We have found a great local farm, The Clark Family Farm, just up the road from us. Gail and Mike are the sweetest people. They know all their customers by name, even us newbies :) and their produce is beautiful.
I know you may be asking, "Don't you have a garden?" Yes, we do, however, we are a ways out from harvesting so in the mean time we can support our neighbors. Lydia loves the fresh bouquets of flowers for just $4. Seriously?! We now have fresh flowers in our home everyday. It's so refreshing.
On with the canning story. We purchased a bushel of canning tomatoes last week and made some delicious spaghetti sauce, along with several packets of dried, seasoned, tomatoes. Canning has been around for years and I believe it is starting to make a come back. It really is not difficult to do and you don't have to use expensive "canning pots" and other suggested tools. Get creative. Any large pot will do as long as it is deep enough for water to cover the top of the jars. You probably have tongs, pot holders, and a ladle or funnel. The final and most important items would be the jars.
For our family, it is very satisfying to see our end products, whether it be sauces, beef jerky, jams, or jellies. To think that we did it is simply amazing. The food in those jars or vacuum packed bags did not come off of a shelf in some grocery store. It was harvested with our own hands and in some cases, our neighbors. Oh, I forgot to mention the bonding time that is created when you make canning a family activity. My children love it. Heck, either of them could make jelly on their own and they certainly can make dried tomatoes, with the help of the dehydrator of course. We have lots of laughs and taste tests during our canning times. The kids love it when we ask their opinion about a flavor. They both have extraordinary pallets. Gordon Ramsay would be proud!
Our canning season has only just begun. Here are a few pics from this past weekend. We will be making pickles later this fall and probably some chow chow.
Take the time to try canning with your family. I promise the memories made will be PRICELESS!!
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| Ginger is inspecting the tomatoes! |
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| Blanching and Peeling Team |
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| Loading the dehydrator |
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| Our first batch of spaghetti sauce |
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| First batch of dried tomatoes |
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| Our Sous Chef |
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Toamtoes with fresh basil
Lydia did all of these by herself :) |
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