I love this time of year! We are so busy trying to keep up with the yard, the garden, and the projects. So this will be a monthly update for now and in the future. In August, you realize that summer is winding down fast. You may have at least two months left to get everything done outside that you can get done. Canning is full speed ahead trying to keep up with the produce. While I love dehydrating, I am…
This last week has been busy! Again. Surprised, aren’t you? I promise the winter updates will not be nearly as exciting as these summer ones. The weather is nice, hot, humid, and we are just trying to get everything done outside that we can. Except… We ended up doing an impromptu remodel on our downstairs bathroom. You know, toilets leak once in a while. A new ring, some chalk, and new vinyl flooring will make it better. The walls need to…
One of the greatest things about preserving your food is making your own food to eat later on! You can control the ingredients, use up what you have on hand, and make delicious food such as this Vegetable Soup. I also like that I can make this recipe in pint jars for work lunches and quart jars for a quick supper. Vegetable Soupbased from a recipe in Ball Blue Book of Preserving 2 quarts chopped, peeled cored tomatoes (about 12…
Canning, by and far, is one of the easiest things I know how to do. That may be because I steer away from complicated recipes, but I find it so rewarding to pick food from my garden or trees and preserving it myself. Many people are overwhelmed by canning, but with a few good pieces of equipment, you can do it too. Canning is not fancy if you choose it not to be, but some basic equipment is necessary. I…
Slow Cooker Applesauce is probably one of the easiest recipes I have in my recipe book to make. I love that I can sweeten it to taste (or keep it unsweetened), add spices if I want to, and make enough to can. Slow Cooker Applesauce also has the benefit of saving me money by using the slow cooker and not the stove. I also like this recipe because there is no babysitting the applesauce! I have better things to do with my…
What you see below was my total crop of potatoes from the garden this year. I planted three rows of 15 plants each and this was it. I might have to set a better watering system next year. Dang heat. I knew I wanted to can potatoes again this year. I love the convenience of opening up a jar, draining it, and dumping the potatoes into a frying pan. Almost instant fried potatoes! You don’t need garden potatoes to do…