street less than an hour after it happened. With no heat, the temperatures both nights dipped into the mid-20s F (low 4s C). Thanks for your participation and thanks for hopefully understanding why I was unable to visit for T this week. Love the herb drying idea.
It seems I always have more ideas for projects than time! I am even retired, and I don’t have enough time to do everything! Have a great week.