Summer 2009 Home Canning Adventures

Now is the time of year that you can find all sorts of goodies at the farmer's market that are perfect for making an assortment of canned goods. Of course we plant all sorts of things in our yard that I use too: tomatoes, eggplant, butternut squash, cucumber, chard, hot peppers, tons of herbs, and the occasional zucchini or yellow squash.

It just so happens that this week is the kickoff week for Canning Across America which is a nationwide collective of foodies, cooks, and gardeners who are trying to revive the art of home canning. They're encouraging people to host a Home Canning Party this coming weekend (8.29-30.09) and help to spread the word about making your own canned goods. I'm still exploring the web site, but they've got some cool resources and recipes. Definitely check it out: http://www.canningacrossamerica.com/.

Down here in the South, they call it "puttin' up." Which was a term I had never heard until I got here. It may not be exclusively Southern, but it sure is widely in use around these 'ere parts.

I've been canning for several years now. I hoard stuff during the summer when it's readily available and make tons of things to give away at the holidays. Last year for Thanksgiving, I gave everyone a jar of something to go home with (btw - last year we had about 40 people for Thanksgiving dinner) as a parting gift.

The big hit is usually the apple and hot pepper preserves. The success of this item allows me to give into the husband's incessant chatter about wanting err... NEEDING to plant a large portion of our backyard with hot pepper plants. He gets to entertain himself for three months and I get free hot peppers to make preserves with. Not too shabby.

This year we didn't get as many tomatoes as I would have liked. They are still growing, but they look sad and sickly so I only got to make a few jars of the marinara sauce. I love this sauce - it so simple to make and keep. It's just whizzed up tomatoes, some garlic, some basil and oregano and salt. It's lovely.

I decided to try out some hot and sweet pickles (again with the excessive hot pepper supply) instead of my usual okra pickles along with a new recipe for my peach chutney. So far those have been pretty well received.

The strawberry jam is a staple. I make it with a little less sugar than normal, which leaves it a little runny. Personally - I think that makes it better. The fact that it's runny means that you can glob it on to a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a biscuit with some whipped cream and go straight to heaven.

I think the next thing I'm looking to can is some spiced peach preserves (since they're really ripe right now) and something with beets for my mother. That's her thing - it's certainly NOT MINE. It's almost time to plant the second batch of tomatoes, so hopefully I can get some more marinara for the winter. I'll keep you posted.