Learn to can fruits and vegetables

I would love to can all sorts of tomatoes. Diced, stewed, whole pretty much anything I would use for soup. Today I made some amazing pasta sauce using 2 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes and some soup with a 28 oz can of stewed tomatoes. It would be fun to be able to use my own cans.

My mother and grandmothers all canned and I learned from them. It’s a very satisfying activity and I’d recommend it to everyone. Yes, it can be time-consuming, but when you open a jar of tomatoes in the middle of winter and know that you grew those tomatoes and you canned those tomatoes, well, they just taste so much better than store-bought! With the scary GMOs and factory farms out there, we should all learn to grow and can our own food, for our own health and the health of our children and the health of the planet.

this goal falls in line with eating healthier and being frugal.

I asked my mom… she’s gonna teach me this summer! WooHoo!

I have heard it is one way to improve the environment. I love my grandma’s canned beans and tomatoes. And My mom makes awesome canned hot peppers! I want them to teach me how to do it. I will learn this summer! I promise!!!

So, I’ve been wanting to learn this for a very long time. My mother didn’t do this and my grandparents all died when I was young so if they knew how I missed out. I just turned 42 and realized that I better get moving on this stuff if I want my kids to know. Guess I’ll visit amazon for a good used book on this.

might need ot do more next year.. trying to harvest year round (slightly above lat 45º N)

I just requested 3 canning and preserving books. It’s funny. Some things (gardening, canning, cooking, etc) that people just know, from parents, other people or osmosis, I have learn to discover myself. And the choice method of absorption, at least at first, reading library books.

I’ve discovered that I don’t really like fruits or vegetables with a ton of added sugar/salt/vinegar. So I actually prefer dehydrating fruit. I’ve had success with apples, cherries, strawberries, pears, peaches, tomatoes, and nectarines. Less so with watermelon, canteloupe, carrots, squash…

Is all that I have ever done, therefore, I think that counts. I would like to make some chili sauce and can it – however, the season is over … maybe next year. A friend up-north makes “Sweet Fire” – it is bread n butter pickles canned along with jalapeno peppers. It is wonderful on a wheat thin spread with cream cheese and a pickle slice … Sweet with a Kick. TRY IT – YOU’LL LIKE IT!