Canning Craziness

Canning, canning and more canning. I am a canning machine. It's a good thing too, because my garden is a producing much more produce than we could possibly consume before spoiling. So far I am highly enjoying this new hobby, there is nothing quite like the feeling of satisfaction I get when I hear the little lid suck down, POP! I have jars and jars of jam, lovingly described as Jam-a-licious by Dominic. Even though I have so much jam already, I am still considering a hike next month to gather huckleberries for even more Jam-a-licious selections this winter.

I've done a lot of pickling, asparagus spears and cukes (whole and sliced). I have 11 cucumber plants, and I've only just started with that canning enjoyment. We got several beets from our co-op farm, so I pickled those too.

I did can some cherries, maybe I'll make a pie this fall.

The tomatoes are just starting to ripen and it takes so many to make enough to can. I've only done 4 pints of spaghetti sauce so far. I am excited to do some salsa soon! My jalapeno's are ripe and ready to dice up!

I've only done a bit of pressure canning. I made some chicken broth last month and canned it up for later use. I probably will try canning some chicken chunks before school starts. It's handy to have on hand for salads and soups. It'll be great when I'm trying to make lunches for everyone everyday.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to. I've also had a lot of success keeping the house fairly clean, I have a new chore system with the kids that is working out nicely. No arguments from the kids and less tedious for me. I'll keep track of how well it works through the end of September and then share it. I always get excited about stuff and share it before I know it really works, lets see if we can make it over the summer/school hump.